Flag Coat of arms Political structure Colony 1691 Hendrik van Rheede Founded 1616 Date dissolved 1825 | Languages Dutch 1640-1644 Paulus Croock 1729-1740 Pieter Phoonsen Capital Surat | |
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Suratte or Soeratte was a famous trading city on the north coast of what is now India, in the modern state of Gujarat, lying on the river Tapti. The city, now known as Surat, became a directorate of the Dutch East India Company in 1616. The British had established a factory in the Suratte in 1609 or 1612, after delivering a blow to the Portuguese. It is part of what is today known as Dutch India.
History
Pieter van den Broecke established a Dutch trading post in Suratte in 1616, after previous efforts had failed in the years before. The Dutch East India Company was compelled to form this post after the sultan of Aceh no longer allowed them to buy cheap cotton on the local market.
By 1759, the Dutch East India Company's trade had fallen substantially. Trade had largely moved to British Bombay, with Suratte playing only a subordinate role. Due to the Kew Letters Dutch Suratte was relinquished to the British in 1795. It was restored to Dutch rule by the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 but again relinquished to the British by the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, which divided East Asia into Dutch and British spheres of influence.