European Exploration

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European Exploration

• The 3 Gs of Exploration
• For God, Glory and Gold

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Eurasian Empires, 1300 - 1700
Eurasia on the eve of European expansion was
dominated by a complex of huge, interlocking,
land-based empires, ?linked by overland trade
routes, and by the Arab trading along the Indian
Ocean. The four empires highlighted here were
land-based, inward-looking, and ill-prepared for
the challenge of European imperialism that would
arrive by sea and, over the next four hundred
years, effectively undermine them. (excerpts from
Spodek, The Worlds History)
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Why European Exploration Matters?

• In the 1500s and 1600s, Europe emerged as a
  powerful new force on the world scene The
  voyages of exploration marked the beginning of
  what would become European DOMINATION of the
  globe.
• In the centuries ahead, COMPETITION for empires
  would spark wars in Europe and on other
  continents.
• European expansion would spread goods and other
  changes throughout the world- revolutionizing
  European ECONOMY and transform its society.
• The concept of the WEST itself emerged as
  European settlers transplanted their culture to
  the Americas and, later, to Australia and New
  Zealand.

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Many Factors Encourage Exploration

• Europeans Seek Greater Wealth
• Merchants and traders hoped to benefit from the
  trade of spices and luxuries from Asia
• Muslims and Italians controlled this trade at
  high prices
• Spread of Christianity
• Europeans hoped to convert the peoples of Asia
  and the Americas
• Achieve Glory and the first two factors
• to serve God and His Majesty to give light to
  those who were in darkness and grow rich as all
  men desire to do. Bartolomeu Dias, early
  Portuguese explorer.

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European Exploration Portugal Leads The Way
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394 1460)
For military reasons and trade routes he
encourages Sailors to push farther and chart new
areas.
The Portuguese sail down the African west coast,
as they do so they set up trading stations along
the coast these trading stations would later
become the origins of the African slave trade.
1492 - Christopher Columbus lands in San
Salvador and calls the locals Indians thinking
that he had arrived in India (he thought the
earth was 8,000 miles around)
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Why was the Strait of Malacca coveted by the
Portuguese?
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Technological Advances Make it Possible

• Portuguese Shipbuilding - Combining old designs
  the Portuguese were able to make a small, fast
  and maneuverable ship design
• With the help of the compass borrowed from the
  Chinese, the Portuguese are able to navigate well
• Sailors used the astrolabe perfected by the
  Muslims to determine how far North or South they
  were from the equator

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Technological Advances
Viking ships had square sails to capture the wind
Early Chinese ships had triangle sails,
allowing them to cut through wind currents
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Technological Advances
The Portuguese combined the 2 sail designs to
come up with their own design.
This design was later Modified by the
Spanish The Galleon
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Early Portuguese Voyages
1488 Bartolomeu Dias rounds the southern tip of
Africa but returns home exhausted 1498 - Vasco
de Gama, a Portuguese sailor, goes around the
southern tip of Africa en route to India and
returns home a hero
De Gama finds himself in the Indian Ocean and
finds a century- old ocean trade network (Arabs
and Africans).
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Portuguese Successes
The Arab and African ships were not equipped with
any sort of weapons The Portuguese were, they
had front mounted cannons They forced the Arabs
into moving goods for them.
Now Europeans use naval technology to affect
naval trade.
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Portugal faces European Trading Rivals

• 1492 - Spain finances Christopher Columbus
  voyage to Asia by sailing West finds the
  Caribbean instead.
• Rivalry with Portugal Grows Tense
• 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas establishes
  imaginary Line of Demarcation through the
  Atlantic Ocean
• Portugal won right to control lands to the East -
  Africa, India Asia
• Spain got lands to the West most of the
  Americas
• 1600s English and Dutch enter East Indies
• Each formed their own Dutch East India Company

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China Rejects European Outreach

• Ming Dynasty led by Hongwu replaces Mongol rules
  for 300 years
• Hongwus s Yonglo wants to make contact with
  other Asian People
• The voyages of Zheng He
• 1405 Zheng He led several fleets to SE Asia ,
  India, Arabia and Africa during 7 voyages to
  show Ming Chinese superiority
• Chinese Began to isolate themselves and limit
  trade to 3 coastal ports
• Christian Missionaries accompanied traders
• Qing (Manchu) Dynasty peace and improved
  agricultural production continue Policy of
  Isolation
• Population doubled China pulled back
• Confucianism focused on agriculture rather than
  commerce.

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Japan Limits Western Contacts

• Civil war erupts in 1467
• 1590 Toyotomi Hideyoshi unifies Japan under
  Tokugawa Shogunate which lasted until 1868
• Contact between Europe and Japan begins in 1543
• Missionaries arrived in 1549 and converted about
  300,000 Japanese to Christianity.
• Banned by 1637
• 1639 Japans borders sealed open only to Dutch
  and Chinese
• Tight control over foreign contact for next 200
  years

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Spanish Conquests in the Americas
By Columbus time (1492) the last of the
Muslim Strongholds in Spain had been defeated,
this led to a Shift in European focus
How did the ending of the Crusades (pushing the
Muslims out of Spain), impact the above
motivation for exploration?
- Pre 1517 - The focus of Europe was fighting
the Muslims - After 1517 - Their focus is on
spreading Christianity to new lands you cant
let the heretics get to them first!
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Spanish Conquests in the Americas
Spread the good word!
1492 - Christopher Columbus sets out to find
new Trade routes to India and China to cut out
the middle-men (the Ottomans)
The Ottomans were Muslims bad to Christians
Every time Europeans wanted to trade with China
or India they had to pass through Ottoman trading
posts this meant that they had to give money to
the Muslims.
If money power, who was getting powerful in
this deal?
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Spanish Conquests in the Americas

• 1492 Columbus claims the Americas for Spain
• Spain begins to create colonies
• 1519 - Hernando Cortez came to Mexico and
  defeated the Aztec Empire led by Montezuma II
• 1533 Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca
  Empire of South America

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The Columbian Exchange and Global Trade
Christopher Columbus unknowingly set in motion an
exchange of goods between Europe and the
Americas that would become known as the Columbian
Exchange. The exchange involved - Plants
(Early Islam 700-1100CE previously) - Foods
(Early Islam 700-1100CE previously) - Crops
(Early Islam 700-1100CE previously) - Animals
(Early Islam 700-1100CE previously) - Human
populations - DISEASES!!! - Smallpox,
measles, diphtheria, w. cough - 1519
Smallpox devastates Aztecs (17-1.3m) -
1500-1800 100m Overall, the Columbian
Exchange increased world populations 1500425m,
1600545m, 1700610m, 1800900m
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4.4The Columbian Exchange
From Europe Wheat Horses Cattle Pigs Sheep Goats
Chickens
From the Americas Maize Potatoes Beans Tomatoes P
eppers Peanuts Pineapples
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The Columbian Exchange and Global Trade

• The Commercial Revolution caused by growth in
  overseas trade
• Capitalism private ownership and investment of
  wealth for profit
• Joint Stock Companies like the modern
  Corporation people pool for profit
• Mercantilism theory that a countrys power
  depended on its wealth.

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The Columbian Exchange and Global Trade
The Mentality
Mercantilism - Policy by which a nation sought
to export more than it imported (balance of
trade) and to build up its supply of gold and
silver (wealth). Bottom Line Gain as much
wealth for the empire as possible. How could you
gain wealth in the 15th century?
Question Following the Renaissance and the Rise
of Monarchies, why do you think Europeans went
exploring?
Answer MONEY and RESOURCES!!! War was a big
drain!
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4.4Emerging Global Trade
For the first time Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe,
AND the Americas were connected in global trade.
China, the premier power at this time will use
its muscle to set the conditions of trade by
demanding Silver (their basis of currency).
This global market sets the stage for global
resource exploitation by the 1600s.
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Prediction

• Now that global trade had begun and naval power
  became important
• WHAT MIGHT START TO HAPPEN AS A RESULT OF THIS
  ADVANCEMENT IN TRADE?