01:510:102 Lecture 12: Chapter 12
12 May 2018
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Chapter 12 - European Empires
European Encounters
Classical understanding of the earth:
• Ptolemy: spherical world, distorted distances
1. Educated people did not understand the earth as flat despite
common mythology and common sense logic
Reasons for increased European Encounters with the rest of the world:
• Technological advances (permissive cause)
• Ottoman expansion (Mehmed II and fall of Constantinople) threatened
to cut off Europe’s access to Eastern goods
• Spices and Eastern goods were in high demand at all levels of society
• food preservative & deodorizer
• Looming financial crisis in Western Europe
1. West needed Eastern goods (Spice, silk & cotton), but the East
had no need of Western goods (metals & weapons)
• Result: Outflow of capital place Western gold reserves in a
dangerously low position, exploration was as much a search
for precious metal as it was new trade routes
Portugal: Strong seafaring tradition, weak domestic economy, frozen out
of the Mediterranean trade
• Prince Henry the Navigator: Portuguese Prince who actively supported
and encouraged exploration (School of Navigation, sharing of data, new
charts)
1. Goal: find direct route to Asia
• Initial expansion into Africa brought conflict with traditional Muslim
enemies
• Push South and develop first trading ports
1. Slaves and gold for manufactured goods
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• Dias: First to reach the Cape of Good Hope
• Expeditions blown off course discover Brazil
• da Gama: First to cross the Indian Ocean, returned to Portugal loaded
with spices (huge profit)
1. Opened a trade route which bypassed the Middle East
• Alfonso de Albuquerque: Admiral responsible for subduing Indian
resistance to Port. outposts and ensuring cooperation in trade through a
great naval victory
1. Portuguese goal was trading outposts, NOT colonization
2. To help establish outposts the Port. often took advantage of
native rivalries
Results:
• By 16th Century the Portuguese controlled trade along both coasts of
Africa, India and the Spice Islands
• Increased trade of Spices drove down price and profitability
• began to struggle to fund and support outposts (both in terms of $ and
people)
• Port.
• European competitors will begin to challenge Portuguese hegemony in
the late 16th Century and early 17th Century
Spain
Background: Spain united under the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand,
giving them the power to expel the Muslims and rival Port. in exploration
Isabella: Sponsor of Columbus to find a route to the spice Islands.
• Discovered America “Mundus Novus” (New World)
Columbus’s voyages brought the Spanish and Portuguese into direct
competition
• Treaty of Tordesillas:
Portugal: Eastern Trade Routes, Africa and Brazil
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Spain: Everything west of Cape Verde (at the time completely unknown)
Islands
• Result: Spain became energized in their exploration of the new world
Spanish Exploration
Goals (three G’s): Missionary, extend national sovereignty, profit and personal
glory
• Used Caribbean as a base for expansion and conquest
Islands
Explorers:
• Vasco Balboa: Panama and the Pacific Ocean
• Ferdinand Magellan: Circumnavigate the globe (kind of), 280 to 18, all
told a rather bad trip
Conquistadores:
• Usually came for the lower ranks of society, or younger children with
little hopes of significant inheritance (desperate men)
• Driven by greed and characterized by their ruthlessness
• New World mostly male, very crude society
• Establishment of haciendas (ranches / plantations)
• Class structure: Spanish born, Spanish born in new world, mixed,
Native American
1. Tales of a Transvestite Lieutenant Nun
Impact: Destroyed native populations
• Wars of conquest
• Disease: Small Pox, Typhoid & Measles
1. Native Population went from 25 Million to 2 Million
2. Need for African slaves ↑
Results:
• Spanish immigration rose
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Classical understanding of the earth: ptolemy: spherical world, distorted distances, educated people did not understand the earth as flat despite common mythology and common sense logic. Results: by 16th century the portuguese controlled trade along both coasts of. Background: spain united under the marriage of isabella and ferdinand, giving them the power to expel the muslims and rival port. in exploration. Isabella: sponsor of columbus to find a route to the spice islands: discovered america mundus novus (new world) Columbus"s voyages brought the spanish and portuguese into direct competition: treaty of tordesillas: Spain: everything west of cape verde (at the time completely unknown) Islands: result: spain became energized in their exploration of the new world. Goals (three g"s): missionary, extend national sovereignty, profit and personal glory: used caribbean as a base for expansion and conquest. Explorers: vasco balboa: panama and the pacific ocean, ferdinand magellan: circumnavigate the globe (kind of), 280 to 18, all told a rather bad trip.
