From 1580 to Modern Feeds: the Timeline of Seizing an Enormous Ebony Booty
By Chloe Bennett
The single most striking encounter involving this exact category of plunder occurred on August 12, 1665, in the neutral harbor of Bergen, Norway. A colossal Dutch merchant fleet returning from the East Indies took refuge in the port of Vågen to escape the Royal Navy. Lured by intelligence detailing the staggering cargo crammed inside the Dutch holds, an English naval squadron under Rear-Admiral Thomas Teddiman attacked, openly violating Norwegian territorial neutrality.
The prize at stake was legendary. Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) records show that the trapped flotilla carried a haul that left British admiralty officials salivating. Alongside 500,000 pounds of cinnamon, 8,690 catty of silk, and mounds of mace, the ships held exactly 18,000 pounds of ebony.
The English assault failed catastrophically after Bergen's garrison commander fired on the English fleet in defense of the port's neutrality, driving Teddiman off with heavy casualties. Yet the official English prize lists, surviving in London archives, reveal that the British crown had budgeted the entire winter campaign around capturing that specific VOC fleet. Seizing that colossal cargo would have crippled Amsterdam's commodities market while bankrolling Charles II’s bankrupt treasury.
Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.
