Clove Trade (Moluccas)

Timeline

1. c. 1581–1583Tidore · North MalukuThe Tidore and Ternate sultanates controlled clove tree cultivation; buds were hand-picked at the color-change stage, sun-dried, graded and weighed to Batavia standards, with Portuguese fortress garrisons supervising loading.
2. c. 1584–1587Malacca · MalaysiaClove fleets sailed north across the Java Sea to the Strait of Malacca, where they traded with Indian Muslim merchants from Gujarat and Surat for cotton cloth and coral, then split toward Red Sea and European routes.
3. c. 1588–1590Lisbon · PortugalVia the Cape of Good Hope or the Red Sea–Mediterranean passage, Moluccan cloves reached Lisbon and Antwerp, becoming the core supply for European meat preservation, medicine, and luxury goods markets.