Age of expansion.

Abstract

Abstract When the Dutch and English first entered the Indian Ocean, the primary goal of both nations was to gain a monopoly in the spice trade. To do this, they had to militarily push out the Portuguese and prevent the other from gaining a foothold. Ultimately, the VOC came out the big Winner taking control of the clove, nutmeg and mace trade of the Moluccas. It also took a considerable portion of the Indonesian pepper trade by force, but not all. With the loss of the Spice Islands, the British shifted their attention to India and its pepper, saltpetre, cotton and indigo. The VOC also turned its eyes to India, but with far less lasting impact. To gain their foothold in India the English and Dutch were faced with two significant challenges: they would need to gain the favour of the Mughals who now controlled most of North India and they would have to push back the Portuguese who were well entrenched along the west coast. The Mughals had left the Portuguese ports mostly alone, preferring to trade with them rather than fight.