Renowned for their strong flavor, medicinal properties (eugenol), and high value, they drove global trade, colonialism, and conflict, with the Dutch and Portuguese fighting for a monopoly in the 16th-17th centuries. The barbaric character of the Dutch is first witnessed during the scramble for precious cloves. To maintain high prices, the Dutch destroyed trees on islands they did not control, allowing production only on Ambon and Uliassers. By the early 1800s, the French succ