EPISODE · Jun 3, 2026 · 6 MIN
The Spice Islands War: Nutmeg, Banda and the Dutch East India Company
from Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History · host Fexingo
Before nutmeg became a kitchen staple, it was one of the most valuable commodities on Earth — worth more by weight than gold. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the brutal history of the Banda Islands, the only place in the world where nutmeg grew wild. They explore how Bandanese traders had already built a complex network linking their atolls to Java, Malacca, and China long before Europeans arrived. When the Portuguese, then the Dutch East India Company (VOC) arrived, they found a sophisticated trading system — not an empty frontier. Lucas recounts the shocking 1621 massacre ordered by VOC governor Jan Pieterszoon Coen, who virtually wiped out the Bandanese population to secure a monopoly. He also shares the lesser-known story of the Bandanese who escaped to the island of Kei Besar, where their descendants still preserve the language and traditions of their ancestors. The conversation touches on the practical challenges of controlling a global spice supply: the VOC's secret groves on the island of Run, the 1667 Treaty of Breda that swapped Run for Manhattan, and the irony of French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre who finally smuggled seedlings to break the monopoly. It's a story of globalisation, violence, and the origins of the modern corporation. #BandaIslands #NutmegTrade #VOC #JanPieterszoonCoen #SpiceIslands #Maluku #BandaneseMassacre #TreatyOfBreda #PierrePoivre #RunIsland #KeiBesar #Globalisation #ColonialHistory #SpiceTrade #SeventeenthCentury #DutchEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
What this episode covers
Before nutmeg became a kitchen staple, it was one of the most valuable commodities on Earth — worth more by weight than gold. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the brutal history of the Banda Islands, the only place in the world where nutmeg grew wild. They explore how Bandanese traders had already built a complex network linking their atolls to Java, Malacca, and China long before Europeans arrived. When the Portuguese, then the Dutch East India Company (VOC) arrived, they found a sophisticated trading system — not an empty frontier. Lucas recounts the shocking 1621 massacre ordered by VOC governor Jan Pieterszoon Coen, who virtually wiped out the Bandanese population to secure a monopoly. He also shares the lesser-known story of the Bandanese who escaped to the island of Kei Besar, where their descendants still preserve the language and traditions of their ancestors. The conversation touches on the practical challenges of controlling a global spice supply: the VOC's secret groves on the island of Run, the 1667 Treaty of Breda that swapped Run for Manhattan, and the irony of French horticulturalist Pierre Poivre who finally smuggled seedlings to break the monopoly. It's a story of globalisation, violence, and the origins of the modern corporation. #BandaIslands #NutmegTrade #VOC #JanPieterszoonCoen #SpiceIslands #Maluku #BandaneseMassacre #TreatyOfBreda #PierrePoivre #RunIsland #KeiBesar #Globalisation #ColonialHistory #SpiceTrade #SeventeenthCentury #DutchEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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The Spice Islands War: Nutmeg, Banda and the Dutch East India Company
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