Chapter 9: The Seven Years' War – 1756–1763
The war that Winston Churchill would later call "the first world war" erupted in 1756. Britain and France clashed across North America, India, and the seas. Zeelandia, perched in the Indian Ocean, found itself in the crosshairs.
One evening in 1758, a British frigate dropped anchor in Port Victoria. Its captain, a young man named James Cook—not yet famous—came ashore with dispatches. He was invited to dinner at the governor's residence.
Over roast beef and local wine, Cook studied Hendrik with curiosity. "Your Majesty, my orders are to secure friendly ports in the Indian Ocean. We understand that Zeelandia has been neutral, but the French are planning to use Mauritius as a base to strike at our Indian possessions. We need your cooperation."
Hendrik set down his glass. "What do you propose?"
"We need coaling rights and a repair facility. In exchange, Britain will guarantee your sovereignty against any European power."
Hendrik's son, Willem, now a young man of seventeen, spoke up. "And if the French invade? Will your guarantee mean anything if your fleet is blockaded in the Atlantic?"
Cook smiled. "Your Highness, I am just a captain. But I can tell you this: Britain's navy is the largest in the world. We will not allow the French to gain a foothold here."
Hendrik looked at his son, then at Cook. "I will grant you coaling rights. But I will not declare war. Zeelandia remains neutral. If the French come, we will defend ourselves."
As Cook departed, Willem asked his father, "Was that wise? The French could crush us."
"The French are losing this war," Hendrik said. "Within a few years, Britain will be the dominant power in the world. I am betting on the winner."
In 1759, the French governor of Mauritius, Comte de Lally, did indeed consider an expedition against Zeelandia. He wrote to Paris: The island is rich, poorly defended, and a thorn in our side. Let me take it.
But the French navy was overstretched. The fleet that might have carried the invasion was instead sent to support Lally's disastrous campaign in India. At the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760, the French were crushed.
A year later, a French frigate appeared off Port Victoria—not to attack, but to surrender. Its captain, Jean‑Baptiste de La Tour, came ashore with a white flag.
"My crew is starving," he said. "The British have blockaded Mauritius. We seek shelter."
Hendrik granted it. That night, he hosted the French captain at dinner. De La Tour, a man of the old nobility, looked around the governor's house with amazement.
"You have built something extraordinary here," he said. "A European nation, independent of Europe. How did you manage it?"
"We were left alone long enough to grow strong," Hendrik replied. "And we chose our friends carefully."
De La Tour smiled bitterly. "I chose the wrong friends. Now I am a prisoner of war."
"No," Hendrik said. "You are a guest. When this war ends, you are free to stay or go. That is how we do things here."
De La Tour stayed. He became a teacher at the University of Koningstad, and his descendants became a prominent family of scholars.