First published 2024
Roger Crowley traces the epic battle for spice trade dominance that reshaped the world between 1511 and 1571. When Portuguese forces reached the Moluccas in 1511, they triggered a brutal competition among European powers for control of cloves and nutmeg. Crowley follows this struggle across multiple theaters, from Seville's shipyards to the Pacific's vastness, from Indonesia's volcanic spice islands to China's coastlines and even the Arctic Circle. The author demonstrates how this sixty-year contest for spice routes connected the world's oceans for the first time and established the foundations of global maritime empires. Drawing on eyewitness testimony, Crowley reconstructs the adventures, naval disasters, and military sieges that marked Europe's initial colonial expansion. The book reveals how the pursuit of these precious commodities created the first truly global economy and established trading networks that would endure for centuries.
Genres: history, historical-fiction, adventure, non-fiction
Vibes: epic, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: competition, epic-journey
Setting: Moluccas, Seville, Pacific, Indonesia, China, Arctic Circle
Period: 1511-1571
304 pages · Hardcover · Yale University Press