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Portuguese Moluccas Trade

Type Event Region Southeast Asia Time 1540–1549

In the 1540s Portugal consolidated its monopoly on the Moluccas' clove and nutmeg trade under the Treaty of Zaragoza (1529), establishing posts at Am…

Timeline

  1. 1540–1545Ambon Island · MoluccasPortugal strengthened forts and storage facilities in Ambon, controlling the purchase and export of cloves, and signed trade agreements with some local chiefs to maintain a monopoly on supply.
  2. 1545–1549Ternate · MoluccasIn the later 1540s, relations between Portugal and the Sultanate of Ternate fluctuated between tense and relaxed, with military expeditions and diplomatic mediation used together to secure spice purchasing channels and suppress smuggling and competitors.

Sources