Consuls, Corsairs, and Captives: the Creation of Dutch Diplomacy in the Early Modern

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University of Miami
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2012-11-21
Consuls, Corsairs, and Captives: the Creation of
Dutch Diplomacy in the Early Modern
Mediterranean, 1596-1699
Erica Heinsen-Roach
University of Miami, [email protected]
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Heinsen-Roach, Erica, "Consuls, Corsairs, and Captives: the Creation of Dutch Diplomacy in the Early Modern Mediterranean,
1596-1699" (2012).Open Access Dissertations. 891.
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UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

CONSULS, CORSAIRS, AND CAPTIVES: THE CREATION OF DUTCH
DIPLOMACY IN THE EARLY MODERN MEDITERRANEAN,
1596-1699

By

Erica Heinsen-Roach

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Faculty
of the University of Miami
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Coral Gables, Florida

December 2012
©2012
Erica Heinsen-Roach
All Rights Reserved
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

CONSULS, CORSAIRS, AND CAPTIVES: THE CREATION OF DUTCH
DIPLOMACY IN THE EARLY MODERN MEDITERRANEAN, 1596-1699

Erica Heinsen-Roach

Approved:

________________ _________________
Mary Lindemann, Ph.D. M. Brian Blake, Ph.D.
Professor of History Dean of the Graduate School

________________ _________________
Hugh Thomas, Ph.D. Ashli White, Ph.D.
Professor of History Professor of History

________________
Frank Palmeri, Ph.D.
Professor of English
HEINSEN-ROACH, ERICA (Ph.D., History)
Consuls, Corsairs, and Captives: the Creation of Dutch (December 2012)
Diplomacy in the Early Modern Mediterranean, 1596-1699.

Abstract of a dissertation at the University of Miami.

Dissertation supervised by Professor Mary Lindemann.
No. of pages in text. (418)

In the seventeenth-century western Mediterranean, the conflict between the Dutch
Republic and North African principalities over the issues of corsairing and the capture of
Christians created a type of diplomacy that significantly deviates from our traditional
understanding of how early modern diplomacy evolved, namely as an exchange of
resident ambassadors between European states. As a study in the New Diplomatic
History, this dissertation emphasizes the significance of cultural practices and political
interests between Europe and other parts of the world. Over the course of the seventeenth
century, North African society greatly influenced the rhythms and patterns of the
evolving diplomatic relations, practices, and policies in the western Mediterranean in four
particular ways. First, Europe and the Maghreb employed a mixed group of negotiators to
conduct their affairs and did not exchange resident ambassadors as sovereigns in Europe
usually did. Dutch consuls, whose role as merchant-consuls transformed into that of state-
representatives, became the pre-eminent diplomats conducting the Republic’s affairs in
North Africa. Second, Dutch and North African negotiators sought to combine
commercial and political interests rather than follow the grand political agendas that
governments in Europe often developed and pursued. Third, because the Dutch and North
Africans did not exchange plenipotentiary resident ambassadors, Dutch consuls stationed
in the Maghreb were forced to adjust to North African customary practices, especially
those of ransoming captives and lavish gift-giving. Finally, these adjustments to North
African negotiating practices, especially the giving of gifts that eventually became a form
of paying tribute, demonstrate how early modern diplomacy in the western Mediterranean
did not evolve in a linear manner. Thus, by examining Dutch-North African relations in
the seventeenth century, this study raises new questions about the origins and the
development of early modern diplomacy and invites us to rethink the position of
European states in global power relations.
To my parents, Jan and Jannie Heinsen

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Acknowledgements

I owe a great debt of gratitude to Mary Lindemann, my advisor, for all her
encouragement, criticisms, and brilliant insights. No matter what the distance or the
occasional language barrier, she has always been there for me and still is. She has read
and commented on, endlessly and tirelessly, innumerable drafts of chapters. Without her,
I could not have written the dissertation I did. But of all things, her greatest gift was to
teach me what it means to be an historian. I can only hope to have acquired a fraction of
her historical acuity. I am also grateful to the members of my dissertation committee:
Hugh Thomas for teaching high standards of interpreting source material; Ashli White for
expanding my world beyond the history and historiography of Europe; and Frank Palmeri
for showing me that reading English novels is not just fun but also a source of inspiration
for the field of history. Michael Miller, Guido Ruggiero, Robin Bachin, Karl Gunther,
Edmund Abaka, and Julia Clancy-Smith have all made valuable comments along the
way. I also would like to thank Rudolf Dekker and Maartje van Gelder in Amsterdam.
My discussions with them helped me to rethink significant concepts of the dissertation.
No less important are my friends and fellow students, with whom I shared many a laugh
and a scream: Silvia Mitchell, Simonetta Marin, Jacqueline Grant, Lauren Lane, Stephen
Lazer, and Carolyn Zimmerman.
The generous support of several institutions has greatly facilitated my research in
the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States. The Department of History at the
University of Miami funded initial summer research in the Netherlands and provided an
additional research assistantship. The Max and Peggy Kriloff Graduate Student Travel
Scholarship and the Provost Travel Award of the College of Arts and Sciences funded
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travel to the Netherlands. Also, the University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences
Dissertation Award allowed me to spend valuable time completing the dissertation. In
addition, the American Friends of the Herzog August Bibliothek Travel Grant paid for
my journey to Wolfenbüttel, Germany. Finally, the Friends of Princeton University
Library Research Grant helped me to uncover Portuguese sources. During these trips, the
kindness and assistance of curators, archivists, and librarians have made my research
pleasant and worthwhile. I would like to thank, in particular, Marijke Best of Archief
Eemland in Amersfoort, Evelien St. Nicolaas of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and
Sandra Law of Interlibrary Loan at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
My family and friends have patiently withstood many storms. The understanding
my father, my mother (if she had still been alive), and sister Marleen have shown for my
academic endeavors know no boundaries. I do not know how to return their unconditional
love and support, but I can only hope to give my niece Eline and nephew Tom the same.
Friends, far away, turned out to be close by, always caring and knowing where to find me
with a funny story, a sigh, or plain gossip: so, thank you, Caro van Eijden, Femke
Linnartz, Willemijn Zeevenhooven, Eric Bervoets, Kelly Briley, Olaf Herlaar, Ingrid
Donsu, Jelle Piersma, Janneke van der Hulst, Tineke Hulsbergen, and Sandra Biesterveld,
for your warm friendship. Without my husband Steve the journey of writing the
dissertation would have been barren. His intellectual curiosity is a driving force, always
inspiring me to think one step further. More times than he might have imagined, his quips
and sheer being have saved my sanity. Every adventure begins and ends with him.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... vii

LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... ix

LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................... x

Chapter

Introduction............................................................................................................ 1

1 The Origins of Dutch Diplomacy in North Africa, 1596 -1622...................... 27

2 Redefining the Consul...................................................................................... 92

3 Consuls and the Liberation of Captives, 1616-1630........................................ 138

4 Diplomatic Immunity....................................................................................... 183

5 Public Ministers and Jewish Competitors, 1650-1675.................................... 229

6 Redemption in the Republic............................................................................. 285

7 Gift-giving and Tribute, 1675-1699................................................................. 339

Conclusion............................................................................................................. 390

Appendix .............................................................................................................. 399

Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 401

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