Spices
Teas, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, indigo, amber, incense, balsam, pepper, and more, were commodities traded within the Spice Trade. The Portuguese and Dutch benefited from mastery of oceanic navigation and were some of the first Europeans to enter into the Spice Trade. Unfortunately, when Europeans arrived to take advantage of the Spice Trade, they did not adhere to the tribute system, which placed the trade into a state of chaos and violence.
The tribute system had been in use since early human history. It was customary for foreigners, defined as any person that did not live in the region, who wanted to trade to honor the emperor or ruler of a region with valuable goods. This presentation of goods demonstrated the foreigner’s respect for the ruler and stated that they would abide by the regional laws placed upon trade. After working out specifics, the ruler permitted the foreigner to trade in the region. And as such, the foreign trader would receive the same military protection as people who resided in the region.
As trade increased to new regions during the early-modern era, spices were in high demand. Tea was a commodity consumed worldwide and many tea companies were chartered through royal decrees to trade. The East Indian Company gained a charter from England’s Queen Elizabeth I at the end of 1600. The charter stated that the East Indian Company had rights to trade with countries east of the cape of Good Hope to the Straights of Magellan. Essentially this was the entirety of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As part of the charter, any person, nation, or company that traded in that region without the permission of the East Indian Company would suffer the forfeiture of their ships.
The demand for spices changed how merchants traded the commodities. As foreign entities entered into the South China Sea and the Malaysian Archipelago, they enacted charters that suddenly made it a crime for local traders, who had permission from regional rulers, to trade. As Europeans spread out into New World territories after 1500, navigational technologies permitted merchants to ship teas and spices to the Caribbean and the Americas. Globalization of trade was well under way.