Transcript Ch 19/21 Notes

An Age of Explorations and
Isolation
1400-1800
Chapter 19
Background
By 1400, Europeans were ready to
venture beyond their borders
• Renaissance encouraged a new
spirit of adventure and curiosity
• Printing press spread ideas and
new maps and charts
I. Causes of European Exploration
#1- New Trade Routes
•
People want wealth; achieve that through
trade
 Traded spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon,


pepper)
Introduced during Crusades; people still
demanded goods once wars ended
Demand greater than supply= high prices
Causes of European Exploration
(cont’d)
#2- Spread Christianity
• Crusades left hostility between Christians and
Muslims
• Europeans believed they
had a sacred duty to
continue fighting Muslims
and to convert non-Christians
Causes of European Exploration
(cont’d)
#3- New Exploration Technologies
• Caravel: stronger, sturdier ship with triangular sails
(adopted from Arabs); made it possible to sail against
the wind
• Astrolabe: brass circle w/ carefully
adjusted rings marked off in
degrees; used to calculate latitude
(perfected by Muslims)
• Compass: magnetically tracked
direction (Chinese invention)
II. Portugal leads the way
A.
Portugal was 1st to establish
trading outposts along the
west coast of Africa
B.
Prince Henry: son of
Portugal’s king
•
•
Nation’s most enthusiastic
supporter of exploration
Conquered Muslim city in
North Africa where he
discovered exotic wealth
never found in Europe
(cinnamon, cloves, pepper,
silver, gold, jewels.
III. Spain also makes claim
A. Christopher
Columbus
•
1492 he convinced
Spain (although he
was Italian) to pay
for his plan to find a
trade route to Asia by
sailing west across
the Atlantic Ocean
Spain also makes claim (cont’d)
• October 1492: landed on a Caribbean Island
which he mistook for the East Indies (AKA Indonesia.)
Immediate impact of Columbus: Increased
tension between Spain and Portugal.
Spain also makes claim (cont’d)
• He drew the Line of Demarcation: imaginary
North/South line that gave lands on the east
to Portugal (light green) and the lands on the
west to Spain
• 1494 Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of
Tordesillas: they agreed to honor the line.
IV. Trading Empires in the Indian
Ocean
With new trade routes came conflict.
European nations scrambled to establish
profitable trading posts as they battle
natives and each other
Trading Empires in the Indian
Ocean (cont’d)
A. Portugal
•
Built huge trading empire by capturing many Muslim
owned lands (w/ help from cannons mounted on
their ships)
B. English and Dutch
•
•
•
1600 they began to challenge Portugal
Dutch owned the largest fleet of ships with 20,000
vessels
Both formed East India Company to establish and
direct trade throughout Asia. Also could mint
money, make treaties, and raise armies.
V. China: Ming Dynasty
Europeans had ports all over the Indian and
Asian coasts and were now looking for
more sources of wealth.
They found it in China, then Japan.
By 1514 the Chinese had driven out the
Mongol rulers and had united under new
leadership: the Ming Dynasty
China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)
A. Ming Dynasty: dominant power in Asia
from 1368-1644
• Hongwu: commanded a rebel army
that drove out the Mongols in 1368
and became the 1st Ming Emperor
 Promoted reforms to restore agricultural lands
destroyed by war, erase all trace of Mongols, &
promote China’s power and prosperity
China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)
• Hongwu eventually dies, his son (Yonglo)
takes over. He was very curious of the
world so he launched 7 voyages of
exploration.
• Zheng He led all 7 voyages
 40 to 300 ships made the voyages: fighting ships,
storage vessels, and “treasure” ships (400 ft long!)
 Carried soldiers, sailors, interpreters, accountants,
doctors, and religious leaders.
China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)
B. China’s trade policies reflected isolation
• Only government officials were allowed
to conduct foreign trade through 3
coastal ports
• However, smuggling went on up and
down the ports
VI. China: Qing Dynasty
A. Manchus: people of Manchuria (west of
the Great Wall) invaded China and took
over the Ming (had ruled for 200 yrs)
•
•
Qing Dynasty: name taken of the Manchus
as they ruled for 260 yrs
Expanded China’s borders to include Taiwan,
Chinese central Asia, Mongolia, and Tibet
The Atlantic World
Objectives:
• Know who Christopher Columbus was and what he did.
• Know who Cortes was and what he did.
• Know who Pizarro was and what he did.
• Describe how the English and the French split up North
America and how the English won the French and
Indian War.
• Know the effect of colonization on the Native
Americans.
• Know what the nature of the slave trade was and how
horrific it was.
Christopher Columbus
• You may have heard how in 1492, he sailed the ocean
blue.
• He also sailed it in 1493, 1498, and 1502.
• While he was Italian (and may even have been Jewish),
he was working for the Spanish, specifically the
monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
Both Spain and Portugal start exploring the Americas in
earnest.
• Spain claims a bunch.
• Portugal takes modern-day Brazil. As we know, the
Treaty of Tordesillas settles out their claims.
Aztecs
• Existed from the 1300’s to the 1500’s.
• Based their empire in the city of Tenochtitlan – modern
day Mexico City.
• It was at this location that the Aztecs supposedly
saw a vision of an eagle holding a snake while
perched on a prickly pear cactus. Sound familiar?
The Incas
• The Incan civilization was
located in modern-day Peru.
• They lasted from about 1200
to 1550.
Spanish Conquest
• The Incas are eventually
conquered by the Spanish
conquistador Francisco
Pizarro in 1532, not long
after Cortez took out the
Aztecs.
North America
• The English and the French just ignored the Treaty of
Tordesillas and started colonizing in what was supposed
to be Spanish land.
• The French mainly colonized up in the Canada region,
hence founding Montreal and Quebec.
• They also claimed land down the Mississippi River.
English
• They founded the colony of Jamestown in Virginia that
was nearly a complete disaster.
• The English Puritans/Pilgrims founded Plymouth in now
Massachusetts.
• It’s often said they were looking for religious
freedom. Kinda true… they were looking for
religious freedom for themselves, not for anyone
else. They weren’t pluralists and weren’t religiously
tolerant.
Slave trade
• Lasted from about the 1500’s until 1870, when it was officially
ended.
• Some estimates say the Atlantic slave trade transported up to
40 million Africans to places elsewhere.
• Generally what happened is that the Europeans or African
tribes would capture other Africans. They would then sell the
captured people to the Europeans. They’d get guns or some
such in return.
• Slavery was fairly common in both Africa and the world at
the time. The institution had a long tradition in world history.
Therefore, it wasn’t seen for being as abhorrent as it
actually was.
• Making the journey was extremely hazardous.
• Slaves were packed shoulder to shoulder in tightlypacked compartments.
• The Atlantic trade is sometimes known as the triangle
trade.
Absolute Monarchs of Europe
Ch. 21
Philip II
• Son of Charles V
• Took power after Charles V divided his empire into 5
parts and retired to a monastery.
– Inherited Spain, Spanish Netherlands, and the American
Colonies.
• Philip was considered shy, serious, and deeply religious.
• Philip’s guarded personality left many people suspicious
of him, and he was equally suspicious of other people.
– His court historian wrote, “His smile and his dagger were very
close.”
Philip’s Empire
• Thanks to the American Colonies, Spain
was becoming very rich.
– Between 1550 and 1650, Spain had imported
339,000 pounds of gold and 16,000 tons of
silver from the Americas.
– Free money, thanks to mercantilism!!!
Defender of Catholicism
 Philip II took the throne while Europe was
experiencing many religious wars.
 1571, Philip sent the Spanish Armada to fight against the
Ottoman Empire’s Navy
 The Battle at Lepanto was one of the world most decisive battles,
with the Spanish Armada completely destroying the Ottoman
Empire’s Navy.
 Later, he battled against Protestant England.
 Didn’t fare as well. His fleet was defeated.
 These many religious battles, along with rising inflation
from all of that free money from the American
Colonies, would eventually cause the Spanish state to
declare bankruptcy!
King Louis XIV
 His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, lasted seventy-two years,
three months, and eighteen days.
 longest documented reign of any European monarch.
 Became ruler when he was only 5
 When he first became king, the true ruler of France was Cardinal
Mazarin.
 Many nobles hated Mazarin because he increased taxes and strengthened
the central government.
 During many of the riots, Louis’ young life was threatened by the upset
nobles.
 Louis remembered this and determined to become so powerful that he could never

be threatened again.
His hatred of the nobles would later affect France’s balance of power.
 When Cardinal Mazarin died in 1661, the 23 year-old Louis took
control of the government.
Louis: Smart guy, bad decisions
War
 1667- invaded Spanish
Netherlands
 1672-invaded Dutch
Netherlands
 1680’s- many other minor
wars with small European
countries
 1689- Many European
countries joined together to
defeat France. Now, even
the small countries had the
protection of the powerful
nations.
Result
• Frequent wars, massive
taxation, and a series of
poor harvests brought
great suffering to the
French people.
• The people were tired of
the King Louis.
• When he died in 1715, the
people of France rejoiced.
Ivan
• Became ruler when he was only 3.
• The boyars, or nobles, tried to control Ivan when he
•
was young.
At the age of 16, he claimed the throne and crowned
himself czar.
– A Czar is an absolute ruler, taken from the Roman “Caesar”
• Married the beautiful Anastasia
• From 1547 to 1560 were known as Ivan’s good period.
– Won great war victories, passed many good laws, and ruled
justly
Rise of the Romanovs
• Ivan’s son was both physically and
mentally incapable of ruling over Russia.
– After he died without an heir, Russia went
through the “Time of Troubles” in which many
boyars were fighting for the throne.
• Eventually, representatives met and chose
Michael Romanov, grandnephew of
Anastasia, as the next leader.
Peter the Great
• A descendant of Michael Romanov, Peter
at first had to share the throne with his
feeble- minded half brother.
– Eventually, Peter became the sole ruler of
Russia.
• Came to be known as Peter the Great
because he was one of Russia’s greatest
leaders and reformers.
• He was a big man, over 6’6” tall!!!
Peter visits the West
• 1 year after becoming czar, he embarked on the “Grand
Embassy”, a long visit to Western Europe.
– His goal was to learn more about Western Europe’s customs and
industrial techniques.
• On his journey, he insisted on keeping his identity secret.
– This was hard to conceal, considering he traveled with 200
servants and 55 boyars.
– Still, he dressed in plain clothes and would rebuke anyone who
addressed him as “Sire” or “Your Majesty.”
• He visited England and Austria before returning home.
A New Capital
 Peter believed Russia’s future depended on having a warm



water seaport.
To promote education and growth, Peter wanted a seaport
that would make it easier to travel to the West.
He began building the new capital on the swampy, unhealthy
lands close to the Baltic Sea.
An estimated 25,000 to 100,000 died from disease and poor
working conditions while building St. Petersburg, which is
named after Peter’s patron saint.
When it was finished, he ordered many of the Russian nobles
to leave the comforts of Moscow and relocate to St.
Petersburg.