4. Wars over the spice trade were fought all over the world
Wars over precious spices can be traced to ancient times. In part, they led to the myth that during the medieval period, spices were valued as a means to hide the aroma and taste of rotten food. Spices were valued then as now, as flavorings for food and beverages, and as medicines. They were so valued by the ancients that two of the gifts borne by the Magi to present the infant Jesus were spices – frankincense and myrrh according to the Biblical account. So, it is little wonder that nations and tribes throughout the world fought wars over such a valuable commodity. There were wars fought among the peoples of the Spice Islands over the right to trade with the Europeans, and wars between the Europeans over which nation would dominate the trade.
During the so-called Golden Age of Piracy spice-laden ships were popular targets among the corsairs. Their valuable cargoes could easily be converted to gold and silver by trading with corrupt government officials, many of whom were in reality land-based pirates themselves. Most of the Spice Wars of the 17th and 18th centuries were fought by national companies, which built their own ships and supported their own private armies, usually recruited from among the native peoples with whom they traded. Government forces provided aid surreptitiously, often by licensing privateers with letters of marque. The license allowed them to capture the ships of specified nations and protected them from charges of piracy. During the age of colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries, European companies built large trading posts and fortifications in the Spice Islands. They became the basis of numerous conflicts and wars.