Age of Discovery from the late 15th to 17th centuries 1

2 Key Questions How and why did Europeans set off to discover the world? How and why did Columbus initiate the discovery and conquest of the new world? Did Europeans deeply alter it as a result?

3 Major Political and Religious groupings of the mid-15th century

4 Major Discoveries and Enlargement of the European horizon

5 Timeline 15th to 17th century

6 Maritime Expansion European maritime expansion came from two areas of Europe – Italian city-states – Atlantic Kingdoms Collapse of the Mongol empire & Bubonic plague made Eastern goods and spices expensive to Europeans due to Muslim middlemen

7 Italian Monopoly on Trade The Italian city-states of northern Italy (Venice, Genoa, Milan, Florence) traded with Muslims and Asia. They had no incentive to look to the Atlantic for trade due to the system of alliances they built with the Muslims. Adopted a credit system to work with the Islamic and Chinese credit systems Led to an Italian monopoly on Asian goods

8 New Horizons towards the West Italian ships were built for the calm waters of the Mediterranean and not the Atlantic The Atlantic Kingdoms of Europe looked to the Atlantic for Asian trade

9 Iberian kingdoms of Spain and Portugal had: Advanced shipbuilding techniques Cannon technology Alliance between European monarchs and merchants Strong desire to break the stranglehold on Mediterranean trade between Italy and Muslims

10 Portuguese Sea Adventurers State-sponsored, motivated by: – Desire for goods and spices, – Expansion of Christianity, – Expanding trade rights and eventually reaching India.

11 Portuguese Sailors Improved navigation instruments – Compass – Astrolabe Designed the caravel and cannon

12 Areas of Portuguese exploration Explored Cape Verde Islands, learning about westerly winds of the Atlantic – Planting sugarcane and breaking up Arab monopoly on sugar West coast of Africa, Gold Coast – Contacting gold producers Developed islands of Sao Tome, Principe, Madeiras, the Azores, Canary Islands – Plantation agriculture using first African slave labor

13 Spanish Empire Columbus sailed for Spain to compete with Portugal’s hold on Asian trade Sought an Atlantic maritime empire encompassing Asia After Columbus’ success, Portugal crossed the Atlantic too, claiming much of what is today’s Brazil

14 Treaty of Tordesillas 1494 – to prevent conflict between Spain and Portugal, the Treaty of Tordesillas divided the New World between the two countries

15 Spanish Exploration 1513: Balboa sighted the Pacific ocean 1520: Ferdinand Magellan crossed the Pacific and claimed Molucca islands for Spain Led eventually to Spain claiming the Philippines Spain concentrated on establishing safe trade routes between Mexico and the Philippines

16 English, Norwegians, French and Russians sought a northwest passage from Europe to Asia Captain James cook (18th c.) helped complete Europe’s understanding of the Pacific regions Other Europeans joined the Frenzy

17 Spanish Empire in the Americas Spain built a vast empire in the Americas and like Portugal established trading posts along the oceans’ rims. Conquistadors used for the conquest. Expanded into the Antilles region, and used the islands as a launching pad for the invasion of mainland America Hernan Cortes defeated the Aztecs of Mexico and captured Tenochtitlan Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas of Peru – Spanish weapons and smallpox essential for success

18 Causes of Spanish success in the Americas: Lack of Indian resistance to European disease (smallpox) European superior military technology European use of local Indian allies Successful pattern of conquest: forced labor, religious conversion, cultural instruction in language and lifestyle.

19 Economic profit by Europeans could be gained by using already existing trade networks without conquest. The Spanish were out to create an economic as well as political empire. Spanish introduced sugar cane cultivation in the West Indies, but little else. After 1600, the French and English entered the region and introduced tobacco cultivation.

20 Spanish vs. Dutch motives Spain would eventually take the Philippines and Indonesia would go to the Dutch Spanish goals: promote trade and Christianity. Dutch goal: exploit trade The Dutch though did not have the manpower or military might to control all of Indonesia. They focused on the clove and mace producing regions. Holland became the wealthiest land in Europe for much of the 17th century;

21 Triangular Trade Atlantic trade would become a triangular or circular trade It had three main passages: 1. went from Europe to Africa 2. From Africa to the plantation colonies of the Americas (a.k.a. the Middle Passage) 3. Then from the colonies back to Europe With the increase in sugar demand the demand for slaves increased especially in the West Indies and Brazil

22 The Columbian Exchange Exchange of food crops and animals between the Americas and the Eastern Hemisphere. Would cause a global diffusion of plants, food crops, animals, human populations and diseases. Not without environmental or human impact