Hi guys, came across an interesting little bit of history I thought would be worth exploration.
The background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groot_Desseyn
So, introducing one twist in this timeline. At the initial battle of Bahia, the fleet decides to wait for reinforcements from back home rather than split their fleet and leave the town under defended. The initial fleet of Portugese ships is met at sea with the superior force of Dutch ships. When the Spanish arrive the Dutch fall back and defend the town with a larger number of ships and troops than in our TL. Able to inflict more damage and hold out longer, the Spanish fail to take the city before a Dutch fleet nearly equal in size to the Spanish arrives to challenge them at sea. Caught between the two opposing forces the Spanish will either have to flee or surrender.
The dutch will probably fail to take the other cities, but perhaps they succeed in holding onto Bahia and make some profit on the goods going in and out of that city. Three years later history proceeds as in our timeline, only the Dutch have control of Bahia from the start in addition to the wealth pilfered from the spanish treasure ships. The Groot Desseyn succeeds, at least for a time.
The background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groot_Desseyn
So, introducing one twist in this timeline. At the initial battle of Bahia, the fleet decides to wait for reinforcements from back home rather than split their fleet and leave the town under defended. The initial fleet of Portugese ships is met at sea with the superior force of Dutch ships. When the Spanish arrive the Dutch fall back and defend the town with a larger number of ships and troops than in our TL. Able to inflict more damage and hold out longer, the Spanish fail to take the city before a Dutch fleet nearly equal in size to the Spanish arrives to challenge them at sea. Caught between the two opposing forces the Spanish will either have to flee or surrender.
The dutch will probably fail to take the other cities, but perhaps they succeed in holding onto Bahia and make some profit on the goods going in and out of that city. Three years later history proceeds as in our timeline, only the Dutch have control of Bahia from the start in addition to the wealth pilfered from the spanish treasure ships. The Groot Desseyn succeeds, at least for a time.