Two Lions and a Dragon: The Gentleman's Game Resumes (Part I)
European Reaction to the founding of the The United Kingdom of the Netherlands
The annexation of Belgium sent shockwaves through Europe, not since the days of Napoleon had one Great Power been so swiftly removed and another humiliated in battle in a period of less than a year. The Netherlands ascended to a comfortable spot among the Great Powers.
The Netherlands were now considered one of the worlds Great Powers
Many monarchs condemned Frederik's decision to execute Leopold, especially Belgian sympathisers such as France and Spain. Despite the family connections between her and Leopold, Victoria was one of the first monarchs to praise Frederik for uniting The Netherlands. Public opinion in Great Britain varied on political lines, with liberals and some conservatives praising the queen for having the foresight to avoid a war with the Dutch while the reactionaries criticized her for not doing enough to support her uncle.
Not all monarchs condemned the execution however, autocrats such as Frederick William IV of Prussia and Tsar Nicholas I of Russia widely supported the move, the latter comparing Belgium to Finland or Poland. Frederik's most emphatic supporter however, was Carlos V of Spain who famously said: "When my generals talk of Frederick the Great, I ask them, the Prussian or the Dutchman?" this was the earliest known reference to Frederik's later cognomen, "de Grote" (The Great)
Carlos V of Spain, Carlist Pretender to the Spanish throne and emphatic supporter of Frederik I
Domestic reaction to the founding of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Reaction in The Netherlands was mostly positive, even in the southern provinces there was support for the decision, especially among the Flemish. Leopold's decision to ally with the Spanish was a propaganda goldmine for the Dutch, although the Spanish hadn't been in control of the region for over a century they were still seen as the "old enemy" by a majority of Nederlanders, regardless of race, religion or political persuasion. This allowed Dutch propagandists to paint Frederik as a liberator in the vein of his noble ancestor Willem, Prince of Orange (III) while Leopold was frequently accused of "selling out" Belgium to the Spanish.
Rebellions and uprisings against Dutch rule were common in predominately Wallonian areas for the next 50 years or so, but were very low-key and quickly put down. Resistance to Dutch rule in the southern provinces remains to this day, but those radicals are clearly in the minority and today, violent uprisings are quite rare.
Ethische Politiek: Establishment and Early Reforms
With the country united, Frederik enacted a variety of reforms to pacify the population. His first reform was to religion and education; although Protestantism remained the state religion, Catholics were not discriminated against, and Catholic schools were allowed to remain open in the southern provinces. He also provided government funding for Catholic schools in the north, though their funding was significantly less than those for schools run by the Reformed church.
Frederik decreed that all schools teach Dutch as a first language, and used Dutch as the language of instruction, while teaching a second language which was most commonly French, but occasionally English or German were taught instead. To spread the new language to the people, Frederik declared a 10 year education compulsory for all citizens, starting at age six and finishing at age sixteen at the earliest.
The new education policies were exported throughout the empire as well, the only exception being the Dutch East Indies, where Malay[1] was used as language of instruction and Dutch (or Bahasa Belanda as it was known) taught as a second language. Compulsory education for "colonials" was a revolutionary idea, and one which endeared the liberals to Frederik. Frederik called the new policy "Ethische Politiek".
When conservatives and reactionaries questioned the new policies, Frederik simply replied "I am just continuing the work of my father, the benefits of The Netherlands for ALL Nederlanders" There was no further questioning.
Finally, Frederik had been impressed by the British Railways he saw at his stay there, and requested his country develop it's own. This was an immediate precursor to the Koninklijk Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which Frederik founded in June 1841.
Expansion of the Dutch Colonial Empire: 1840-1846
With tensions in Europe pacified, Frederik turned to Asia for expansion. The Gentleman's game resumed with earnest when on the 9th of June 1840, The Netherlands declared war on the Sultanate of Johor.
Frederik ordered his troops to board ships and wait for Johor to make the first move. The Sultan was so outraged by the declaration of war, he personally lead his entire army to attack the Dutch island of Tanjung Pinang.
The Batavia Colonial Army prepare to relieve Tanjung Pinang
This was the moment Frederik had been waiting for, he ordered the Palembang Colonial Army to attack the northernmost province of Ipoh while the Batavia Colonial Army relieved Tanjing Pinang with the aid of the Colonial Navy, which blockaded the island, cutting off the Sultan's road of retreat. The battle was a resounding victory, and the sultan and his surviving troops had no choice but to surrender or commit suicide, his troops chose the former while the Sultan chose the latter.
Sultan Ismail al-Marhum perished at the battle of Tanjung Pinang. He was succeeded by his twin brother, also named Ismail al-Marhum
The Sultan's twin brother was quickly appointed as successor, he built an army of 3000 volunteers at the capital, but that was crushed by the advancing Batavia Colonial Army, while the Palembang Army under David Tasman besieged Kuantan.
Ismail al-Marhum II was more cowardly than his late twin brother, his offer of peace was swiftly rejected.
With Frederik and the nation caught up in the war, some Schoolteachers back home tried to circumvent the policies of Ethische Politiek, Frederik was so pleased he promoted them to the Batavia Colonial Army; teaching Dutch to the troops on the front lines.
The fruits of Ethische Politiek were beginning to ripen, gold was discovered in Sumbawa in April, a boon to local prosperity. In May, 1841 The Sultanate of Johor was annexed, and Dutch Malaya was incorporated into the Dutch East Indies, improving it's commercial worth greatly.
In June, Dutch Engineers had successfully produced a Railway prototype and shown it to the King in Amsterdam, this Experimental Railway was an immediate success and impressed Frederik greatly. The King personally established The Koninklijk Nederlandse Spoorwegen, a semi-nationalised railway company, to produce and run an empire-wide rail system. The King was also interested in medicine to improve the welfare of his subjects, and ordered his brightest doctors and chemists to do further work in the field of Chemistry.
Plans for Railway Building in The Netherlands proper
Plans for Railway building in the Dutch East Indies
Local workers during the construction of the Java railway network
Not wanting to be outdone by the invasion of Johor, The British invaded Burma, and then China. China, who fought Portugal to a standstill over Macau months earlier, were caught unprepared and forced to cede parts of Yunnan to the British Raj.
British India, circa 1841
Himself not wanting to be outdone by British exploits in China, Frederik saw a chance to reclaim Dutch Formosa, a territory unlawfully robbed from the Dutch by Ming Loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) nearly 200 years ago.
War with Dai Qing was declared on October the 24th, 1841.
The Palembang Colonial army was responsible for besieging Formosa, starting with the north and working their way down (like in Malaya) while the valiant Colonial Navy was responsible for keeping the Chinese at bay, winning battle after battle against the Chinese Navy. Despite their heroic actions, the Chinese Admirals were cunning, managing to launch amphibious assaults against Banda Aceh and Dutch Ghana.
In an exploit worthy of the Danish Expedition, Dai Qing managed to besiege and briefly occupy the Dutch Colony of Sekondi in Western Africa
The Batavia Colonial Army was overconfident and headstrong, having defeated entire armies from Aceh and Johor. When they were asked to relieve the siege of Banda Aceh, they were met by surprisingly tenacious Chinese forces and were defeated. Frederik was outraged, to say the least.
Following their defeat, the Batavian Colonial Army decided to apply Frederikan tactics and retreat, letting Banda Aceh fall. It was Chinese Army's turn to get overconfident as they launched a foolhardy assault on Tapaktuan, where the Dutch scored an easy victory. With the Dutch in hot pursuit, the Chinese were unable to hold Banda Aceh, which soon fell to the Dutch.
The Chinese were feeling the pressure of another losing war, and decided wisely to sue for peace and surrender Formosa, Frederik gladly accepted, as he had bigger fish to fry...
The Treaty of Amoy (Xiamen) declared the invasion of Formosa by Koxinga illegal, and thus the invasion by Emperor Kangxi illegal. Formosa was returned to The Netherlands and China renounced all claims to the island.
The latest Dutch possession in Asia, Dutch Formosa
Dutch possessions in Asia after the reconquest of Formosa (the 27th of September, 1841)
Coming up next: Ethische Politiek extends to Formosa, and Frederik embarks on his third colonial war
Note:
[1]The modern term for this language would be Bahasa Indonesia but as Indonesia hasn't been formed yet the language has no proper name, hence my decision to call it "Malay".
European Reaction to the founding of the The United Kingdom of the Netherlands
The annexation of Belgium sent shockwaves through Europe, not since the days of Napoleon had one Great Power been so swiftly removed and another humiliated in battle in a period of less than a year. The Netherlands ascended to a comfortable spot among the Great Powers.
The Netherlands were now considered one of the worlds Great Powers
Many monarchs condemned Frederik's decision to execute Leopold, especially Belgian sympathisers such as France and Spain. Despite the family connections between her and Leopold, Victoria was one of the first monarchs to praise Frederik for uniting The Netherlands. Public opinion in Great Britain varied on political lines, with liberals and some conservatives praising the queen for having the foresight to avoid a war with the Dutch while the reactionaries criticized her for not doing enough to support her uncle.
Not all monarchs condemned the execution however, autocrats such as Frederick William IV of Prussia and Tsar Nicholas I of Russia widely supported the move, the latter comparing Belgium to Finland or Poland. Frederik's most emphatic supporter however, was Carlos V of Spain who famously said: "When my generals talk of Frederick the Great, I ask them, the Prussian or the Dutchman?" this was the earliest known reference to Frederik's later cognomen, "de Grote" (The Great)
Carlos V of Spain, Carlist Pretender to the Spanish throne and emphatic supporter of Frederik I
Domestic reaction to the founding of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Reaction in The Netherlands was mostly positive, even in the southern provinces there was support for the decision, especially among the Flemish. Leopold's decision to ally with the Spanish was a propaganda goldmine for the Dutch, although the Spanish hadn't been in control of the region for over a century they were still seen as the "old enemy" by a majority of Nederlanders, regardless of race, religion or political persuasion. This allowed Dutch propagandists to paint Frederik as a liberator in the vein of his noble ancestor Willem, Prince of Orange (III) while Leopold was frequently accused of "selling out" Belgium to the Spanish.
Rebellions and uprisings against Dutch rule were common in predominately Wallonian areas for the next 50 years or so, but were very low-key and quickly put down. Resistance to Dutch rule in the southern provinces remains to this day, but those radicals are clearly in the minority and today, violent uprisings are quite rare.
Ethische Politiek: Establishment and Early Reforms
With the country united, Frederik enacted a variety of reforms to pacify the population. His first reform was to religion and education; although Protestantism remained the state religion, Catholics were not discriminated against, and Catholic schools were allowed to remain open in the southern provinces. He also provided government funding for Catholic schools in the north, though their funding was significantly less than those for schools run by the Reformed church.
Frederik decreed that all schools teach Dutch as a first language, and used Dutch as the language of instruction, while teaching a second language which was most commonly French, but occasionally English or German were taught instead. To spread the new language to the people, Frederik declared a 10 year education compulsory for all citizens, starting at age six and finishing at age sixteen at the earliest.
The new education policies were exported throughout the empire as well, the only exception being the Dutch East Indies, where Malay[1] was used as language of instruction and Dutch (or Bahasa Belanda as it was known) taught as a second language. Compulsory education for "colonials" was a revolutionary idea, and one which endeared the liberals to Frederik. Frederik called the new policy "Ethische Politiek".
When conservatives and reactionaries questioned the new policies, Frederik simply replied "I am just continuing the work of my father, the benefits of The Netherlands for ALL Nederlanders" There was no further questioning.
Finally, Frederik had been impressed by the British Railways he saw at his stay there, and requested his country develop it's own. This was an immediate precursor to the Koninklijk Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which Frederik founded in June 1841.
Expansion of the Dutch Colonial Empire: 1840-1846
With tensions in Europe pacified, Frederik turned to Asia for expansion. The Gentleman's game resumed with earnest when on the 9th of June 1840, The Netherlands declared war on the Sultanate of Johor.
Frederik ordered his troops to board ships and wait for Johor to make the first move. The Sultan was so outraged by the declaration of war, he personally lead his entire army to attack the Dutch island of Tanjung Pinang.
The Batavia Colonial Army prepare to relieve Tanjung Pinang
This was the moment Frederik had been waiting for, he ordered the Palembang Colonial Army to attack the northernmost province of Ipoh while the Batavia Colonial Army relieved Tanjing Pinang with the aid of the Colonial Navy, which blockaded the island, cutting off the Sultan's road of retreat. The battle was a resounding victory, and the sultan and his surviving troops had no choice but to surrender or commit suicide, his troops chose the former while the Sultan chose the latter.
Sultan Ismail al-Marhum perished at the battle of Tanjung Pinang. He was succeeded by his twin brother, also named Ismail al-Marhum
The Sultan's twin brother was quickly appointed as successor, he built an army of 3000 volunteers at the capital, but that was crushed by the advancing Batavia Colonial Army, while the Palembang Army under David Tasman besieged Kuantan.
Ismail al-Marhum II was more cowardly than his late twin brother, his offer of peace was swiftly rejected.
With Frederik and the nation caught up in the war, some Schoolteachers back home tried to circumvent the policies of Ethische Politiek, Frederik was so pleased he promoted them to the Batavia Colonial Army; teaching Dutch to the troops on the front lines.
The fruits of Ethische Politiek were beginning to ripen, gold was discovered in Sumbawa in April, a boon to local prosperity. In May, 1841 The Sultanate of Johor was annexed, and Dutch Malaya was incorporated into the Dutch East Indies, improving it's commercial worth greatly.
In June, Dutch Engineers had successfully produced a Railway prototype and shown it to the King in Amsterdam, this Experimental Railway was an immediate success and impressed Frederik greatly. The King personally established The Koninklijk Nederlandse Spoorwegen, a semi-nationalised railway company, to produce and run an empire-wide rail system. The King was also interested in medicine to improve the welfare of his subjects, and ordered his brightest doctors and chemists to do further work in the field of Chemistry.
Plans for Railway Building in The Netherlands proper
Plans for Railway building in the Dutch East Indies
Local workers during the construction of the Java railway network
Not wanting to be outdone by the invasion of Johor, The British invaded Burma, and then China. China, who fought Portugal to a standstill over Macau months earlier, were caught unprepared and forced to cede parts of Yunnan to the British Raj.
British India, circa 1841
Himself not wanting to be outdone by British exploits in China, Frederik saw a chance to reclaim Dutch Formosa, a territory unlawfully robbed from the Dutch by Ming Loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) nearly 200 years ago.
War with Dai Qing was declared on October the 24th, 1841.
The Palembang Colonial army was responsible for besieging Formosa, starting with the north and working their way down (like in Malaya) while the valiant Colonial Navy was responsible for keeping the Chinese at bay, winning battle after battle against the Chinese Navy. Despite their heroic actions, the Chinese Admirals were cunning, managing to launch amphibious assaults against Banda Aceh and Dutch Ghana.
In an exploit worthy of the Danish Expedition, Dai Qing managed to besiege and briefly occupy the Dutch Colony of Sekondi in Western Africa
The Batavia Colonial Army was overconfident and headstrong, having defeated entire armies from Aceh and Johor. When they were asked to relieve the siege of Banda Aceh, they were met by surprisingly tenacious Chinese forces and were defeated. Frederik was outraged, to say the least.
Following their defeat, the Batavian Colonial Army decided to apply Frederikan tactics and retreat, letting Banda Aceh fall. It was Chinese Army's turn to get overconfident as they launched a foolhardy assault on Tapaktuan, where the Dutch scored an easy victory. With the Dutch in hot pursuit, the Chinese were unable to hold Banda Aceh, which soon fell to the Dutch.
The Chinese were feeling the pressure of another losing war, and decided wisely to sue for peace and surrender Formosa, Frederik gladly accepted, as he had bigger fish to fry...
The Treaty of Amoy (Xiamen) declared the invasion of Formosa by Koxinga illegal, and thus the invasion by Emperor Kangxi illegal. Formosa was returned to The Netherlands and China renounced all claims to the island.
The latest Dutch possession in Asia, Dutch Formosa
Dutch possessions in Asia after the reconquest of Formosa (the 27th of September, 1841)
Coming up next: Ethische Politiek extends to Formosa, and Frederik embarks on his third colonial war
Note:
[1]The modern term for this language would be Bahasa Indonesia but as Indonesia hasn't been formed yet the language has no proper name, hence my decision to call it "Malay".
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