A trove of 25 historic documents stolen from the Netherlands' National Archives has been recovered. The items, including records listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, were found in an attic. Among the artifacts are documents from the Dutch East India Company and the ship log of 17th-century admiral Michiel de Ruyter. These records shed light on significant events, including the company's early operations in Asia and its role in the slave trade. De Ruyter's contributions to naval warfare are also highlighted, marking him as a key figure in Dutch history.
The 25 items, which include documents listed on Unesco's Memory of the World Register, were discovered in an attic then sent to Arthur Brand, who worked closely with Dutch police to verify and return them.
The archives did not know they had been taken. The include records relating to the Dutch East India Company (VOC)- as 'the largest and most impressive of the early modern European trading companies operating in Asia'.
The VOC's trading and military activities helped establish the Netherlands as a global superpower at the time. The company was, however, also heavily involved in the slave trade and the oppression of people living in Dutch colonies.
He saved the Netherlands many, many times against bigger fleets from England, from Spain, from France. He is considered to be the saviour of the Netherlands.
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