European exploration

Seventeenth-century Europe was a time of expansive social, cultural, and economic growth, and in the Netherlands is known as the Dutch Golden Age. Nations were vying for domination of lucrative trade routes across the globe, particularly those to Asia. Simultaneously, philosophical/theological battles were manifested in military battles taking place across the continent. The Netherlands had become a home to many intellectuals, international businessmen, and religious refugees. The English had a settlement at Jamestown, the French had a small settlement at Quebec and the Spanish were developing colonies to exploit trade in South America and the Caribbean.


Map based on Adriaen Block's 1614 expedition to New Netherland, featuring the first use of the name.Henry Hudson was an English sea captain and explorer who believed he could find a northwest passage to Asia. In 1609, under contract with the Dutch East India Company (VOC), located in Amsterdam, he explored the waters off the east coast of North America aboard the yacht Halve Maen. His first landfall was at Newfoundland and the second at Cape Cod. He sailed south to the Chesapeake River, close to but not approaching the English colony at Jamestown. He then turned northward, travelling along the shore and after passing Sandy Hook entered the narrows into the Upper New York Bay. (The narrows are named for Giovanni da Verrazzano who had sighted them in 1524.) Believing he may have found a water route across the continent he proceeded up the river which would later bear his name (the Hudson) but at the site of present-day Albany the water became too shallow to proceed.

Upon returning to The Netherlands, Hudson reported that he had found a fertile and fecund land and a people amicable to engaging his crew in small-scale bartering of furs, trinkets, clothes, and small manufactured goods. His report stimulated further interest in the prospect of exploiting this new trade resource, and was the catalyst for Dutch merchant-traders to fund more expeditions. At least one was made the following year, under the command of Symen Lambertsz Mau.

In 1611-1690, the Admiralty of Amsterdam sent two covert expeditions to find a passage to China with the yachts Craen and Vos, captained by Jan Cornelisz May and Symon Willemsz Cat, respectively.

In four voyages made between 1611 and 1614, the area between present-day Delaware and Massachusetts was explored, surveyed, and charted by Adriaen Block, Hendrick Christiaensen, and Cornelis Jacobsz May. The results of these explorations, surveys, and charts made from 1609 through 1614 were consolidated in Block’s map, which used the name New Netherland for the first time.

During this period there appears to have been some trading with the native population. Jan Rodrigues, born in Santo Domingo of African descent, spent the winter of 1613-1614, on the island of Manhattan trapping for pelts, and is the first recorded non-Native American to do so.