Who was the first European to the Spice Islands?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
December 9, 2003
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Killer Picks: Wollemi Pine, greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century—>Click here.
Travel Vest, Broad-brimmed Tilley Airflo Hat, Atomic Clip Watch—>Click here.
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In 1506, the Portuguese naval general, Affonso d'Alboquerque commanded five vessels and sailed with another eleven under the command of Tristao da Cunha. The fleet targeted Arabic cities on the east African coast, then separated. Alboquerque's ships went on to lay siege to Ormuz, a major commerce center in the Persian Gulf. After failing to hold Ormuz, Alboquerque headed his ships for the Portuguese-held Malabar Coast of Decan (India).
Between 1508 and 1510, Alboquerque attacked, held, lost control, received reinforcements, and re-attacked areas along the coast of India. He then directed his fleet against Malacca (Indonesian Peninsula). He spent a year in Malacca, securing a power-base for the Portuguese.
In 1512, a storm struck as he was sailing back to Malabar. His ship, the Flor de la Mar, and all his treasure were lost. He barely survived the raging sea. But before he left Malacca, Alboquerque commissioned Francisco Serrão to sail further east. Serrão set out with three ships to find and explore the legendary Spice Islands, the Moluccas.
Only one ship, that of Francisco Serrão, survived the passage. The Sultan of Ternate befriended Serrão and kept him as an advisor. Serrão became the first European to travel through the islands and gather the fruit of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) in the Bandas and the flower buds of the clove (Syzygium aromaticum) on Ternate.
(Compiled from: "D'Albuquerque", 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica; "Mindanao and Moluccas -- Lands of the Kings" Datu Jamal Ashley Abbas, and "The Spice Trade -- India", reprinted from the Economist)
Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | | 6 |
Suggested Reading:
How did the Spanish break Arab control of the sweet spice? Plants that Changed History - 11/06/01
Lord Nelson, Napoleon, and the Silesian Beet Plants that Changed History - November 13, 2001
What spice was as valuable as gold and silver? Plants that Changed History - May 7, 2002
What was the Pepper Gate? Plants that Changed History - May 21, 2002
Why did Alexander take the island of bliss? Plants that Changed History - November 4, 2003
How did Portugal gain control of the spice trade? Plants that Changed History - December 2, 2003
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