Fort Sommelsdijk
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Fort Sommelsdijk
Fort Sommelsdijk was a fort in Suriname built in 1686 at the confluence of the Commewijne and Cottica rivers. Later it was used as a mission post and hospital. In 1870, it lost its function and was only used a military outpost. In the 21st century, the fort was taken over by nature. History In 1683, Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck became the first Dutch governor of Suriname. He built a plantation near the confluence of the Commewijne and Cottica rivers. On 7 March 1685, the Court of Policy decided to build a fort at the location, and construction started in 1686. The fort was named after van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck. On 10 October 1712, Jacques Cassard captured the Meerzorg plantation for France, and threatened Paramaribo across the Suriname River. The governor and the councillors fled to Sommelsdijk from where they negotiated a ransom for the colony. In 1715, it was decided to strengthen Sommeldijk. In 1745, France threatened war on the Netherlands as part as of th ...
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Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. At just under , it is the smallest sovereign state in South America. It has a population of approximately , dominated by descendants from the slaves and labourers brought in from Africa and Asia by the Dutch Empire and Republic. Most of the people live by the country's (north) coast, in and around its capital and largest city, Paramaribo. It is also List of countries and dependencies by population density, one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. Situated slightly north of the equator, Suriname is a tropical country dominated by rainforests. Its extensive tree cover is vital to the country's efforts to Climate change in Suriname, mitigate climate ch ...
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Society Of Suriname
The Society of Suriname (Dutch: ''Sociëteit van Suriname'') was a Dutch private company, modelled on the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Colbert and set up on 21 May 1683 to profit from the management and defense of the Dutch Republic's colony of Suriname. It had three participants, with equal shares in the costs and benefits of the society; the city of Amsterdam, the family Van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck, and the Dutch West India Company. Only through mutual consent could these shareholders withdraw from the society. Although the organization and administration was of the colony was limited to these three shareholders, all citizens of the Dutch Republic were free to trade with Suriname. Also, the planters were consulted in a Council of Police, which was a unique feature among the colonies of Guyana.Buddingh, H. (1995) Geschiedenis van Suriname, p. 26. Its governors included Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck, Johan van Scharphuizen, and Paulus van der Veen. The Society was nationaliz ...
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Fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek ''Towns of ancient Greece#Military settlements, phrourion'' was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the ancient Roman, Roman castellum or English language, English fortress. These constructions mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certa ...
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Commewijne River
Commewijne River (Sranan Tongo: ''Kawina-liba'') is a river in northern Suriname. It originates in the hills of the Commewijne District and flows northwards until it receives the meandering Cottica River from the right and then runs westward until it unites with the south–north running Suriname River at Nieuw Amsterdam. Here, after some it enters the Atlantic Ocean. It has a river basin of . The Commewijne was important historically for navigation: ocean-going ships navigated the river huge barges with bauxite were transported from Moengo in the east to the confluence with the Surinam river and from there traveled southward via Paramaribo to the Paranam refinery and to Trinidad and the USA. Floats with tropical hardwood were also brought to Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. Nowadays, the Moengo bauxite is depleted and the hardwood is mostly transported by trucks. The ocean-going ships were trading the river as late as 1986. There remains quite some boat trafficking with loc ...
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Cottica River
Cottica River (Sranan Tongo: ''Kotika-liba'') is a river in the northwest of Suriname. It originates in the hills surrounding town of Moengo and flows westwards and enters the Commewijne River Commewijne River (Sranan Tongo: ''Kawina-liba'') is a river in northern Suriname. It originates in the hills of the Commewijne District and flows northwards until it receives the meandering Cottica River from the right and then runs westward un .... It has a river basin of 2.900 km2. References * Rivers of Suriname Marowijne District Commewijne District {{Suriname-river-stub ...
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Cornelis Van Aerssen Van Sommelsdijck
Cornelis van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck (also: Sommelsdijk) (The Hague, 20 August 1637 - Paramaribo, 19 July 1688) was the first governor of Suriname after the establishment of the Society of Suriname in 1683. He was governor from 27 November 1683 until he was murdered by mutinous soldiers on 19 July 1688. Van Aerssen belonged to one of the richest families of the Dutch Golden Age. Biography Van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck was Lord of Sommelsdijk, Plaat, Bommel, and Spijk. Through his French wife Margaret, he was Marquis of Saint André Montbrun and Ferrassières. He was the fourth generation of a line active in Dutch politics. After a political career in the Netherlands, in 1683 he became tired of Dutch public affairs. Accordingly, he acquired a one-third share of the Society of Suriname, the other shareholders being the Dutch West India Company and the city of Amsterdam. At that time Suriname was a very small colony. Van Aerssen van Sommelsdijck arrived in Paramaribo on 27 N ...
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Court Of Policy
The Court of Policy was a legislative body in Dutch and British Guiana until 1928. For most of its existence it formed the Combined Court together with the six Financial Representatives. History The Court of Policy was established in 1732 by the Dutch authorities, at a time when the colonies of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo were under the control of the Netherlands. Responsible for legislative and administrative functions, it initially consisted of the Governor, five appointed officials including the Fiscal Officer and the Vendor Master and five colonists chosen by the Governor from a list of nominees submitted by the College of Kiezers. When the British took over the colony in 1803, they continued to use the Dutch administrative bodies including the Court of Policy. Initially the Court of Policy sitting together with the College of Kiezers formed the Combined Court. However, Lieutenant Governor of Demerara Hugh Lyle Carmichael abolished the College of Kiezers in 1812, giving i ...
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Jacques Cassard
Jacques Cassard (30 September 1679 – 1740) was a French naval officer and privateer. Biography Born on 30 September 1679 to a family of merchants of Nantes, Cassard began a career as a sailor at age 14 on the merchantmen owned by his family. In January 1697, he joined the French Navy on bombship ''Éclatante''. In 1700, Cassard became a merchantman captain. The next year, the War of the Spanish Succession broke out, and Cassard converted to a privateer. In 1705, he captained the privateer ''Saint Guillaume'', capturing 12 merchantmen and raiding Cork. Two years later, he captured 13 merchantmen with the ''Duchesse Anne'', earning a rank in the Navy. In 1709, Cassard, promoted to Commander, was tasked to escort a 25-ship food convoy on the 68-gun ''Éclatant''. On 29 April, supported by ''Sérieux'', he defeated five English ships, allowing the convoy to safely reach Marseille. The next year, Cassard lead a squadron comprising the 74-gun ''Parfait'', the 58-gun ''Sà ...
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Meerzorg
Meerzorg (Sranan Tongo: Ansu) is a town and resort (municipality) in Suriname, located on the eastern bank of the Suriname River, directly opposite the capital Paramaribo. Its population at the 2012 census was 12,405. Since 2000 it has been connected to Paramaribo by the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge, named after the former President Jules Wijdenbosch. History Meerzorg is named after the sugar plantation Meerzorg. The plantation was founded at the end of the 17th century, and was originally called Plantage Amsinck. On 10 October 1712, Jacques Cassard captured the plantation for France, and threatened Paramaribo across the Suriname river. Negotiations started, and on 27 October Cassard left with ƒ747,350 (€8.1 million in 2018) worth of goods and slaves. To protect Paramaribo and Commewijne from future attacks, Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam was constructed, and opened in 1747. On 15 March 1907, the plantation owners announced a grand plan: a tram line would be laid between Spieringshoek and Me ...
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Paramaribo
Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. Name The city is named for the Paramaribo tribe living at the mouth of the Suriname River; the name is from Tupi–Guarani ''para'' "large river" + ''maribo'' "inhabitants". History The name Paramaribo is probably a corruption of the name of an Indian village, spelled Parmurbo in the earliest Dutch sources. This was the location of the first Dutch settlement, a trading post established by Nicolaes Baliestel and Dirck Claeszoon van Sanen in 1613. English and French traders also tried to establish settlements in Suriname, including a French post established in 1644 near present-day Paramaribo. All earlier settlements were abandoned s ...
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Suriname River
The Suriname River (Dutch: ''Surinamerivier'') is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains (where it is known as the Gran Rio). The river flows below the reservoir along Brokopondo, Berg en Dal, the migrant communities Klaaskreek and Nieuw-Lombé, Jodensavanne, Carolina, Ornamibo and Domburg, before reaching the capital Paramaribo on the left bank and Meerzorg on the right bank. At Nieuw-Amsterdam it is joined by the Commewijne and immediately thereafter at the sandspit Braamspunt it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The river has several sets of rapids as well as a few dams, the largest of which is the Afobaka Dam. The river's flow is interrupted by the Brokopondo Reservoir, which therefore divides the river into two sections. The upstream section runs almost entirely through the Sipaliwini district, and the downstream section runs ...
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War Of The Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's War in North America, the War of Jenkins' Ear, the First Carnatic War and the First Silesian War, First and Second Silesian Wars. Its pretext was the right of Maria Theresa to succeed her father Emperor Charles VI as ruler of the Habsburg monarchy. Kingdom of France, France, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia and Electorate of Bavaria, Bavaria saw it as an opportunity to challenge Habsburg power, while Maria Theresa was backed by Kingdom of Great Britain, Britain, the Dutch Republic and Electorate of Hanover, Hanover, collectively known as the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, Pragmatic Allies. As the conflict widened, it drew in other participants, among them History of Spain (1700–1810), Spain, Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia, Electorate of Saxony, S ...
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