The
Conquests of Taiwan (1624-1683)
Hi, and welcome to Strategy Stuff.
In the 17th Century, the East Asian island of Taiwan or Formosa
underwent a dramatic political transformation, as seen in the three conquests
of the island: the initial colonization by the Dutch, the takeover by the
independent army of Zheng Chenggong, and the final capture by China’s Qing
Dynasty. In examining these conquests, we will focus on the following
questions:
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Why was Taiwan worth conquering?
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What was behind the success of each conquest?
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and How did these answers evolve as Taiwan grew increasingly developed?
With these questions in mind,
let’s head to the maritime world of Early Modern East Asia.
