Mauritius and Madagascar in the eyes of the VOC. Thoughts on the region during the first half of the seventeenth century

Abstract

This article examines what the VOC (Dutch East India Company) thought of Mauritius and Madagascar during the first half of the seventeenth century. Long depicted as backwaters of the overseas empire of the VOC, this article argues through the correspondence between the board of directors of the VOC in the Dutch Republic and the office of the governor-general in Batavia, and between them and senior Company personnel, that the Company engaged with Madagascar and Mauritius on a serious note and that both were considered important assets.