Clove and Nutmeg Spice Trade

Timeline

1. c. 500–1400Banda Islands and Tidore–Ternate · MoluccasCloves and nutmeg grew wild only on specific Moluccan islands; local rulers monopolized harvesting rights, transshipping them via Javanese and Malay ports, then selling them across Eurasia through Indian and Arab trade routes.
2. 1400–1511Malacca–Moluccas route · MoluccasIn the 15th century Malacca became the hub for northward spice shipments, handling cloves, nutmeg and pepper together. In the 1490s European navigators intensified the search for direct routes bypassing Arab middlemen, sharply raising the geopolitical significance of the spice trade.