Focusing on the role of the warhorse, this collection of Gommans' works explores its influence on state formation in South Asia during medieval and early modern periods. The author highlights the challenges faced by Indian empires in navigating the dynamic inner frontier, where semi-arid wilderness met settled agriculture. Gommans argues that the movement and management of warhorses were crucial in bridging these frontiers, shaping the political landscape and military strategies of the time.
The Netherlands and India both experienced a period of economic and cultural prosperity in the seventeenth century. During this shared Golden Age both countries became profoundly influenced by increasing globalization and developed into large global empires. Thanks to the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the two countries met and intensive interaction developed. While the Indian textile caused a small revolution in the Dutch pattern of consumption, the VOC contributed to the monetary stability of the Indian Mogul Empire with its precious metals. In addition to trade contacts, there was an intellectual undercurrent that had connected the countries for centuries: the hidden world of the Neoplatonic imagination that brought about a remarkable artistic similarity between Dutch and Indian artists.
This volume is a comprehensive companion to the use of the rich archival resources of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as well as other, related collections at the National Archives in The Hague. Apart from detailed inventories, it includes concise historical and historiographical introductions, various regional maps, and an extensive bibliography relation to two centuries of intensive Dutch involvement with the Indian Subcontinent.