patroonstelsel
Patroonstelsel, or the patroon system, was a land-grant and settlement policy used by the Dutch West India Company in New Netherland during the 17th century. The aim was to attract and rapidly populate the colony along the Hudson River and adjacent areas by rewarding wealthy individuals with large estates if they could recruit and maintain a settler population.
Under the system, a patroon received a charter for a substantial tract of land and a degree
The geographic focus was along navigable rivers, where the Dutch believed population pressure and defense would
The patroonstelsel faced practical difficulties, including attracting sufficient settlers, managing vast estates from distant Europe, and