Majapahit's Spice Tax and the Price of Cloves

Majapahit: The Empire That Once Ruled Indonesia — Fexingo History · Oct 23, 2026 · 7m · transcript

While earlier episodes explored Majapahit’s naval power and royal courts, this episode dives into the economic engine that made the empire wealthy: the spice trade. We examine how the state controlled the production and export of cloves and nutmeg from the Maluku Islands through a complex system of tariffs and monopolies. Lucas walks us through the role of the Kutamantri, the royal tax collectors who ensured every gram of spice contributed to the treasury in Trowulan. Luna asks about the human cost of this extraction and how local rulers in the outer islands navigated their loyalty to…