Spice Trade Changes History

In this blog post I will explain why world history changed dramatically because of the desire by European monarchies to control the spice trade.  It is hard to believe that at the beginning of the 16^th century everyday commodities we use in our lives like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves were worth more than their weight in gold.  So it comes as no surprise that the spice trade was one of the most profitable in existence.  Before it was known that trees and plants could not be grown anywhere they were not native, spices could only be found on a group of islands called the Moluccas.  Their geography made the islands a battleground for countless groups who fought for control of the spice trade. 

In the 15^th century the spice trade was transformed by the European Age of Discovery.  It was because of the spice trade that European exploration of distant lands were initiated.   The search for spices led European sailors to voyage out to try to find a direct route to the spice islands and allow them to take control over the spice trade.  History was changed when Christopher Columbus set out to find India and ended up navigating to the New World instead.  Without the desire of European governments to seize control of the spice trade, European contact with the Americas might have been halted for many years to come.  This led to the European conquest, exploration and colonization of the Americas that had an immense impact in the historical development of the current Western world. The Portuguese also set out to find the spice trade when they sent Vasco de Gama to circumnavigate Africa, which he did successfully in 1497 when he sailed across the Indian Ocean to Calicut, India.  This gave rise to a powerful Portuguese empire.  Spanish, English and Dutch expeditions to the spice islands created a growing competition over the control of the spice trade.  Wars over the spice islands occurred in the European nations for nearly 200 years, shaping so much of history that we now today.  Without the European drive to control the spice trade world history would look a lot different then how it does now.  The motivation of European exploration to distant lands was a direct result of the desire of control over the spice trade.