The Age of Exploration
The 16th century paved the way for the East India Company, which would become one of the most notorious organisations in history.
It was a hotbed of naval exploration. The oceans belonged to Portugal and Spain as they blazed trails through uncharted seas. Such was their dominance that they agreed to split the world in half with the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494.
A line was drawn 48° west of Greenwich. Any land east of the line could be colonised by Portugal and any land west by Spain, provided it was not already ruled by a Christian power. This effectively gave Portugal Africa and Asia, whilst Spain claimed the Americas (although the line later gave Brazil, once discovered, to Portugal).
This split is still evident today and explains why Brazil is Portuguese-speaking, whilst most of the rest of South America speaks predominantly Spanish.
The Spice Islands and Portuguese Dominance
The East Indies (encompassing modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and parts of mainland Asia) fell into Portugal’s half of the map.
Nestled in the middle of the East Indies are the Moluccas Islands, also known as the Spice Islands. Nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper grew in abundance in a region that was already thriving in trade before the Portuguese arrived.
These spices were not new to Europe, but their long overland trade routes and the fact that they were not found elsewhere made them luxuries available only to the very rich.
For almost 80 years, Portugal held sole control of the spice trade to Europe, and it was hugely profitable. However, in 1580, after a succession crisis, the Kingdom of Portugal joined the Kingdom of Spain under the Spanish Crown in the Iberian Union, effectively creating one kingdom, including all of Portugal’s overseas territories.
This would spell bad news for the Portuguese monopoly.
England, the Dutch Republic, and War with Spain
Two new countries were about to put their stamp on the world map: England and the Dutch Republic.
They had one important thing in common, war with Spain.
The Dutch Republic (consisting largely of modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) emerged during the Dutch Revolt. This long period of hostilities, from 1566 to 1648, saw the Protestant Dutch Republic demand independence from its Catholic Spanish rulers.
England had already undergone its Protestant Reformation and supported the Dutch cause. Combined with a deteriorating relationship with Spain, this led to the Anglo-Spanish War lasting from 1585 to 1604.
A major turning point came with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, which opened new possibilities for these emerging naval powers.
Privateering and the Capture of the Madre de Deus
War with Spain meant war with Portugal, and what better way to fill the war chest than with Portuguese booty?
Privateering against Portuguese carracks was rife, and both England and the Dutch Republic got a taste of the wealth the oceans had to offer.
Perhaps the greatest success came when Sir Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Cumberland captured the Madre de Deus at the Battle of Flores in 1592.
Vast wealth lay aboard, but of even greater value was the ship’s rutter, which contained vital information about trade routes and commerce within the East Indies.
The Birth of the East India Company
The riches of the East were a tantalising prospect for merchants of the time.
In England, on 31 December 1600, a group of merchants succeeded in obtaining a royal charter under the name “Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies.”
For fifteen years, the company (which became known as the East India Company) was granted a monopoly on trade with all countries east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of the Straits of Magellan.
In 1602, the Dutch government followed suit, sponsoring the creation of the United East India Company, or Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC), which became known as the Dutch East India Company. It too was granted a monopoly over trade.
Legacy of the East India Companies
Over the next two centuries, these companies would become as powerful as nations.
They expanded their territories, built armies, and amassed great fortunes—all at a cost to the native peoples who were relentlessly worked and exploited.
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