# 358. Spice Wars: The Rise of the Dutch East India Company (Ep 1)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450/358-spice-wars-the-rise-of-the-dutch-east-india-company-ep-1
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450/358-spice-wars-the-rise-of-the-dutch-east-india-company-ep-1.md
Podcast: [Empire: World History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450)
Published: 2026-05-10T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT5634335202.mp3?updated=1778519676
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT5634335202.mp3?updated=1778519676
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/empire-world-history-5636450/episodes/358-spice-wars-the-rise-of-the-dutch-east-india-company-ep-1
Duration seconds: 3063

## Resource

What’s the real story behind the creation of the Dutch East India Company, and how was espionage involved? What made the VOC the first ‘mega-corporation’ in history? And what was the horrific human cost of establishing a colonial stronghold in the East Indies? Get the entire Dutch Empire miniseries early and ad-free by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com William is joined by Dutch historian Herald van der Linde to explore the staggering rise of the Dutch East India Company - a company so rich it eclipsed the modern valuations of Apple and NVIDIA combined. They discuss how high-stakes espionage, revolutionary cargo ships, and military ruthlessness allowed the Dutch to dominate the 17th-century global economy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/EMPIRE. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to ⁠www.goalhanger.com.⁠ Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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## Transcript

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