The Dutch in Ceylon: Cinnamon, Conquest, and the VOC’s Island Empire

In the 1600s, the Dutch East India Company set its sights on the spice-rich island of Ceylon, today's Sri Lanka. Already famous for its cinnamon, the island was controlled by the Portuguese, who had monopolized the trade for decades. This episode follows the Dutch conquest—from the treaty with King Rajasingha II of Kandy to the capture of Colombo, Galle, and Jaffna under the brilliant but ruthless commander Rijckloff van Goens. We explore the brutal labor of cinnamon peelers, the VOC's shift from trading partner to territorial overlord, and the enduring legacy of Dutch rule: fortified ports, Roman-Dutch law, and the Reformed Church. But the alliance with Kandy quickly soured, leaving the island divided between Dutch coast and Kandyan highlands. For 150 years, the VOC extracted cinnamon, elephants, and profits, until the British took over in 1796. A story of ambition, exploitation, and the hidden cost of the spice in your kitchen.

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