 In crafting the play's plot, Fletcher exploits the recent history and contemporary events of his era, involving the European discovery of the East Indies (modern-day Indonesia).During the 16th century, the first Europeans in East Asia — the Spanish, from their colony of the Philippines, and the Portuguese, operating out of their base in Malacca (conquered in 1511) — sought trading rights and influence in the Spice Islands, the modern Moluccas or Maluku Islands.Several small independent states in the region, notably the islands of Tidore and Ternate, controlled much of the spice production of the region, and constituted a tempting target of European greed and ambition.