Name: Roger Crowley Spice The 16th Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World
Start: 2024-11-08T13:00:00+01:00
Location: The Beacon, Wantage

Roger Crowley Spice The 16th Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World

Roger Crowley presents his latest book ‘Spice’ at the Wantage Literary Festival. Roger talks about how in the sixteenth century, an epic contest unfolded for control of the spice trade—a pursuit that would propel European maritime exploration and conquest across Asia and the Pacific. Spices were the lifeblood of the early modern world economy, and for Europeans, they symbolized unprecedented wealth. Cloves and nutmeg, coveted commodities, could only reach Europe through intricate trade networks. Spanish and Portuguese explorers vied relentlessly to uncover their elusive origins.
When the Portuguese finally reached the spice-rich Moluccas (also known as the Spice Islands) in 1511, they ignited a fierce competition. Roger masterfully chronicles this struggle, revealing how it fundamentally shaped our modern world. From 1511 to 1571, European powers connected distant oceans, established vast maritime empires, and ushered in global trade—all in pursuit of controlling the spice supply.
Embark on a captivating journey—from the shipyards of Seville to the expanse of the Pacific, from the volcanic Spice Islands of Indonesia to the Arctic Circle and the coasts of China. This narrative history teems with vivid eyewitness accounts of daring adventures, shipwrecks, and pivotal sieges—the very encounters that reshaped the world economy for centuries to come.