1. Spices were highly valuable commodities in medieval Europe due to their scarcity and difficulty to obtain, fueling myths about their origins. 2. European powers including Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and England competed to monopolize the lucrative spice trade, carving up territories through agreements like the Treaty of Tordesillas. 3. The Dutch eventually came to dominate the 17th century spice trade world through controlling key ports and islands that produced spices, such as capturing Malacca and the Moluccas from the Portuguese and British.