European and Expansion

• Portuguese and Spanish controlled major shipping routes in Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Atlantic Ocean

• Portugal financed explorations

  • Prince Henry the Navigator (King John I’s son)

  • Vasco da Gama: explored eastern Africa, India

• Spain also did:

  • Financed Christopher Columbus: explored Americas

• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): agreement between Spain and Portugal to split colonized land between them

• England, Netherlands, France launched own explorations to acquire new colonies - caused rise in nationalism and powerful monarchies

• Explorers

  1. Amerigo Vespucci (1500): South America

  2. Ponce de Leon (1513): Florida

  3. Vasco de Balboa (1513): Central America

  4. Ferdinand Magellan (1519): South America to Philippines

  5. Giovanni da Verrazzano (1524): North America

  6. Sir Francis Drake (1578): circumnavigated the globe

  7. John Cabot (1497): North America

  8. Henry Hudson (1609): Hudson River

• Products that aided new explorations:

  1. Sternpost Rudder: invented in China - better control of ships

  2. Lateen Sails: invented in Roman Empire - allowed directional control of ships

  3. Astrolabe: navigation device that measured distance between sun and stars on horizon to determine latitude

  4. Magnetic Compass: developed in China - determine direction

  5. Three-Masted Caravels: large ships fit for longer journeys

The New World: Accidental Empire

• Spanish explorers found great wealth in Aztec and Inca Empires

• Hernando Cortés: landed on coast of Mexico in 1519 - sought to exploit the Aztec Empire of their gold and spices

  • Neighbouring states were willing to help Spanish conquer Aztecs as they had taken over a lot of the neighbouring communities - or those who didn’t cooperate were forced or killed

  • Became very hungry for wealth and quickly seized Montezuma and began a siege of Tenochtitlan

Disease: Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction

• Spanish brought smallpox to the Aztec Empire which reduced their population from 20 million in 1520 to 2 million in 1580 - Spanish were able to take control in 1525

• Francisco Pizarro took over Inca Empire in 1531 partially due to spreading disease to them

  • Pizarro was in control of the Inca Empire by 1535

The Encomienda System

• Spanish implemented a hierarchical colonial society as they took over the New World

• Structure:

  1. Peninsulares: Spanish officials governing the colonies

  2. Creoles: Spanish born in colonies to Spanish parents - barred from high positions but were educated and wealthy

  3. Mestizos: those with European/Native American ancestry

  4. Mulattos: those with European/African ancestry

  5. Native Americans

• Viceroys: governors of each of 5 regions of New Spain - established the encomienda system (system of forced labour of the natives and African slaves)

African Slave Trade

• Slaves brought to New World to work on the plantations and mines

• Europe exploited a system of slavery already existing in Africa - prisoners were supposed to serve their captors before being released

• Europeans traded for their surplus of enslaved people, but didn’t understand that they were supposed to be released

• As demand for slaves in Europe increased, Europe became even more ruthless - kidnapping Africans, causing wars, forcing rulers to give up their citizens

• Slaves were forced onto ships, chained below deck, and endured brutal Middle Passage

• Around 13 million Africans were taken - 60% to South America, 35% to Caribbean, 5% to North America, around 20% of people on each trip perished

The Columbian Exchange

• Transatlantic transfer of animals, plants, diseases, people, technology, ideas among Europe, Americas, and Africa

• Never before had so much moved across the ocean

• Transfer of food products caused population increase in Europe, Asia, and Africa

• Two key products: sugar (plantations appeared all over Spanish colonies), silver (mining also in Spanish colonies) - both used significant forced labour

• Spanish control of silver opened doors in Ming China

The Commercial Revolution

• Age of Exploration: trading, empire building, conquest - due to financing schemes

• Banking became a respectable practice - lead to joint-stock company (pool resources of merchants to distribute costs and reducing dangers of individual investors)

• Led to huge profits and modern-day concept of stock markets

• Muscovy Company, Dutch East India Company took over trade routes

• Mercantilism: theory that creating a favourable balance of import and export was best - of course, this led to Europe’s intense colonialism to match their import demand

  • Caused resentment in colonies

• Europe established limited trade with China from 16-18th century

  • Portugal gained control of Spice Islands to gain access to China

  • China and Japan still highly limited their trade with them

• Developments in Specific Countries - 1450-1750

  • Major movements of the times affected parts of Europe differently

  • People with power guarded it

  • Peasant class weren’t able to participate in any developments

  • Powerful states were also developed in Middle East, India, China, and Japan

  • Monarchies contributed to development of strong loyalties and led to many conflicts/wars