Taiwan under European rule

Government of Formosa
Gouvernement Formosa
Dutch colony
1624–1662
Flag Coat of arms
The locations of Dutch Formosa (in magenta), Kingdom of Middag (in orange) and the Spanish Possessions (in green) on Taiwan, overlapping a map of the present-day island.
Capital		Zeelandia (now Anping, Tainan)
Languages		Dutch, Formosan languages, Hokkien
Religion		Protestantism (Dutch Reformed Church) native animistic religion Chinese folk religion
Government		Colony
Governor
•	1624–1625	Marten Sonk
•	1656–1662	Frederick Coyett
Historical era		Age of Discovery
•	Established	1624
•	Siege of Fort Zeelandia	1661–1662
•	Surrender of Fort Zeelandia	February 1, 1662 1662
Currency		Spanish real
Preceded by Succeeded by Prehistory of Taiwan Kingdom of Middag Kingdom of Tungning

The island of Taiwan, known historically as Formosa, was under colonial Dutch rule from 1624 to 1662. In the context of the Age of Discovery, the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Taiwan to trade with the Ming Empire and Japan, and also to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and colonial activities in East Asia.

The time of Dutch rule saw economic development in Taiwan, including both large-scale hunting of deer and the cultivation of rice and sugar by imported Han labour from the Ming Empire. The Dutch also attempted to convert the aboriginal inhabitants to Christianity, and suppress aspects of traditional culture that they found disagreeable, such as head hunting, forced abortion and public nakedness.

The Dutch were not universally welcomed and uprisings by both aborigines and recent Han arrivals were quelled by the Dutch military on more than one occasion. The colonial period was brought to an end by the 1661 invasion of Koxinga's army after 37 years.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the forces of Catholic Spain and Portugal were in opposition to those of the Netherlands and England, both mainly Protestant, often resulting in open warfare in Europe and in their possessions in Asia. The Dutch first attempted to trade with China in 1601 but were rebuffed by the Chinese authorities, who were already engaged in trade with the Portuguese at Macau from 1535.