Indonesia High Sea

The sea around Aru forms part of the archipelago's wider maritime setting, connecting eastern islands with routes extending across Asia. Its historical background includes inter-island commerce that preceded European power. Malukan spices were already exchanged by Javanese and other Asian merchants, while Islam spread along trading routes and became established in many ports. European competition entered this existing world during the sixteenth century. Portugal reached Maluku after capturing Malacca, and Dutch expeditions later sought a share of the trade. The VOC, founded in 1602, combined commerce with the authority to make war and treaties. Its headquarters at Batavia, established after the capture of Jayakarta in 1619, became an administrative and commercial centre attracting people from China and across the islands. These developments describe the regional framework and do not prove direct control over every eastern island. Around Aru, the sea belonged to a connected world of traders, changing religious ties and competing powers, whose claims often reached farther than their effective local administration.