Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History
The Dutch in Ambon: How the VOC Enslaved the Spice Islands
In 1621, Jan Pieterszoon Coen landed on the Banda Islands with a fleet and a plan. Within weeks, he had orchestrated the massacre or enslavement of nearly the entire population of Banda, replacing them with Dutch planters and enslaved labourers from across Asia. This episode dives into the brutal logic of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) — how the company enforced a monopoly on nutmeg and clove through violence, forced cultivation, and systematic depopulation. We trace Coen's career from his early days in Bantam to his governorship in Batavia, examine the hongi tochten —…
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