Table · dataset · 2026
Swiss Mercenaries in the Dutch Colonial Army Database: Raw, cleaned, and georeferenced data transcribed from the Dutch KNIL registers 1848-1885 (Stamboeken)
Listed in ETH Zürich Research Collection
This dataset documents Swiss mercenaries who enlisted in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) between 1848 and 1885.
Description
It consists of two complementary data tables representing different stages of the research lifecycle: The first part (Raw Data) comprises 5,619 transcribed entries created between 2017 and 2021 as part of the SNSF-funded project “Swiss Tools of Empire”. These records were extracted verbatim from the Dutch muster rolls (Stamboeken) held at the National Archives in The Hague (Nationaal Archief, access number 2.10.50).
This table preserves original 19th-century Dutch orthography and administrative details across 36 data fields, serving as a digital surrogate of the primary source. The second part (Cleaned & Georeferenced Data) contains 5,350 refined entries. This version is the result of extensive data processing conducted by Philipp Krauer in 2024 as part of a CAS in Data Management and IT at the University of Zurich.
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Using OpenRefine, the raw data was normalized, and duplicate records were consolidated through phonetic clustering algorithms to account for soldiers with multiple terms of service. Furthermore, the biographical data was enriched with georeferenced Swiss places of citizenship (Bürgerorte) by reconciling historical entries with the familiennamen.ch API and Wikidata. By providing both the raw transcriptions and the analysis-ready records, this two-part dataset offers a robust foundation for both qualitative historical inquiry and quantitative spatial analysis of 19th-century Swiss colonial migration and military service.
Links
Where it is published
- ETH Zürich Research Collection record hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/799467 ↗
landing page · from research collection ethz ch
- DOI doi.org/10.3929/ethz-c-000799467 ↗
DOI / persistent id · from research collection ethz ch
Catalogue records · 1
- OAI-PMH record research-collection.ethz.ch/oai?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_dc&identifier=oai%3Awww.… ↗
metadata API · from research collection ethz ch
Topics
- From keywords
- Chemistry · Computer Science & AI · Earth & Environmental Science · Economics & Finance · Engineering · Humanities · Life Sciences · Materials Science · Mathematics & Statistics · Medicine & Health · Physics · Psychology & Behavioral Science · Social Science
- Inferred from text
- Tabular 65%
Provenance · 1 source records, 19 field assertions
| Source | Key | Last seen | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETH Zürich Research Collection | oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/799467 | 11 d ago | JSON v1 |
| Field | Assertion | Extractor | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| access_level | source · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:chemistry | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:computer-science-ai | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:earth-environmental | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:economics-finance | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:engineering | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:humanities | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:life-sciences | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:materials-science | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:mathematics-statistics | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:medicine-health | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:physics | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:psychology-behavioral | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[field].local:field:social-science | mapping · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| concepts[modality].local:modality:tabular | enrichment · research collection ethz ch | keyword-concept-rules@1.0.0 | title+description (65%) |
| description | source · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/description |
| license | source · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/rights |
| publication_date | source · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | |
| title | source · research collection ethz ch | connector:research_collection_ethz_ch@1.0.0 | /metadata/dc/title |