Leiden Holland 1644

Boasting the world's first stock-exchange in the mid-seventeenth century, Holland wielded massive power with its historic hegemony from its booming slave- and spice-trades in the eastern hemisphere. Its navy dwarfed those of all other nations globally, and consequently held unmatched influence in the Cape, Asia and Europe. The Dutch East India Company -Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie - VOC's - maritime supremacy stretched from Persia to Japan and included Sri Lanka, Taiwan and through the Malacca straits where it also held sway in Indonesia in modern day Jakarta as the VOC's eastern interests were headquartered there. This book intertwines our main protagonist Maria by espousing her nail-biting experiences within this period, which have been thoroughly researched and are historically accurate. It concludes with her arrival in the virgin 'Cape of Good Hope' to set up a waystation for the VOC on the southernmost tip of the African continent - occupied by its indigenes.