Today the word “spice” is
thrown in everyday life without a second thought. However, its paramount effect
on world history should not be overlooked. Originally, Arabs had a strong hold
on the spice trade that endured through the Middle Ages, but it wasn’t long
until Europe tried to get their hands on it. The Romans began voyages from
Egypt to India making Alexandria the most lucrative commercial center of the
world in 80 BC. Spices such as cinnamon, pepper, saffron, and cloves became a
part of the markets in the Greek and Roman empires. Although this weakened the
Arab hold on the spice trade, it had not broken it.
The spice trade opened up an
era of European imperialism in the eastern part of the world. For decades,
sailors had tried to reach the Indies with very little success. Luckily, in
1498, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed on the Malabar Coast – a pepper
haven. This discovery tremendously improved the economy of the Portuguese
Empire, which previously was built on trade along the northern and coastal West
Africa. More and more Portuguese ships infringed upon the Arab-Venetian trade
monopoly, helping the Portuguese dominate this trade for years. Lisbon
flourished as a place of wealth and fame and Portugal became a long lasting
colonial empire in Asia. 
The spice market fostered
dirty competition between the European empires for several years. Soon enough,
another monarchy wanted to get their share of the trade – the Dutch. They
captured business from the Portuguese, in turn enabling Amsterdam to become an
important center for spices. Now it was Britain’s turn to get involved. The
British had won many colonial wars solely for spices, which caused London to prosper.
Thus, it is evident that today’s major cities gained their power and dominance
as a result of the spice trade. The European discovery of the sea routes,
conquest of the spices countries, and final payments to the Arabs allowed for
the commercial and colonial expansion in Europe. The Portuguese, Spanish,
Dutch, and British powers all set war on one another just to be able to control
the native populations of spice suppliers. This rage continued through the 16th
century, a time when cloves, pepper, and nutmeg dominated.
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Hi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteSpices, like you said, had huge impacts on cities gaining dominance mostly through wars. Could you talk more about the outcome of Anglo-Dutch Wars??
Hi Alison,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question. The Anglo-Dutch wars were fought between the English and Dutch for control over the trade routes. These wars could be seen as inevitable as both of these powers were great maritime nations and competed for colonial expansion. After a Peace Treat with Spain, the Dutch were excluded from Spanish markets, which was advantageous to the English. This was not long lasting after the English, who were already out of the East Indian spice trade, began to lose their markets to the Dutch in different seas. Unofficial warfare began and only spiraled into the first actual war. The wars confirmed the position of the Dutch as the leading maritime and world power.