Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

Koxinga's Capture of Fort Zeelandia

When
1661–1662
Where
Lakjemuyse; Fort Zeelandia; Frontier regions; Taiwan
Episodes
6

Koxinga besieged Fort Zeelandia from March 1661 to February 1662, ending Dutch rule and establishing the Kingdom of Tungning. The campaign involved naval bombardment, local defections, and the surrender of Governor Coyett, concluding with Koxinga's death in June 1662.

Episodes

  1. 23 March 1661 · LakjemuyseFleet Departure and Landing

    Koxinga's fleet departed Kinmen in March 1661 with 25,000 personnel and landed at Lakjemuyse to attack Dutch colonists.

  2. 7 April 1661 · Fort ZeelandiaSiege Begins

    Koxinga surrounded Fort Zeelandia in April 1661 and demanded the garrison's surrender via an emissary.

  3. 17 May 1661 · Frontier regionsAboriginal Defection

    Frontier Aboriginals surrendered to the Chinese in May 1661, celebrating freedom from Dutch rule by attacking colonists and destroying schools.

  4. 12 January 1662 · Fort ZeelandiaRadis Defection and Final Assault

    German sergeant Radis defected in January 1662, advising on a redoubt, leading to a bombardment and assault on the fort.

  5. 1 February 1662 · Fort ZeelandiaSurrender and Founding of Tungning

    Governor Coyett surrendered Fort Zeelandia on 1 February 1662, ending Dutch rule and beginning the Kingdom of Tungning.

  6. June 1662 · TaiwanDeath of Koxinga

    Koxinga died of unspecified illness in June 1662, a few months after defeating the Dutch in Taiwan.

Background and detail

Background. Zheng Chenggong, known as Koxinga, was a Southern Ming general who resisted the Qing conquest. He targeted the Dutch East India Company in Taiwan to secure a base and disrupt their harassment of his maritime supply lines, leading to the decision to invade the island.

The Siege. The siege began in March 1661 with a large fleet landing at Lakjemuyse. Koxinga surrounded Fort Zeelandia in April, demanding surrender. Local Aboriginal tribes defected to the Chinese side in May 1661, weakening Dutch support. In January 1662, a German defector provided critical tactical advice, leading to a final bombardment and assault.

Consequences. Governor Frederick Coyett surrendered Fort Zeelandia on 1 February 1662, ending Dutch rule and beginning the Kingdom of Tungning. Koxinga died of illness in June 1662, shortly after the victory. The Dutch later allied with the Qing against the Zheng forces in 1663.

People involved

  • Koxinga · Southern Ming general and leader of the siege
  • Frederick Coyett · Dutch Governor of Formosa who surrendered the fort
  • Hans Jurgen Radis · German sergeant and defector who provided tactical advice

Sources

  1. Siege of Fort Zeelandia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
  2. Koxinga Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.