the presence of the Dutch in colonial Brazil is directly linked to the international events of that time with the death of Dom Sebastião, who left no heirs to the throne of Portugal , the movement for the Union of the Iberian crowns begins, which runs from 1580 to 1640 , and it happens that the low countries were under Spanish rule making a movement to conquer their autonomy precisely in this period having control over the Portuguese colonies Spain takes advantage of commercial relations between Portugal and the Netherlands to try to stifle this movement [Music] in order to
circumvent the economic consequences of this the Netherlands seeks direct access to products through the occupation of some Portuguese colonies [Music] to concentrate their efforts on this project they create in 1602 the East India Company and in 1621 the West Indies Company which start to organize expeditions to the Portuguese colonies on the continents Americans and African in Brazil the Dutch start their investments sted by Bahia they believe that by dominating the administrative center of the colony it would be easier to control the other territories so in 1624 they sent 26 ships and 500 cannons to occupy
the city of Salvador when they arrived most of the Colonists had already left but they were still there. Governor-General Diogo de Mendonça Furtado and some Friars and Jesuits, all captured and sent to Amsterdam , the Dutch promoted some looting in abandoned church establishments and informed the residents who stayed that they would guarantee their right to Life and property, starting to refer to Salvador as Terra potato but they ended up being besieged in the capital due to constant attacks by indigenous people and fugitive Portuguese settlers who settled in the surroundings and organized themselves in a resistance
the shortage of supplies also became a big problem for them since there was a difficulty in transit outside Salvador [Music] weakened the Dutch they end up being expelled by the Portuguese-Spanish army helped by reinforcements coming from Pernambuco in May 1625 [Music] during the 11 months they stayed here they managed to send some boxes of sugar to Amsterdam but the unsuccessful project of occupation of Brazil ended up causing damage the west indies company however 4 years later a daring operation to plunder the spanish silver fleet in the caribbean sea in addition to covering the damages rekindles
a dutch desire for the occupation of brazilian lands with these new financial resources in 1630 they organize another expedition targeting Pernambuco the attack begins in Olinda but the administration is established in Recife this time more organized the Dutch manage to expand through several territories of the Northeast [Music] already with the presence of Maurício de Nassau from the year 1637 they start an economic restructuring around the production of sugar the mills that were abandoned are reopened with with the granting of loans by the capital of West Indian companies [Music] But besides that, there are also some
structural transformations in Recife with the construction of Bridges and buildings such as the Natural Museum and the Astronomical Observatory all done with the help of architects Dutch engineers and scientists They also came from There were many intellectuals and artists there during the period of Dutch occupation in Pernambuco , the mobilization of Portuguese settlers began to exist from the occupation in 1630 but intensified even more with the end of the Iberian Union in 1640 and the return of Portugal to the exclusive administration of its colonies added to this the financial difficulties of the West India Company
which, to compensate, began to charge for loans granted at the beginning of the occupation , in addition to increasing taxes on the production and transport of sugar, causing discontent of the Senhores de Engenho in 1643 Maurício de Nassau returns to Europe and as a result of the discontent ment of the new administration in Recife, the Pernambucan Insurrection erupts in 1645 This is the most famous of the resistance movements of the Colonists to the Dutch occupation who, after numerous casualties, ended up surrendering to the Portuguese and abandoning Brazil in 1654 this surrender did not come cheap
for Portugal since during the 24 years the Dutch were here they came to dominate the stages of sugar production, bringing sugar from the Antilles into direct competition with that of Brazil , so it is also possible to link the expulsion of the Dutch the intensification of the search for precious metals with the sponsorship of Portugal from the second half of the 17th century in addition to the various economic consequences the Dutch presence in Brazil also left a great artistic and architectural legacy that can still be seen today
