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Plot or paranoia? The Amboyna conspiracy trial

Adam Clulow explores how fears of a sprawling conspiracy took hold in a remote Dutch East India Company fort in 1623 – with deadly consequences

Published: June 2, 2023 at 7:36 AM

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In 1623, at a Dutch fort on the remote island of Ambon, in modern-day Indonesia, a young Japanese mercenary was arrested for asking suspicious questions – and interrogated using torture. Within just 15 days, 21 people were dead, and two nations were set at odds. Historian Adam Clulow (one of the winners of this year’s Dan David Prize for outstanding historical scholarship) joins Ellie Cawthorne to explore the story of the Amboyna conspiracy trial – and investigate why events escalated so quickly.

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Adam Clulow is the author of Amboina, 1623: Fear and Conspiracy on the Edge of Empire (Columbia University Press, 2019)

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Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra

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