# 360. Spice Wars: The Battle of the East India Companies (Ep 3)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450/360-spice-wars-the-battle-of-the-east-india-companies-ep-3
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450/360-spice-wars-the-battle-of-the-east-india-companies-ep-3.md
Podcast: [Empire: World History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450)
Published: 2026-05-17T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT3977425647.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT3977425647.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/empire-world-history-5636450/episodes/360-spice-wars-the-battle-of-the-east-india-companies-ep-3
Duration seconds: 3294

## Resource

What caused the mighty Dutch East India Company to plummet from immense Golden Age wealth to total bankruptcy? Who was ‘Peter Pepper’, and how did his stolen plants end the VOC's spice monopoly? And how did a tiny Caribbean island spark the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War simply by saluting the American flag? Get the entire Dutch Empire miniseries early and ad-free by joining the Empire Club at ⁠⁠empirepoduk.com⁠ ⁠ In Episode 3 of our series on the VOC, William and Anita are joined by Dutch anthropologist and historian Michiel Baas to explore the staggering collapse of the Dutch East India Company. They discuss the greatest commercial reversal in history, as the English East India Company transformed into a powerful corporate state, while the mighty VOC went completely bankrupt. 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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