MMW 13 Lecture 10: Lecture 10
Europe's Quest for Trade
Key Focus of Lecture
Motives behind the European push for exploration
1.
Why slow and incremental development of this process?
2.
The Appetite for Spice
Major Maritime Breakthroughs in late 15th century
1488--Portuguese pilot Bartholomew Dias rounds the Cape of Good
Hope
Southern tip of Africa and this confirmed a new maritime
route to India
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§
1492 Columbus sails across Atlantic
Received commission from Ferdinand and Isabella
□
2nd journey realized that he had discovered an unknown
continent
□
§
1494 Treaty of Tordesillas
Not a maritime exploration but in establishing who gets to
control what
□
Pope Alexander the 6th drawing a new line of was the
Portuguese and Spanish would have access to
□
Treaty extended line 350 miles further WEST
By moving the line to the west, it meant that Brazil
would now fall under Portuguese reign
®
Very important in terms of Portuguese and Spanish
influence in America
®
Without this everything would've fallen under Spanish
control
®
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§
1498 Vasco de Gama reaches Calicut, India
Reached the coveted destination Europeans were actually
after
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§
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What incentives had led to these breakthroughs?
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Lecture 10
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
6:21 PM
What incentives had led to these breakthroughs?
Idea of religion especially Christendom to overpower Islam
□
Extend Christendom to outflank the spread of Islam
Prester John Myth
Idea was to make contact with him and establish a
Christian alliance against Islam
®
Was looking for Christians and spices
®
Carried a letter addressed to Prester John (Vasco de
Gama carried it?)
Vasco de Gama found nastics
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Christians
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Burned these Christians at the stake because he
didn’t like these Christians
◊
®
□
Search for natural resources, especially land to cultivate crops
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Trade incentives: Gold down the African coast and Asian
spices
Incentive was trade
®
Draw for many European explorers was gaining access
to gold but was also gaining access to spice trade
®
Besides trying to bypass the killing on the spice trade
(Ottomans and Safavids)
By finding maritime transport of this it was much
more cost effective and you could carry more
cargo
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®
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§
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The Demand for Pepper and other Spices
Conspicuous consumption and social class
By the 12th century, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon conspicuous
markers of wealth
Ig you had procession of these you were very rich
®
Luxury items
®
Came through the Mediterranean
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Venice became prosperous through this trade
®
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Ritual of displaying the "spice platter" during meals
Guests could see your spices on display
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Spices given as coveted gifts like precious jewels
Wedding Gifts
®
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Medieval Europe's dependence on Asian imports
To be fashionable was to be everything "oriental" or Asian
If you didn’t have a proper spice platter then people
would look down on you
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§
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Document Summary
1488--portuguese pilot bartholomew dias rounds the cape of good. Southern tip of africa and this confirmed a new maritime route to india. 2nd journey realized that he had discovered an unknown continent. Not a maritime exploration but in establishing who gets to control what. Pope alexander the 6th drawing a new line of was the. By moving the line to the west, it meant that brazil would now fall under portuguese reign. Very important in terms of portuguese and spanish influence in america. Without this everything would"ve fallen under spanish control. Reached the coveted destination europeans were actually after. Idea of religion especially christendom to overpower islam. Extend christendom to outflank the spread of islam. Idea was to make contact with him and establish a. Carried a letter addressed to prester john (vasco de. Burned these christians at the stake because he didn"t like these christians. Search for natural resources, especially land to cultivate crops.
