Heaven's Wrath

Heaven's Wrath explores the religious thought and religious rites of the early Dutch Atlantic world. D. L. Noorlander argues that the Reformed Church and the West India Company forged and maintained a close union, with considerable consequences across the seventeenth century. Noorlander questions the core assumptions about why the Dutch failed to establish a durable empire in America. He downplays the usual commercial explanations and places the focus instead on the tremendous expenses incurred in the Calvinist-backed war and the Reformed Church's meticulous, worried management of colonial affairs. By pinpointing the issues that hampered the size and import of the Dutch Atlantic world, Noorlander revises core notions about the organization and aims of the Dutch empire, the culture of the West India Company, and the very shape of Dutch society. Open Access edition funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

D. L. Noorlander is Assistant Professor of History at the State University of New York at Oneonta. Follow him on X @DLNoorlander.

Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Role of Reformed Christianity in the Commercial and Colonial Endeavors of the Dutch Golden Age
1. The Dutch Reformed Church and the World: The International Concerns of the Calvinist Ministry
2. Faith and Worship in a Merchant Community: The Directors of the Dutch West India Company
3. Baptized by Water and Fire: The Religious Rites of the Company's Early Fleets and Conquests
4. Planting the Lord's Vineyard in Foreign Soil: Public Worship in Early Dutch Forts and Settlements
5. Reformers in the Land of the Holy Cross: The Calvinist Mission in Brazil before the Portuguese Revolt
6. Turmoil in the Garden of Eden: Dissent and Reform in New Netherland and the Dutch Caribbean
7. The Harvest Was Great, the Laborers Few: Missionary Work among Africans and Native Americans
8. God and Mammon in the Dutch Atlantic World: Conflict over Religious Resources and Power
Conclusion: The Dutch Joint- Stock Companies and the Catholic Powers in Comparative Perspective