Nathaniel's Nutmeg

¶ … Nathaniel's Nutmeg: The True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader who Changed the Course of History" by Giles Milton. Specifically, it will discuss the main theme of the book. The world was a different and much more profitable place after spices were discovered in the East, and spices changed Europe especially. Spices encouraged exploration, created vast fortunes, encouraged European colonization on far away shores, and changed global trade forever. The world could not live without spice, and spice created a new world.

Spices were an important part of living in medieval Europe. They were said to have medicinal properties, and they were used in many recipes. However, they were expensive, and Venice owned a monopoly on their trade. The author notes, "spices had become so popular that demand had long since outstripped supply" (Milton 21). The Portuguese initially had a stronghold on the Spice Islands in Indonesia, but before long, other countries were sending out their own expeditions to bring home precious spices.

These early discovery voyages fueled exploration and colonization around the world. The text states, "Ferdinand Magellan [...] had long believed there was a far quicker route to the Spice Islands than the lengthy voyage around the Cape of Good Hope" (Milton 24). Thus, the Spice Islands and their bounty created an Age of Discovery that has never been rivaled.

In addition, these voyages encountered new lands, and new people, as the author writes, "The journals and letters written by men like Hudson and Juet, along with the accounts preserved by the English East India Company, form an invaluable record of the first European contact with native tribes" (Milton 183). Trade increased as spices became more readily available, and trade benefited the entire world, not just the rich merchants of Europe.

The author writes, "[T]he London merchants reasoned that if they could exchange these goods for cottons, then barter cottons for spices, they would have established a triangle of trade which would benefit everyone" (Milton 121). Trade grew around the world because of the Spice Islands and their precious cargo. This trade also created a bigger upper- and upper-middle class in Europe, especially England, and allowed more people access to trade goods and monetary reward. Trade also created the first real global corporations, such as the British East India Company.

The author states, "With the stroke of a pen, the East India Company found itself reborn as a modern, permanent and united joint-stock operation" (Milton 354). After 1657, the Company still imported a vast array of spices, but they also trades in drugs, stones, fruit, saltpeter, and fabrics (Milton 354). In addition, the East India Company created the initial British presence in India, and helped turn the country into a colony of Britain.

Colonization became common, with Dutch, English, Spanish, and Portuguese colonies created in the Spice Islands to ensure a continuous supply of the precious spices to home ports. In conclusion, the changes to the world after the discovery of spices were dramatic. Geographically, the world was more understood and explored, and trade flourished. Politically, the powerful countries of the world, such as Great Britain, first began what.