Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Dutch in Bengal: A Forgotten Trading Empire
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've talked a lot about the Portuguese pirates, the English Company, the Mughal governors — but there's another European power that had a surprisingly deep footprint in Bengal, and most people have never heard of it. Luna: The French? Lucas: Close, but no — the Dutch. The Dutch East India Company, the VOC. They were in Bengal for nearly two centuries, from the early 1600s until the end of the 18th century. And at one point, they were actually the dominant European trading power here. Luna: Wow, I never would have guessed that. So what brought them to Bengal? Lucas: The same thing that brought everyone: textiles, saltpeter, opium. Bengal's muslin was world-famous, and the Dutch wanted a piece of that action. They set up their first factory in 1615 at a place called Pipili, on the coast of what's now Odisha. But soon they moved inland, up the Hooghly River, because that's where the real wealth was. Lucas: Their main settlement became Chinsurah, a town about 40 kilometers north of modern Kolkata. And for a long time, Chinsurah was a real rival to the English settlement in Calcutta. The Dutch built warehouses, a mint, even a small fort. Luna: So they had a fort? Were they expecting a fight? Lucas: Well, initially they were more about trade than conquest. But in the 1750s, as the English Company grew more aggressive, the Dutch started to worry. They saw what was happening at Plassey, how Clive had put Mir Jafar on the throne. And they thought, 'We need to flex our military muscle or we'll be pushed out.' Lucas: So in 1759, the Dutch decided to send troops up the Hooghly to challenge the English. They had about 700 European soldiers and some Indian sepoys, and they sailed upriver expecting to link up with their allies. But the English got wind of it and ambushed them at a place called Biderra. Luna: Biderra — I've never heard of that battle. Lucas: It's totally forgotten today, but it was decisive. The English attacked with a smaller force but caught the Dutch off guard. The Dutch commander was killed, the ships were captured, and within a few hours the VOC's military ambitions in Bengal were crushed. After that, the Dutch never really challenged the English again. Lucas: But they stayed on as traders. Chinsurah remained a Dutch settlement until the early 19th century, when the British took it over. And you can still see traces of that era — the Dutch cemetery in Chinsurah is one of the oldest European cemeteries in India, with these huge, ornate tombs covered in moss. Luna: That sounds spooky but fascinating. What about their trade? Did they leave any cultural mark? Lucas: Oh, absolutely. The Dutch were major patrons of Bengali textile production. They commissioned specific designs for export to the Indonesian archipelago, which influenced local weaving styles. And they brought in a lot of Indo-Dutch architecture — you see these hybrid houses in Chinsurah with Dutch gables but Bengali verandas. Lucas: They also introduced printing. The first Bengali typeface for movable type was cast by a Dutch printer in Chinsurah in the 1770s. That's how the first Bengali books were printed. Luna: I had no idea. So the Dutch were really pioneers in a lot of ways, but they just got overshadowed by the British. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the story of so many European players in Bengal — the Portuguese, the Danes, the French — they all had their moment, but the English won out. Still, for listeners who want to see this history firsthand, Chinsurah is a great day trip from Kolkata. You can walk through the Dutch quarter, see the old governor's house, the cemetery. Luna: You know, it's amazing how much of this history is just sitting there, waiting to be discovered. And it's because of listeners who support the show that we can keep digging into these stories. Lucas: That's the truth. We don't run ads, so it's literally the listeners who make this possible. A handful of people chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's what keeps the research flowing. If you're enjoying these deep dives, that's the simplest way to keep them coming. Luna: Yeah, it genuinely means a lot. And it's not a big ask — just a small contribution helps cover the costs of archives, books, and our time. Lucas: Right. So, back to the Dutch. One of the most fascinating things they left behind is a manuscript called the 'Bengal Letters' — correspondence between the directors in Amsterdam and their factors in Chinsurah. It gives you a real sense of the challenges they faced: monsoons ruining cargo, corruption among local officials, disputes with the English. Luna: Did they get along with the Mughal governors? Lucas: For the most part, yes. The Mughals saw the Dutch as useful trade partners. The Dutch paid their customs duties, didn't meddle in politics — at least not until the very end. They had a good relationship with Murshid Quli Khan, the first Nawab of Bengal, who gave them permission to expand their factories. Lucas: But after Plassey, everything changed. The English became the de facto rulers, and they used their power to squeeze out rivals. The Dutch found their privileges revoked, their trade restricted. By the 1790s, the VOC was bankrupt back in Europe, and the British took over Chinsurah in 1825 as part of a treaty with the Netherlands. Luna: So the Dutch era ended quietly, not with a bang but a whimper. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what makes it such a compelling piece of hidden history. The Dutch were in Bengal for almost as long as the British, but they're almost entirely forgotten. Next time you're near the Hooghly, think about those Dutch ships sailing upriver, carrying spices and textiles that would end up in Amsterdam.