Background
A 1596 Dutch expedition lost half its crew, killed a Javanese prince and lost a ship but returned to Holland with a load of spices, the profit from which encouraged other expeditions.
Recognising the potential of the East Indies spice trade, and to prevent competition eating into Dutch profits, the Dutch Government amalgamated the competing merchant companies into the United East India Company (VOC). In 1602, the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly in the spice trade in Asia. It was awarded quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, coin money, and establish colonies.
Read more about this topic: Dutch East India Company In Indonesia
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