Governorate of Ambon

Governorate of Ambon Gouvernement Amboyna
1605–1796
Flag Coat of arms
Amboina around 1651
Status	Dutch colony
Capital	Fort Victoria
Common languages	Dutch
Governor
• 1605–1611	Frederick de Houtman
• 1618–1625	Herman van Speult
• 1701–1706	Balthasar Coyett
• 1724–1729	Stephanus Versluys
• 1794–1796	Alexander Cornabé
Historical era	Imperialism
• Dutch capture	22 February 1605
• British takeover	1796
Preceded by Succeeded by Portuguese Empire Bencoolen

Ambon was a governorate of the Dutch East India Company, consisting of Ambon Island and ten neighbouring islands.^[1] Steven van der Hagen captured Fort Victoria on 22 February 1605 from the Portuguese in the name of the Dutch East India Company. Until 1619, Ambon served as the capital of the Dutch possessions in East Asia. In that year Batavia was founded to function as the staple port for the Dutch East India Company in Asia. The island was the world center of clove production until the 19th century. The Dutch prohibited the rearing of the clove-tree in all the other islands subject to their rule, in order to secure the monopoly to Ambon.