Makassar Spice Trade Network

Timeline

1. c. 1610–1637Port of Makassar · SulawesiUnder Sultan Alauddin of Gowa, an open-port policy was established, welcoming merchants of all nations to trade freely with no monopoly barriers. Spices from the Banda Islands and the Moluccas converged here via Bugis and Makassarese fleets, then were transshipped by Portuguese, Indian, and Chinese merchants to global markets; Makassar quickly became Southeast Asia's most prosperous entrepôt.
2. 1637–1653Makassar · SulawesiThe VOC repeatedly demanded that the Sultanate of Gowa ban foreign merchants from buying spices, and concluded the restrictive Treaty of Kayumerah (1637), but Gowa refused to enforce the exclusive monopoly clause on grounds of sovereignty, continuing to admit Portuguese, Chinese, and Danish merchants. This phase of diplomatic confrontation laid the roots of later military conflict.
3. 1653–1660Makassar and its trade hinterland · SulawesiAfter acceding to the throne, Sultan Hasanuddin upheld the free-port principle, attracting more Bugis, Malay, and Portuguese merchants; the trade network covered a vast area from Banda to Malacca. In 1660 the VOC launched its first military attack, forcing the sultan to sign a preliminary restrictive treaty, but trade had not yet been interrupted and the will to resist remained firm.
4. 1666–1669Makassar · SulawesiCornelis Speelman led a VOC fleet together with the Bugis ally Arung Palak's forces to capture Makassar's forts. The Treaty of Bongaya (1669) mandated the exclusion of foreign merchants (Portuguese, English, Danish) from Makassar, placing the spice trade under exclusive VOC control; the free-port system that had endured for nearly half a century thus came to an end.