What if the Honourable East India Company had managed to kick the Dutch out of Bantam and all of Java in the 1600s or 1610s, before they had established a strong grip on the region? Would the VOC attempt to reach out to other ports in India proper and elsewhere, would they spend all their resources on retaking Java, or would they simply fold up and go bankrupt?
Would a British East Indies in the 17th century make any significant impact on the Isles themselves outside of an economic boost? Would the Dutch move their focus westwards to the West Indies and the Americas, or would they still pursue the spice trade first and formost?
Would a British East Indies in the 17th century make any significant impact on the Isles themselves outside of an economic boost? Would the Dutch move their focus westwards to the West Indies and the Americas, or would they still pursue the spice trade first and formost?