Heaven's Wrath: The Protestant Reformation and the Dutch West India Company in the Atlantic World

Heaven's Wrath examines the religious beliefs and practices of the early Dutch Atlantic world, challenging the conventional understanding of the Dutch failure to establish a durable empire in America. It highlights the financial costs of the Calvinist-backed war and the Reformed Church's meticulous management of colonial affairs, reevaluating core concepts about the Dutch empire, the culture of the West India Company, and Dutch society.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2023
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Heaven's Wrath delves into the religious beliefs and practices of the early Dutch Atlantic world. D. L. Noorlander contends that the Reformed Church and the West India Company formed a tight alliance, which had far-reaching effects throughout the 17th century. Noorlander challenges the fundamental assumptions behind the Dutch failure to establish a lasting empire in America. He downplays the usual commercial explanations and shifts the focus to the significant expenses incurred in the Calvinist-backed war and the Reformed Church's meticulous, anxious management of colonial affairs. By identifying the factors that hindered the growth and significance of the Dutch Atlantic world, Noorlander reevaluates core notions about the organization and objectives of the Dutch empire, the culture of the West India Company, and the very fabric of Dutch society.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501770135