Francisco Serrão Reaches the Spice Islands
Francisco Serrão reached the Maluku Islands (Spice Islands) around 1512, becoming the first European to establish a permanent presence in the source region of the clove, nutmeg, and mace trade. Serrão remained in the islands, allying with the Sultan of Ternate and providing military assistance in local conflicts. His letters to his cousin Ferdinand Magellan, describing the islands' location and the extraordinary wealth of the spice trade, were a direct motivation for Magellan's circumnavigation expedition of 1519. The Maluku Islands would be the focal point of Portuguese-Spanish rivalry for the next century.
- Year: 1512 CE
