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The Legal Framework of Slavery in the Dutch Republic and Its Colonies book cover

1st Edition

The Legal Framework of Slavery in the Dutch Republic and Its Colonies

By Bastiaan D. van der Velden Copyright 2026
622 Pages 9 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This study centers on the Dutch Republic, where Roman law—applied alongside contemporary legislation—was used to regulate the lives of enslaved individuals across its territories, albeit in a highly selective manner. Which provisions of Roman law were implemented, and what led to the exclusion of others? This book investigates these questions through a historical analysis of the legal transfer... Read more

1. Introduction   2. “All Men are Free, and None are Slaves”  3. Conflict of Laws in the Republic and Slavery  4. Slavery in the Republic of the Seven Provinces  5. Slavery & Law in Africa and During the Middle Passage  6. Slavery in Kaap De Goede Hoop  7. Slavery on Curaçao  8. Slavery in Suriname  9. Slavery in Suriname and Curaçao in the Nineteenth Century  10. Comparison and Evaluation  

Biography

Bastiaan D. van der Velden, (b. 1970), studied law at Maastricht University and earned his PhD from the University of Amsterdam in 2004 with a dissertation on the history of the Frisian language as an official language. He served as an Associate Professor at the University of the Netherlands Antilles in Curaçao and, since 2007, has advised the Island of Bonaire and NGOs on language policy for the protection of Papiamentu. Bastiaan D. van der Velden is currently a researcher at the Arsenale Institute for Politics of Representation in Venice, Italy.

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