Netherlands East India Company

Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie

Last modified: 1999-08-26 by mark sensen
Keywords: netherlands | voc | east india company | amsterdam | delft | enkhuizen | hoorn | zeeland | middelburg | rotterdam | zeeland | netherlands indies |
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Mark Sensen, 14 November 1996

The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC, United East India Company) existed 1602-1798.

Mark Sensen, 17 November 1996

• Other versions
• VOC Amsterdam Chamber
• VOC Delft Chamber
• VOC Enkhuizen Chamber
• VOC Hoorn Chamber
• VOC Zeeland Chamber (in Middelburg)
• VOC Rotterdam Chamber
• VOC Rotterdam Chamber - Administrator?
• VOC at the Cape of Good Hope
• Military units of the VOC

See also:

• Amsterdam
• Delft
• Enkhuizen
• Hoorn
• Middelburg
• Rotterdam
• Zeeland
• Netherlands West India Company
• Netherlands Nordic Company
• The Netherlands
• Netherlands Indies
• The Netherlands - Index of all pages

Mark Sensen, 14 November 1996

The upper stripe of the flags of the VOC and GWC were at first orange, and changed like in the Dutch flag to red between 1630 and 1660.

A variant of the VOC-cypher shows an "A" instead of the "V". Some say the "A" stands for Amsterdam and was used by this chamber, other say it stands for "Algemeene Oostindische Compagnie" ["General East India Company"].
Eg. [geo17] National Geographic Oct.1917 gives this flag as the one Henry Hudson used when he was in service of the VOC during his 3^rd expedition.

Mark Sensen, 17 November 1996

The (six) chambers of the VOC (Dutch United East India Company) had their own flags: the town flag with the VOC-cypher, above this the initial of the town.

Mark Sensen, 17 November 1996

Mark Sensen, 19 November 1996

Mark Sensen, 19 November 1996

Mark Sensen, 19 November 1996

Mark Sensen, 19 November 1996

Mark Sensen, 19 November 1996

Other versions of the cypher showed a "Z" (for "Zeeland") above, some also with a "M" below:

Mark Sensen, 19 November 1996

Mark Sensen, 30 July 1998

A painting by Ludolf Backhuysen with a view of the Rotterdam harbour shows a yacht with a white flag with the Rotterdam cypher and red-white-blue stripes at the top and bottom. According to Jos Poels (in [vxn] Vexilla Nostra no. 214) white flags with tricolour stripes at the top and bottom were used by administrators of the Navy Admiralities in earlier centuries. Maybe this was a flag of an administrator of the VOC Rotterdam Chamber?

Mark Sensen, 30 July 1998

Mark Sensen, 30 July 1998

There was also a cypher for the Cape (with a small "c"), but it's unknown if it was used on flags.

Mark Sensen, 30 July 1998

Military units of the VOC carried a Colonel's Colour and Ordnance Colours of regimental design. The Colonel's Colour was normally all white with the VOC monogram in the center. In one example I have seen (the Swiss mercenary regiment de Meuron, which later went over to British service) the Colonel's flag includes the regimental mottos "Terra et Mare" and "Fidelitas et Honor" inscribed across the top and bottom edges of the flag.

Todd Mills, 30 July 1998