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Spice Trade of the Moluccas

Type Object Region Southeast Asia Time 1400–1700

The Moluccas produced cloves and nutmeg, traded via Java and Malacca; Portugal monopolized Ternate and Tidore in the early 16th century, with trade s…

Timeline

  1. 1400–1511Ternate and Tidore · IndonesiaCloves and nutmeg were transshipped from the Moluccas via Java, Majapahit, and Malacca to markets in India, Persia, and China, forming a polycentric maritime trade chain.
  2. 1551–1560Portuguese trading post in Ternate · North MalukuThe Portuguese bound local sultans by treaty in Ternate and Tidore, monopolized clove procurement, and shipped them in large fleets via the Cape of Good Hope route to Lisbon, while linking with Malacca and Goa trade routes.
  3. 1600–1663Moluccas · IndonesiaThe Dutch East India Company gradually expelled the Portuguese, imposing nutmeg plantation controls and forced trade, shifting the center of Moluccan spice trade to the Batavia–Amsterdam route.

Sources