Portuguese invasion of Melaka 1511
Introduction The Portuguese invasion of Melaka (1511) is an important point in world history because it marks the commencement of direct European control of the spice trade and the defusion of European ideas to the region. Nutmeg is native to Banda Islands Clove is native to Maluku Islands Sandalwood is native to Timor Islands The Malay merchants say that God made Timor for sandal-wood and Banda for mace and the Moluccas for cloves, and that this merchandise is not known anywhere else in the world except in these places; and I asked and enquired very diligently whether they had this merchandise anywhere else and everyone said not. [from Suma Oriental by Tome Pires, written between 1512 and 1515] The King of Portugal was apparently very proud of this achievement because he bragged about it in a letter directed to