Empire: World History 358. Spice Wars: The Rise of the Dutch East India Company (Ep 1)
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May 10, 2026 
Herold van der Linde, Dutch historian and Asia finance specialist, explains the origins of the Dutch East India Company and his personal family link to its history. He traces espionage, revolutionary ship design, tradable shares and market manipulation. The conversation also covers VOC global reach, brutal colonial tactics and the founding of Batavia.
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How The VOC Became A Mega Corporation
- The VOC combined unprecedented financial innovation with maritime technology to become the era's dominant global corporation.
- Dutch tradable shares, public subscription and the efficient fluyt ships let the VOC ship 2.5 million tons and make 4,800 Asia voyages from 1602–1796.
Jan van Linschoten's Midnight Map Theft
- Jan Huygen van Linschoten secretly copied Portuguese sailing directions and maps while serving as archbishop's secretary in Goa from 1583–1589.
- He smuggled and published detailed routings, winds, ports and bribe tips in books (1595–96) that unlocked Dutch and English access to Asia.
The First IPO And A Tradable Market
- The VOC's ability to issue tradable shares and keep a transfer ledger created the world's first IPO and a liquid market that broadened capital access.
- Article 11 let shareholders swap stakes via VOC bookkeepers, encouraging small investors and raising far larger capital than England's EIC.
