This is a question relating to an idea I'm brainstorming for a timeline in which Emperor Charles V has 2 surviving sons and decides to split his Burgundian and Spanish inheritances between them (but it also works for other timelines).
As part of this I'm trying to think of potential colonies for this alternate Netherlands and how they would get these, especially if they would remain Catholic. One of these ideas is that Charles doesn't only give the 2nd son the Netherlands, but also Venezuela. As Venezuela was a very "small" (population-wise) colony, largely neglected, and on the periphery of the Empire, the Spanish might not complain too much about this idea. It also wasn't too long ago that the German experiment in the region had taken place so there was some precedence as well (although it was not entirely the same thing). Simultaneously Venezuela did have potential for those willing to invest in it so it's interesting for the Dutch. It also wasn't absurdly far from Europe like most other peripheral parts of the empire. Alternatively it could be acquired as part of a dowry, or the Dutch make a payment to the Spanish for the right to colonize the region (but generally I want the transfer to happen before 1610). So I'm looking for 2nd opinions on this? Is the Spanish accepting the transfer realistic, and how feasible would it be for the "Dutch" colonization efforts to be a success?
As a follow-up, if it happens how do you think it would affect future colonization in the Caribbean? Venezuela is massive and it's already possible to grow cocoa, sugarcane, and coffee there so I'd assume they wouldn't expand too much into the Antilles. The ones closest to the mainland and maybe an island or two somewhere in the north as a stopover point on the way to Europe?
As part of this I'm trying to think of potential colonies for this alternate Netherlands and how they would get these, especially if they would remain Catholic. One of these ideas is that Charles doesn't only give the 2nd son the Netherlands, but also Venezuela. As Venezuela was a very "small" (population-wise) colony, largely neglected, and on the periphery of the Empire, the Spanish might not complain too much about this idea. It also wasn't too long ago that the German experiment in the region had taken place so there was some precedence as well (although it was not entirely the same thing). Simultaneously Venezuela did have potential for those willing to invest in it so it's interesting for the Dutch. It also wasn't absurdly far from Europe like most other peripheral parts of the empire. Alternatively it could be acquired as part of a dowry, or the Dutch make a payment to the Spanish for the right to colonize the region (but generally I want the transfer to happen before 1610). So I'm looking for 2nd opinions on this? Is the Spanish accepting the transfer realistic, and how feasible would it be for the "Dutch" colonization efforts to be a success?
As a follow-up, if it happens how do you think it would affect future colonization in the Caribbean? Venezuela is massive and it's already possible to grow cocoa, sugarcane, and coffee there so I'd assume they wouldn't expand too much into the Antilles. The ones closest to the mainland and maybe an island or two somewhere in the north as a stopover point on the way to Europe?