Chapter XV The Maritime Revolution to 1500

Chapter 15 Quote “By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” Christopher Columbus

Chapter Objectives Compare the routes, motives, & technologies of those who undertook global maritime expansion before 1450 to the Portuguese & Spanish explorers of 1400–1550 Explain the environmental, technological, economic, & political factors that inspired Portugal & Spain to undertake voyages of exploration Understand & explain the reasons for the various different reactions of African & Asian peoples to the Portuguese trading empire Describe & account for the Spanish ability to conquer a territorial empire in the Americas

Global Maritime Expansion before 1450 The Pacific Ocean Over a period of several thousand years, peoples originally from Asia crossed the ocean to settle the islands of the East Indies, New Guinea, the Melanesian & Polynesian islands, the Marquesas, New Zealand, & other Pacific islands out to Hawaii Polynesian use of the sweet potato, domesticated in South America, suggests that they may have reached the Americas (hmm…?) Polynesian migration & establishment of colonies was aided by the development of large, double-hulled canoes that used oars & sails Polynesian mariners navigated by the stars & by their observations of ocean currents & evidence of land

Indo-Pacific Exploration

The Indian Ocean Malayo-Indonesians colonized the island of Madagascar in a series of voyages that continued through the 15th century Between 1405 & 1433 the Ming voyages of Zheng He were carried out on a grand scale, involving fleets of over sixty large treasure ships & hundreds of smaller support vessels The treasure ships carried out trade in luxury goods including silk & precious metals, as well as stimulating diplomatic relations with various African & Asian states The voyages, which were not profitable & inspired opposition in court, were ended in 1433

The Atlantic Ocean In the early Middle Ages, Vikings explored and settled Iceland, Greenland, & Newfoundland. With colder climate … abandoned A Southern Europeans & Africans attempted to explore the Atlantic in the 13th & 14th centuries. From Genoa in 1291 & from Mali in the 1300s set out into the Atlantic - did not return Genoese & Portuguese explorers discovered & settled the Madeira, Azores, & Canary Islands in the 14th century In the Americas, the Arawak from South America had colonized the Lesser & Greater Antilles (Caribbean) by the year 1000 The Carib followed, taking over Arawak settlements in the Lesser Antilles & then, later raiding the Greater Antilles

Greater Antilles MAYA Lesser Antilles AZTEC INCA

Section Review Polynesians explored & settled the eastern Pacific from the Marquesas to Hawaii & Easter Island Indian Ocean became a center of commerce and cultural exchange. Between 1405 and 1433 Chinese Admiral Zheng He’s seven expeditions established contacts with south Asian & African peoples Vikings, Amerindians, & Africans also pursued long-distance explorations and settlements

European Expansion 1400–1550

Motives for Exploration Iberia sponsored voyages for a number of reasons: Revival of urban life & trade Unique alliance between merchants & rulers in Europe Struggled with Islamic powers for Mediterranean dominance A growing intellectual curiosity about the outside world A history of centuries of warfare with Muslims No significant share in Mediterranean trade Had advanced shipbuilding & cannon technology Had exceptional leaders Italian City-States had no incentive to explore the Atlantic because they had alliances/trade with Muslims giving them a monopoly on Asian trade. Italian ships were designed for the calm waters of the Mediterranean, could not stand up to the Atlantic

Portuguese Voyages Portugal gained knowledge of gold & slaves below the Sahara Prince Henry captured North African caravan city of Ceuta. Prince Henry the Navigator sponsored a Sailing School at Sagres to improve Sailing Technology & send expeditions to Sub-Saharan Africa It studied & improved navigational instruments, including the compass & astrolabe, Cartographers learned new techniques. Also designed a new vessel, the Caravel, whose small size, shallow draft, combination of square and lateen sails, & cannon made it well suited for the task of exploration

Portuguese explorers learned to pick up the prevailing Westerly Winds that would blow them back to Portugal, contributing important knowledge about oceanic wind patterns (and MAPS!) to the maritime community Produced a financial ($) return!, from trade in slaves, & then from the gold trade In 1469, the process of exploration picked up speed as private commercial enterprises got involved. The Lisbon merchant Fernao Gomes sent expeditions that discovered and developed the island of São Tomé and explored the Gold Coast (Africa) Bartolomeu Dias & then Vasco da Gama rounded the tip of Africa and established contact with India(!), thus laying the basis for Portugal’s maritime trading empire

Spanish Voyages Christopher Columbus approached the Spanish crown with his project of finding a new route to Asia, (Portugal already established route to Indian Ocean Trade). Ferdinand & Isabella funded a modest voyage of discovery, Columbus set out in 1492 with letters of introduction to Asian rulers and an Arabic interpreter After three voyages, Columbus still certain that he had found Asia, but other Europeans realized that he had discovered entirely new lands. These new discoveries led the Spanish and the Portuguese to sign the Treaty of Tordesillas, in which they divided the world between them along a line drawn down the center of the North Atlantic Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage across the Pacific confirmed Portugal’s claim to the Molucca Islands and established the Spanish claim to the Philippines

Section Review Portugal & Spain initiated overseas explorations to expand Christianity & gain new markets. TO GET AROUND ISLAM & Italian Merchants!!! Portugal, aided by Prince Henry the Navigator & his Sailing School, created a trading empire in Africa & the Indian Ocean Columbus, trying to get around Islam & Portugal, first revealed the Americas to Europe. Other Spanish explorers reached Asia by crossing the Pacific

Encounters with Europe, 1450–1550 Western Africa During the 15th century, many Africans welcomed the Portuguese & profited from their trade, in which they often held the upper hand Trading gold, Africans received a variety of Asian, African, and European goods, including firearms. Interaction between the Portuguese and African rulers varied from place to place Benin exported a number of goods, including some slaves, and its rulers showed a mild interest in Christianity. After 1538, Benin purposely limited its contact with the Portuguese, declining to receive missionaries & closing the market in male slaves The kingdom of Kongo had fewer goods to export & consequently relied more on the slave trade. When the Christian King Afonso I lost his monopoly over the slave trade, his power was weakened and some of his subjects rose in revolt

Eastern Africa Some Muslim states were suspicious of the Portuguese, while others welcomed the Portuguese as allies in their struggles against their neighbors. On the Swahili Coast, Malindi befriended the Portuguese & was spared when the Portuguese attacked and looted many of the other Swahili city-states in 1505 Christian Ethiopia sought & gained Portuguese support in its war against the Muslim forces of Adal The Muslims were defeated, but Ethiopia was unable to make a long-term alliance with the Portuguese because the Ethiopians refused to transfer their religious loyalty from the patriarch of Alexandria to the Roman Pope!

Indian Ocean States Vasco da Gama arrived in Calicut in 1498, made a poor impression with his gifts. But, superior ships & firepower gave the ability to trade The Portuguese bombarded the Swahili city-states in 1505, captured the Indian port of Goa in 1510, & took Hormuz in 1515. Portuguese forces captured Malacca in 1511 & set up a trading post at Macao in Southern China in 1557 Portuguese used control over major ports to require that all Spices be carried in Portuguese ships & any other ships purchase Portuguese passports & pay taxes to the Portuguese Reactions to this Portuguese aggression varied. Mughal emperors took no action, the Ottomans resisted & were able to maintain superiority in the Red Sea Persian Gulf (Aden) Portuguese never gained complete control of Indian Ocean trade, but did dominate it enough to bring considerable profit & break Italian City-States’ monopoly on PEPPER!

The Americas Spain built a territorial empire in the Americas 2 reasons for territorial conquest were isolation of Amerindian communities & their lack of resistance to Old World diseases Spanish Conquistadors killed thousands of Arawak & undermined their economy; by 1502, remaining Arawak of Hispaniola were forced to serve as laborers for the Spanish On the mainland, Hernan Cortes relied on native allies, cavalry charges, steel swords, and cannon to defeat the forces of the Aztec Empire and capture Tenochtitlan Francisco Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca Empire made possible by the dissatisfaction of the Inca Empire’s recently conquered peoples and by Spanish cannon and steel swords (And STUPIDITY)

Section Review African kingdoms reacted in various ways to the opportunities & threats created by the arrival of the Portuguese, but only Kongo embraced Christianity & accepted a large Portuguese military presence in the 16th century The Portuguese used military force to consolidate a trade empire in the Indian Ocean After the Spanish occupied the Caribbean, Cortes led an expedition that conquered the Aztecs, weakened by epidemic The Spanish under Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire, already suffering from civil war, & then fell on each other, but surviving conquistadors continued to explore the Americas

Conclusion Imperial Comparisons Strong centralized governments like China’s were not inclined to attempt long-distance exploration Weaker rulers such as the Iberian monarchs left the details of exploration to individuals, such as Columbus, who proposed them Dominance of the Americas by Spain and Portugal was aided by the native populations’ vulnerability to European disease and by the superior weaponry of Europe Natives of Asia and Africa had more immunity to European diseases from earlier contact and were more able to resist militarily Economic Comparisons Europeans found sophisticated markets & trade networks in Africa & Asia Europeans needed to introduce new technology & strong political control over American natives to exploit their natural resources