A Spicy Swap Unlike Anything Else in History
In the early 1600s, Great Britain and Holland were vying for control over the very valuable Spice Islands in the East Indies. All but forgotten today, these tiny islands were at one time considered as prized possessions because of the nutmeg and cloves that could be found there and no where else. The British and the Dutch spent years battling for control of the lucrative trade.
In 1616 British captain Nathaniel Courthope staked a claim on the Island of Run, which contained one of the world’s only known nutmeg forests. With only a ragtag band of sailors and natives, Courthope fended off Dutch attacks for nearly four years. But there was a spy among his men who eventually betrayed him to the Dutch. They murdered Courthope and finally took the island in 1620.
The British, however, steadfastly maintained the Run was rightfully theirs. And they continued to wage war with the Dutch. Years later when the two countries were ready to sign a peace treaty, the island was still a bone of contention. So to sweeten the deal, the Dutch offered to hand over the rights to another remote island in return.
The other remote island’s name: Manhattan
A forest of nutmeg for the Big Apple–not a bad deal…not at all!
Nutmeg was especially valued as a spice, not simply because of its taste but also because it was believed to cure the plague. Once the Dutch gained control of the world’s nutmeg supply, they plotted to keep prices high and to prevent nutmeg plants from falling into British hands.
It is simply amazing how things, people, and places came into being through human weakness, ignorance, and misunderstanding.
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