User:Mhatopzz/Colonial period of Indonesia

The Colonial history of Indonesia (Masa Penjajahan) was one of the major episodes in Indonesian history where a period of European rule and domination over the Indonesian archipelago occured between the 16th century to its demise in the 20th century. Beginning in the 16th century, successive waves of Europeans—the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English—sought to dominate the spice trade at its sources in India and the 'Spice Islands' (Maluku) of Indonesia. This meant finding a way to Asia to cut out Muslim merchants who, with their Venetian outlet in the Mediterranean, monopolised spice imports to Europe. Astronomically priced at the time, spices were highly coveted not only to preserve and make poorly preserved meat palatable, but also as medicines and magic potions.

The arrival of Europeans in South East Asia is often regarded as a watershed moment in its history. Other scholars consider this view untenable, arguing that European influence during the times of the early arrivals of the 16th and 17th centuries was limited in both area and depth. This is in part due to Europe not being the most advanced or dynamic area of the world in the early 15th century. Rather, the major expansionist force of this time was Islam; in 1453, for example, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, while Islam continued to spread through Indonesia and the Philippines. European influence, particularly that of the Dutch, would not have its greatest impact on Indonesia until the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Europeans first came to the Moluccas when António de Abreu reached the island in 1512, he was sent to sail to find the Spice Islands under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque, Abreu's ship departed from Malacca in 1511.