I chose of the topic of the Dutch in Asia. I wanted to introduce how the west came into the east and how rivalries between religions and cultures can sometimes have the purist intentions with the most drastic consequences. I utilized the course required text book in my research and the library databases of UMUC. I wanted a chronological look of the Dutch in Asia and the major players in the world at that time. The Dutch contrary to popular opinion and TV shows controlled most of the trade in the west at that time. The Netherlands was a far more important center of trade and shipping then England was and Dutch ships had the upper hand in the English Channel. There were more Dutch ships and more of them. They were backed more from private merchants and capital earned in trade. In the sixteenth century and became larger and more powerful as well then the English and their Portugal rivals. 1 It began with the Dutchman Jan Huyghen van Linschoten. He sailed on a Portuguese ship to Goa and spent six years there from 1583 to 1589. When he returned to Holland he published Interario. It was the geographical descriptions of the world he had just returned from and what he learned and observed in Asia. He wrote about sailing directions for reaching most of the major ports. This is the key item the Dutch needed to begin their expansion into Asia. 2 The Dutch attempted like the English before them to find a trade route through or around Russia, but as those before them found it was not possible. When they found their way using Jan Huyghen van Linschoten maps they discovered that the Portuguese were hated in Southeast Asia and used this to their advantage and quickly broke the monopoly they had on the Spice trade. The Dutch proved to out match their rivals and had better sailors and quicker passages back to Europe to sell their good then the Portuguese. It wasn’t long before these two countries shed blood in their first real battle. Dutch and Po