Transcript Age of Exploration

Period 4:
Global Interactions
1450-1750
Introduction
• Truly a global period
• Americas and Oceania join Afro-Eurasian
trade
• Profound impact on societies, economies,
politics, demographics, and environments
Motivations for Exploration
• The Renaissance encouraged
curiosity & a desire for trade
• Gold
• Glory
• God
Improvement in Technology
• Trade and cultural diffusion during the
renaissance introduced new navigation
techniques to Europeans…
– Magnetic Compass
– Astrolabe
– Map making
– Caravel
Factors Leading
to Exploration
1. European desire to spread Christianity
– Competing with popularity of Islam
•
EX: Reconquista in Spain
– Target: South and Southeast Asia
– Expeditions have missionaries
– Changes in Christianity sparks
evangelicalism
– Incentives given to France, Spain, Portugal
– Reformation added competition
– Need to beat the Protestants—rise of Jesuits
Factors…
2. Trade
– Europeans knew there was a lot of profit to
made on Asian luxury goods
– Trade would trigger the growth of European
cities during the Renaissance
– Once they understand the value of Americas…
Why Western not
Eastern Europe?
• Russia had no warm-water ports;
therefore, expanded on land reaching the
ocean in 17th century
• European countries on the Atlantic coast
had the advantage of geography
Why Not China?
• China did send fleets to Indian
Ocean to trade and explore
• Zheng He
– Ming Dynasty, 7 voyages
– Distributes gifts showing China’s superiority
– 300 ships and 20,000 men
– Improved trade and commerce in SE Asia,
S. Asia, W. Asia, and E. Africa
• Emperor chose to cancel expeditions due
to expense
Voyages of Zheng He
European Exploration
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Late 1400s
Begin global exploration
Create colonies
Increase wealth
and power
Portugal & Spain
• First to explore
• Proximity to Africa
• Reconquista
– Re-conquer Iberian
Peninsula
– Muslims and Jews
driven from Spain
– Creates patriotism in
Spain—leaders want to
exert influence
Prince Henry the Navigator
• Not a navigator
• Started navigation school to
train sailors
• Sponsored expeditions along
west coast of Africa
• “Discovered” Madeira and Azores Islands
Looking for Water Route
to Asia
• 1488 Bartolomeo Dias
– Rounded the tip of southern Africa
(Cape of Good Hope)
• 1498 Vasco de Gama
– Made it to India
– Established Portugal’s link to the East
European Exploration
Spain
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Saw Portugal’s growing wealth and wanted in
Ferdinand and Isabella
Columbus
Amerigo Vespucci
Ferdinand Magellan
Conquistadors
– Cortes
– Pizarro
• Spain becomes extremely powerful
Treaty of Tordesillas
• 1494
• Spain and Portugal agree to divide up the
newly discovered lands between the two
nations
England, France,
and the Netherlands
• Become involved with exploration and
colonization
• France
• England
• The Netherlands (Dutch)
Result of Exploration
• European knowledge and influence of the
world increased greatly
• Columbian Exchange
Continuities in the Networks
of Global Exchange
Period 4 isn’t just about the Atlantic
Continuities
1. Religion
– Islam continuities to spread into sub-Saharan
Africa, East and SE Asia (Indonesia and
Philippines)
– Buddhism moves across SE Asia into parts of
Central Asia
– Hinduism—core remains in India
Continuities
2. Trade
– Indian Ocean trade continues to thrive
– European merchants join only if cooperated
with local ruler—can’t dominate long
established organization
– Atlantic trade volume eventually surpasses it
Continuities
3. Agriculture
– Most people still farmers worldwide—growing
enough to survive and a little to sell
– Some grew single crop to be exported for
good (initial commercial farming)
– Changes occurred because of flood of new
foods from Americas
Continuities
4. Migration
Just before 1492—most mass migrations
had ended
Impact of European
Explorations
Africa
• Political:
– Many states strong enough to stop
Portuguese from interfering (Benin)
– In other areas increased civil war (Kongo)
– Trading cities on East African coast attacked
by Portuguese
– Ethiopia survives with Portuguese help
– African main land largely unaffected
Africa
• Economic:
– Connected to world trade network, increase in
slave trade, manufactured items imported
from Europe
– New crops (sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes,
cocoa)
Africa
• Demographic
– Overall slowly growing population
– Impact of slave trade on population overall
only minimal, although some regions suffer
severe losses
Asia
• Political:
– Portuguese establish trading posts along
coast (Diu, Goa, Macao) through conquest,
new foundations, or negotiation with
established governments
– Military struggle between Ottoman empire and
Portugal
– Asian empires (Ming, Mughal, Japan) not
affected politically
Asia
• Economic:
– Increase in the amount of silver, increase in
the export of manufactured items to Europe
– Trade in Indian Ocean dominated by
Europeans (Portuguese, then Dutch), also
between China and Japan
– New crops
Asia
• Demographic:
– Growth of population assisted by new crops
from America
America
• Political:
– Native American states destroyed (Inca, Aztec)
– Colonies (Spain: Mexico, South America
except Brazil, South Western USA, Portugal:
Brazil, England: Atlantic Coast of North
America, France: Canada, Mississippi)
America
• Economic:
– Silver mines, plantations
– Take part in world trade network mining and
agricultural items exported (silver, hides,
sugar), manufactured items imported
– Encomienda system in Spanish America
America
• Demographic:
– Dramatic drop in native American population
due to diseases and conquest, up to 90 %
– New settlers (colonists from Europe, slaves
from Africa)