Yesterday's war-torn backwater is tomorrow's global-spanning empire, and next week's international lingua-Franca.
Most war-torn backwater's don't turn into the British Empire of course, but eras of unprecedented expansion usually come from unexpected places. It's interesting to try and predict where will be next, although these trends are probably over too much time to understand anything as it happens, but fortunately that still leaves us history to study!
One of the things about the Magna Carta that is important and often left out is that several articles of it are still in effect from a reissued version in 1297. So arguably its continuing in a way that the alternatives haven't been, indiciating legal and constitutional continuity or at least propaganda thereof. The three clauses are as follows right to a free English church, ancient liberties of the city of London (interesting detour) and right to due legal process.
One other point is the British East India company did secure a valuable colony during that period although it did lose it to the Dutch East India Company, the island of Run (or Rhun) in the Banda islands. Interestingly enough Run was what was traded to the Dutch for Manhattan in a peace deal. But that story of the Bandas is used as a parable of capitalism, as in Nutmeg & Mace only grows on the Bandas and in order to keep them the Dutch and as the VOC was the first big international company committed genocides to control it so it is used as a metaphor.
Historically it was an amazing cross over period so in that region there were Japan towns competing with China towns as it was pre closure of Japan so mercenaries of both were common. You have the hindu rajahs converting to islam and getting support from the Ottomans. You have Spain shipping Aztec soldiers to the Phillipines. British, Spanish, Dutch and Portugese duking it out. An under examined period of history.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment—I really appreciate the engagement. That said, many of the events you mentioned either occurred outside of Britain’s involvement (such as the Spanish conquest of the Philippines, Ottoman influence in Southeast Asia, and Japanese and Chinese towns in the region) or fall beyond the scope of my current article.
This piece ends in 1604, whereas most of the events you reference take place later—for example, the British occupation of Run Island happened between 1616 and 1621, the Banda Islands massacre occurred in 1621, and the Treaty of Breda was signed in 1667. I plan to cover these events and the broader British-Dutch conflicts, as well as the rise of the British East India Company, in upcoming articles.
Yesterday's war-torn backwater is tomorrow's global-spanning empire, and next week's international lingua-Franca.
Most war-torn backwater's don't turn into the British Empire of course, but eras of unprecedented expansion usually come from unexpected places. It's interesting to try and predict where will be next, although these trends are probably over too much time to understand anything as it happens, but fortunately that still leaves us history to study!
Another exceptional education. Thank you.
A couple of minor points:
One of the things about the Magna Carta that is important and often left out is that several articles of it are still in effect from a reissued version in 1297. So arguably its continuing in a way that the alternatives haven't been, indiciating legal and constitutional continuity or at least propaganda thereof. The three clauses are as follows right to a free English church, ancient liberties of the city of London (interesting detour) and right to due legal process.
One other point is the British East India company did secure a valuable colony during that period although it did lose it to the Dutch East India Company, the island of Run (or Rhun) in the Banda islands. Interestingly enough Run was what was traded to the Dutch for Manhattan in a peace deal. But that story of the Bandas is used as a parable of capitalism, as in Nutmeg & Mace only grows on the Bandas and in order to keep them the Dutch and as the VOC was the first big international company committed genocides to control it so it is used as a metaphor.
Historically it was an amazing cross over period so in that region there were Japan towns competing with China towns as it was pre closure of Japan so mercenaries of both were common. You have the hindu rajahs converting to islam and getting support from the Ottomans. You have Spain shipping Aztec soldiers to the Phillipines. British, Spanish, Dutch and Portugese duking it out. An under examined period of history.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment—I really appreciate the engagement. That said, many of the events you mentioned either occurred outside of Britain’s involvement (such as the Spanish conquest of the Philippines, Ottoman influence in Southeast Asia, and Japanese and Chinese towns in the region) or fall beyond the scope of my current article.
This piece ends in 1604, whereas most of the events you reference take place later—for example, the British occupation of Run Island happened between 1616 and 1621, the Banda Islands massacre occurred in 1621, and the Treaty of Breda was signed in 1667. I plan to cover these events and the broader British-Dutch conflicts, as well as the rise of the British East India Company, in upcoming articles.