Andrew Marr’s History of the World
The Age of Plunder
Saturday, November 16th, 1532, Peru. Two worlds were about to collide. Spanish adventurers had come for gold and glory.
Now they had to face the most powerful man in the Americas: Atahualpa - Emperor of the Incas.
The Spanish Friar told Atahualpa that the book contained the holy words of God. Written words on paper were unknown to him. All he saw were dull scratchings. He threw the book aside with disdain.
The unwitting rejection of Christianity became the excuse for slaughter and plunder on an epic scale.
The 16th century saw Europeans go far beyond plundering gold and silver. Fortunes would be made by giving consumers warmth, beauty and new flavours. Buccaneers would become businessmen, merchants would create the first modern companies to rival old kingdoms.
In 150 years, mankind starts to move from wealth and simple plunder to capitalism. It’s a bloody story, and its consequences are all around us today.
