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The Old Company (Dutch: Oude Compagnie) was a pre-company of the Dutch Republic and originated from the Company of Verre and the New Company (or Second Company), from Amsterdam, in 1598. The directors were Dirck van Os, Jan Hermansz, Jan Janss Carel (Kaerel), Geraerdt (Gerrit) Bicker. Directors with a smaller share of the investment were: Vincent van Bronckhorst, Symon Jansz Fortuyn, Geurt Dircxz, Cornelis van Campen, Jacob Thomasz Van den Dael, Elbert Simonsz Jonckheyn, Petrus Plancius, Syvert Sern, Jan Poppe, Geurt Dirckss en Pieter Hasselaer. The Old Company and the (New) Brabant Company would merge in 1601 and become the United Amsterdam Company.

History
A pre-company is a trading combination from the Republic that traded in Asia between 1594 and 1602, before the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was founded. The pre-companies were financed by wealthy Northern Netherlands merchants and wealthy immigrants from the Southern Netherlands. Because of the cutthroat competition, the companies were forced in 1602 by the government to unite for 21 years in the VOC, which was given exclusive right to trade in Asia.

Before the VOC (I+J+K+L) was founded in 1602, 12 different pre-companies existed in the space of 7 years:

According to a contemporary, "people sailed each other's money out of the purse and the shoes off their feet". A total of fifteen expeditions were sent out between 1594 and 1601 in which 65 ships took part, including four ships of the "First Dutch Expedition to East Indies", and excluding the three barre and failed trips through the North Cape.

The Second Expedition
The old company organized a first expedition on 1 May 1598, also known as The Second Expedition. The fleet of eight ships sailed under the command of Admiral Jacob Cornelisz van Neck. The other commanders were Wybrand van Warwijck (vice admiral) and Jacob van Heemskerck. This trip was extremely successful. The first four ships (the 'Mauritius', 'Overijssel', 'Friesland' and 'Hollandia') returned safely from Bantam loaded with spices. The other ships had sailed on to the Moluccas. The 'Amsterdam' and 'Utrecht' called at Celebes, Ambon and Ternate and returned fully loaded in August 1600. The 'Zeeland' and 'Gelderland' went to Banda; they arrived back in the fatherland on 19 May 1600 with nuts, mace and cloves.

On May 1, 1598 Van Warwijck, Van Neck and Van Heemskerck left. On May 1, 1598 Van Warwijck, Van Neck and Van Heemskerck left. At the time, the island was still known by its Portuguese name, which means 'Swan Island', and it would soon become clear why. On September 18, 1598, the first Dutchmen went ashore. Towards evening they came back on board with nine of a kind of large birds which they called dodos, larger than turkeys, and also equipped with wings too small to fly. Their meat was tough, but the hunger made up for it. On April 20, a thanksgiving service was held on land, it was the day of the Amsterdam fair and that is why the dodo was initially also called 'fairground goose'.

On November 26, the first and on New Year's Eve the last ships arrived at Bantam. On January 11, 1599, the return fleet set sail. On the homeward journey, Van Neck called at the coast of Sumatra where the sick were brought ashore and water was loaded. Van Neck himself also went ashore. Along the shores where the sea was playing sweetly, came many lands, with her bearing good fruits, which were bought by ours and carried to the ships, which were to be seen gracefully anchored there among many merry islands.

The fleet returned after 14½ months with a rich cargo (including 600,000 pounds pepper, (mixed with stones, sand and earth at the time of purchase), 250,000 pounds clovesand, 20,000 pounds nutmegs and 200 pounds mace). Van Neck was overtaken on July 17, 1599 with great clank of eight Trumpets, van Stadtswege intoxicated with wine and people sounded all bells with happiness. In all, 15 men died on the way. The profit after the return of the deposits amounted to 265%. The shareholders received a substantial dividend and Reverend Petrus Plancius, who had invested ƒ 50,000 in the company, will not have regretted it.

The Third Expedition
On April 6, 1599, the expedition (3rd equipage) led by Steven van der Haghen set course from Texel towards the South East. The fleet consisted of the ships: de Zon, de Maan and de Morgenster. Steven van der Haghen concluded an agreement on Ambon whereby the Dutch promised military support, in turn the Hitunese gave the Dutch the “monopoly” for the purchase of spices. The Dutch also obtained permission from the inhabitants of the Hitu peninsula to set up Castle Van Verre in exchange for military support against the Portuguese. An attack on the Portuguese fort Leitimor on eastern Ambon failed. Van der Haghen did not succeed in driving out the Portuguese, but promised to return later with a reinforced fleet. The expedition returned home in October 1601.

The Fourth Expedition
On December 21, 1599, Jacob Wilkens left with four ships, Jacob Cornelisz van Neck left six months later with six ships for his second trip. Both fleets are known as the fourth expedition fleet.


 * 4th equipage, 1st squadron

The fleet departed on December 21, 1599 and consisted of the ships: Mauritius, Hollandia, Vriesland and Overijssel, led by Jacob Wilckens. The fleet arrived off Bantam on September 1. The 'Mauritius' and 'Vriesland' departed on 14 January 1601 fully loaded with pepper for patria, in the company of de Zon, de Maan and de Morgenster (Third Expedition) and the 'Verenigde Landen' and 'Hof van Holland' (New Brabant Company).


 * 4th equipage, 2nd squadron

The fleet departed on June 28, 1600 and consisted of the ships: Amsterdam, Dordrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft and Gouda, led by Jacob Cornelisz van Neck. The 'Haarlem' was set on fire in Patani because of a leak.

Each of the 600 crew members on board the six ships was entitled to four pounds of bread a week and a liter of wine a day. On each ship were 600 cheeses, 100 tons of beer, six tons of eel, five tons of bacon and herring, horseradish, prunes, currants, capers, tobacco and a huge amount of butter, barley, beans and dried fish, etc. All ships arrived at Java. Four ships departed from Bantam when they were loaded with pepper. Two ships aimed at Annam, and two continued to Ambon and Bali. Van Neck visited Ternate with two ships and lost three fingers in a battle with the Portuguese. The mate lost his leg in the battle and four were killed. Van Neck fled. He continued his journey to Macau. The crew, sent in sloops for reconnaissance, were hanged in Macau by the Portuguese, drowned or taken to Goa. On 3 October he retreated and visited Patani, on Malacca, where a factory was established. There he met Jacob van Heemskerck, who was able to explain to him exactly what had happened in Macau after he had hijacked a Portuguese ship.

The Fifth Expedition
The Moluccan fleet was ordered to head directly to Bantam and to contact the people left behind there earlier, on the islands of Molocus and Banda. The fleet consisted of the ships the Gelderland (admiral ship), the Zeelandia (vice-admiral ship), the Utrecht, the Wachter and the pinnace Duifje and was led by Wolfert Harmenz.

The Moluccan fleet departed together with the Atjehse fleet (United Amsterdam Company) on April 23, 1601, they separated on May 8, 1601. The Moluccan fleet sailed via the Madeira Islands and past the Cape Verde Islands to be forced to dock in Mauritius on September 26 (part of the crew suffered from scurvy). Three years earlier, the navigators of the second expedition had already set foot on the uninhabited island. The Moluccan fleet stayed on the island from September 27 to October 20, before leaving for Bantam on October 20, 1601. Bantam was reached on December 26, but the port was already occupied by a Portuguese fleet of 30 ships (8 of which were galleons), led by Andrea Furtado de Mendoza. A day later at dawn, the Moluccan fleet attacked 2 of the Portuguese galleons, which were guarding the harbor of Bantam. The Gelderland (the largest ship) came out of the battle badly damaged. In the early hours of December 29, the Dutch fleet launched another attack, two galleys were boarded and captured. On New Year's Day 1602, the decisive naval battle started, the Portuguese armada was not prepared and the crew was overwhelmed by the heavier guns of the ships from the Netherlands, the Portuguese fleet soon retreated. This victory over the Portuguese convinced the Bantammers of the republic's strong seamanship. On 12 January they sailed on to the Moluccas, in the following months Banda and Ternate were visited several times. In the region of Banda and Ternate, trade was carried on between the local kingdoms, alliances were made and the ships were loaded with merchandise. The fleet turned home on August 25. De Gelderland and de Zeeland stayed on November 25, 1602 on Saint-Helena, where they encountered 5 ships of the Acehnese fleet (de Enkhuizen, de Hoorn, de Amsterdam, de Groene Leeuw and de Zwarte Leeuw). On December 23, the seven ships left for Brazil. The fleet docked on the island of Fernando de Noronha on January 9, 1603, where the intended trade was disappointing. In April 1603 the seven ships reached Patria (Texel). Duyfken had already arrived in Zeeland on February 17, 1603. De Utrecht and de Guardian have never returned, their fate remains unknown.