The real spice wars don't turn out so well for the little guy, but there is just as much death/mayhem.

'Nathaniel's Nutmeg' by Giles Milton is a narrative history of the spice trade in the early 1500's to mid 1600's. It reveals the shipping rivalry that occurred between England & The Dutch over the highly valuable spices of nutmeg, pepper and cloves. It's told through individual adventurers with their ships and of their route, tropical diseases, warfare, politics and living conditions.

I summarised the book as follows. "A nice overview of a wild time on the high seas. Lot's of compelling adventures & most of it based off documented history. I liked the addition of maps & drawings to give some geographical and visual representation to the tales. There's actually surprisingly little about Nathaniel Courthope but plenty of learning about the Dutch East India Trading Company and the quirks of history."

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Intro
(0:36) - Synopsis
(4:08) - Death & Disease: The price of adventure
(9:52) - Staggering Wealth: The Dutch East India Company
(14:37) - Personal Observations/Takeaways
(17:38) - Summary


Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/