[Review] Giles Milton: 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg'

Giles Milton’s 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg' with its somewhat expansive subtitle, 'How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History,' is a captivating dive into the world of 17th-century spice trade, centered on the obscure figure of Nathaniel Courthope (1585-1620). Milton masterfully blends meticulous historical research with narrative flair, transforming what could have been a dry account of colonial commerce into a thrilling tale of adventure, betrayal, and global power struggles.

The book chronicles the fierce rivalry between European powers - primarily the English and Dutch - for control of the Spice Islands, particularly the tiny island of Run, a key source of nutmeg, then worth more than gold.

Milton strangely focuses on Nathaniel Courthope, an obscure English merchant, hired by the East India Company. He arrived on 25 December 1616, with his ships, Swan and Defence, on the island of Run, the smallest of the Banda Islands.

In his efforts to break the Dutch hold on the nutmeg supply, he persuaded the natives to start trading with the British. Don't be fooled, because the islanders were always trying to evade the Dutch and were selling their nutmeg to the highest bidder, often to Chinese traders but sometimes to the British.

Our Nathaniel Courthope quickly ran into trouble. He lost his two ships to mutiny. He then proceeded to fortify the island by building forts to overlook approaches from the east. With just 39 men and the natives (who could not be trusted) with hardly any food and water, he managed to hold off a siege of the Dutch for over 1,540 days.

Very brave of him, you might think, but the East India Company sent numerous letters allowing Nathaniel Courthope to leave his post, but he doggedly persisted. Eventually, he was shot by the Dutch. In the end, it was all in vain, because the British traded Run and New Amsterdam for Surinam. Now, nothing is left of that once great empire.

Through vivid storytelling, Milton paints Courthope’s exploits against the broader canvas of the competition of the East India Company and the Dutch Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) for the Spice Islands.

Milton weaves together primary sources, such as letters and logs, with colourful anecdotes, bringing to life not just Courthope but also an entire cast of explorers, traders, and rogues. The narrative is rich with sensory details: the stench of ship holds, the allure of spice-laden breezes, and the constant threat of violence. He also deftly contextualizes the era’s geopolitical stakes, showing how a small island’s fate rippled across continents.

However, Milton’s focus on Courthope sometimes feels as if it was a construct. Even the subtitle - 'How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History' – is rather stretching reality, because Nathaniel Courthope didn't change history. He was a small part of the history of the Spice Islands.

Still, 'Nathaniel's Nutmeg' is a compelling blend of history and adventure. If you devoured Milton's 'Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922' (as I did), you won't be disappointed with this book.