Early European Exploration

Bell Ringer Why did European nations begin exploring the Atlantic and Indian Oceans? What were some possible consequences of this exploration?

Reasons for Exploration (talking mainly about Spain and Portugal)

Reason #1: The idea of Reconquista Wars in Iberian Peninsula between Christians and Muslims Outcome: Christians win and kick Muslims out of Iberian Peninsula Creates a sense of nationalism which leads to more and more people with expansionist feelings

Reason #2: Collapse of Pax Mongolica Muslims took control over the trade routes Silk roads become a dangerous place to be (especially for Christians) thus leading to a sharp decrease in trade from it However, Europeans had gotten used to these items and still wanted them so desire was still high

Reason #3: Desire and new technology Improvements to maritime and military supplies Sextant, compass, astrolabe, gunpowder Desire to find a new route to trade with Asia Governments were more willing to throw money into exploration

Portuguese Exploration

Made sense for Portugal to explore Atlantic due to geography Prince Henry the Navigator Opened a maritime school Example of government backed exploration Studied navigation and cartography Made improvements on sailing instruments Developed the caravel ship Not unlike all the other countries, Portugal explored because of their desire for gold

Main goal of Portuguese exploration was to find alternate trade routes As they moved down the African coast… Portugal leased a West African trade port from Songhai and traded for gold & ivory African rulers wanted guns, cannons, & metal goods Were NOT strong enough to dominate but did take several seaside towns and set up trading posts -Portuguese had first financial return from the voyages in Northwest Africa: they sold Africans into slavery during the 1440's. -Gold eventually became more important: by 1457 there was plenty of gold coin going into Portugal-led to the creation of the cruzado (new gold goin)   -1488: Bartolomeu Dias= 1st Portuguese explorer to round southern tip of Africa and enter Indian Ocean. -1497-1498: Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa and reached India; eventually led to discovery of South America (Brazil) in 1500.

Sugar & Slaves Trade Begins As Portugal & later Spain moved into the Atlantic, they encountered tropical islands Diseases that they brought killed off the native people and they began using slaves purchased in West Africa to grow sugar A new “Atlantic System” of trade develops At first, Africans controlled slave trade Traded POWs for guns

Despite Europeans being the ones that discovered America, Africans had higher migration numbers there (however it was forced) Slaves soon became the world’s #1 export and stayed that way for a hundred years

Portuguese Reach the Indian Ocean 1497-1498: Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa and reached India He traded at the port of Calicut for luxury goods This wide swing around West Africa to catch the ocean currents led to the discovery of South America

Changes in IOMS Trade Before = no central control Traders operated independently of governments Portuguese introduced use of organized gov’t military force to the IOMS of trading European governments like Portugal & later the Netherlands invested in the success of trading operations Indian Ocean Maritime System

Portuguese possessions at their height Red = actual ownership Pink = areas of influence Blue = area of first European Exploration LESSON: EUROPEANS GAINED SMALL “COASTAL ENCLAVES” in the IOMS– THAT’S IT!

Spanish Exploration

Spanish Exploration Spain needed a non-Portuguese-dominated route Spain’s monarchs purposefully sponsored voyages by Christopher Columbus The goal was NOT to find a “New World” or to explore without purpose. The goal was to get to Asia by going around the other side of the globe Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Pope Alexander VI drew an imaginary line down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean – splitting the world’s territory in “½” between just Spain and Portugal -Spain had to go around to the West to get to the East, as Portugal was already monopolizing the route around Africa  -Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) = leader of Spain's overseas missions; prior to him Spain was more concerned with inward affairs. -Four voyages between 1492 and 1502: established existence of a vast new world.  -Columbus=more concerned with finding a quicker route to the Indian Ocean than he was with discoveries of new worlds. -Did not believe that he was discovering "new world" in 1493: thought South America was really just part of Asia. -Treat of Tordesillas of 1494: Spain and Portugal split the new world and drew an imaginary line down the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean; lands to the east were Portuguese, lands to the west were Spanish.

Spanish Conquests Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Caribbean allowed Spain to expand sugar-growing enterprises Spain also sent “conquistadors” to create colonies in the Americas Aztecs – conquered in 1519 Incas – conquered in 1532 When conquering Incas and Aztecs, Spain was helped by groups previously conquered by those empires Diseases like smallpox helped the small government of Spain conquer these huge empires of millions of people Spain was ALSO helped by the fact that the Aztecs and Incas were conquest-based empires themselves, and thus had many enemies.

Spain’s Empire

The Atlantic Trade System Also known as the “Triangle of Trade” After Portugal and Spain’s explorations, Europe finally has a trading system they can participate in again. Other European nations like the Netherlands, England, and France soon get in on the trading game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjEGncridoQ