reason for european expansion and exploration

black death

• emergence of the state could have been because of the black death

• people needed a certain source of stability

• drastic reduction in european population

labour shortage and disrupted the social and economic order

• wages increased

• workers gained more bargaining power

• weakened power of lords over their serfs

labour shortage → wage increase and capitalist modes of production

• labour was made a more expensive commodity

• landowners seeking new ways to increase productivity and reduce labour costs

• innovations such as the printing press increased efficiency and reduced reliance on manual labour

created demand for new markets and resources

• increased productivity and decrease labour costs

• new technological innovations and new industries

• weakened the political and economic power of feudal systems

  • severe shortage of labour made it difficult to for lords to maintain estates

  • were forced to grant higher wages and better working conditions

  • many lords died without heirs weakening their estates

  • serfs were not able to be protected weakening the loyalty

  • increase in social mobility due to peasants gaining more bargaining power

  • rise of the middle class

  • rural to urban areas, people sought new opportunities and safer environments

  • growth of towns and cities and the development of new economic and social structure

  • urban areas had more freedom and opportunity, which weakened the power of feudal lords over their subjects

this shift created more conductive environments for colonial expansion

• powers began to look for cheap labour and raw materials in the colonies after the wage increase

• social and political upheaval lead to political instability

  • rulers and leaders died, their territories left vulnerable and had no strong opposition to getting colonized

  • armies weakened, more difficult to defend territories or show strength abroad

  • economic disruption → increased trade, establishing colonies

  • new desire for resources and markets → driving force for colonization

• technological advancements

  • innovation and experimentation, new tech → navigation tools

  • ship building techniques

  • weapons

  • made expansion more feasible

• religious motivation

  • sought solace in the face of suffering

  • increased desire to spread religion in new territories

european powers became more centralized and better equipped to finance and organize overseas expeditions

• economic recovery

  • new opportunities for economic growth emerged

  • new businesses emerged to take advantage of the labour market

  • new sources of wealth created that were used to finance overseas expeditions

• centralization of power in european states

• technological advancements in navel technology

• competition among european powers

crusades

• wanted to stop the muslims from taking over territory → ottoman empire

• 11th and 13th centuries with the goal of recapturing the holy land from muslim control

• concerned about not being good catholics

• religion was a major part of peoples lives

• through that spreading that faith would bring prosperity

• crusades route to india and china were identified (marco polo)

• economically beneficial to establish access

• spices and nice goods

• instead of buying it off other people they could do it themselves

the crusades opened up new trade routes between europe and the middle east

• crusaders established safe routes for the europeans to travel to the holy land

  • military presence made sure that roads were safe from bandits and other dangers

• demand for goods not available in europe

  • spice, textiles, precious metals

• introduction of new goods

  • perfumes, silks, ceramics

• creation of trading posts

  • european merchants established trading posts in the middle east for conduct business more efficiently

technological and scientific exchange

• transfer of knowledge

  • crusaders exposed to new ideas, technologies and scientific knowledge in their interactions with muslim cultures

  • gunpowder, armour, medical and mathematical practices

• translation of texts

  • crusaders brought back ancient texts from the middle east

  • knowledge on philosophy, astronomy, medicine, mathematics

• exchange of ideas

  • interacted with scholar

  • exchanged ideas and engaged in discussion

  • exchange of ideas lead to the development of new scientific and philosophical concepts

• promotion and education

  • new universities and schools in europe

  • provided education in subjects like mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy

  • were modeled after islamic schools

development of a martime culture

• maritime transportation

  • large number of soldiers and supplies to be transported across the mediterranean sea

  • developed large and more efficient ships

  • maritime transportation = important → demand for maritime expertise

• navigation skills

  • learned the skills from arabs who were skilled navigators

• trading opportunities

  • brought back new products → increased demand for transport and trade → new spots and routes

• technological advancements

  • compass and astrolabe

political and cultural influence

• expansion of european influence

• transfer of knowledge and ideas

• strengthening of centralized power

  • organization and mobilization of armies because of the crusades

• religious influence

• economic influence

the renaissance

• how to better understand the world

• encouraged overseas exploration

• map making and record making

cultural exchange

• renewed interest in ancient greece and rome

• interest in classical knowledge and culture spurred new interest in exploration and discovery

technological advancements

• science and technology

• navigation, cartography, ship building

• allowed for european explorers to sail further and explore new territories

expansion of knowledge

• astronomy, mathematics, geography

• helped explorers to navigate and chart new territories

patronage

• wealthy patrons sponsored voyages and exploration

• financial support made exploration a viable option

new trade routes

• new trade routes and new trade networks increased economic growth and expansion of european influence

mercantilism

• economic policy

• 16th-18th century

• resources are finite, zero sum game

• justification

colonization

• encouraged to build colonies

  • to exploit natural resources

  • create markets for european goods

  • increase trade networks

• established in the americas, africa, and asia

trade networks

• establish exclusive trading relationships with their colonies and other trading partners, leading to a development of global trade networks

navigation and ship building

• significant advancements in navigation and ship building

• needed for the establishment of global trade and the transportation of goods between colonies and europe

competition and conflict

• led to intense competitions between european nations

• conflict over resources, colonies, and trade routes

• competition and conflict fueled further exploration and expansion because nations wanted to beat their rivals