Belgium's Forgotten Slave Ships and the Antwerp Connection

The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History · Sep 20, 2026 · 12m · transcript

While much of Belgium’s colonial history focuses on the Congo Free State or Suriname, there is a deeper, older layer to its involvement in global exploitation. This episode explores the often-overlooked role of Antwerp merchants in the seventeenth-century transatlantic slave trade, long before Leopold II took control of the Congo. We examine the story of Jan de la Haye, an Antwerp-based trader who attempted to establish a foothold in the African interior during the height of European mercantilism. By looking at the Society of Antwerp Merchants and their fragile connections with local powers…