Chapter 15Part 6
The Age of Discovery
1450-1650 The Age of Discovery
Brought to you by the Renaissance
Motives
God GoldGlory
Christian Crusaders 11th - 14th Centuries
Created an interest in Asia and the Middle East
The Rise of Nation States Created competition for empires and
trade
The Renaissance search for knowledge
Revival of mathematics Awareness of Dawn of a New Age Printing Press: Maps, texts
Cartography Advances1492 Martin Behaim’s Terrestrial globe
1507 Waldseemuller’s World Map
1575 Mercator’s Map
Advances in Astronomy and Navigation
New Instruments: Magnetic Compass Quadrant Mariners’ Astrolabe Cross Staff
Caravel Lateen Sail Axial Rudder Gunpowder and cannons
Commercial Revolution Sparked Capitalist investment Especially in Constitutional
Governments: The Dutch and the English Merchant Companies (Dutch East
India Co.)
Religion A true desire to convert pagan
peoples Missionary goal of the Jesuits
Portugal Economic and Religious motives
Sought spice trade with Asia Needed an all-water route
Tried to find Prestor John as an ally against the Muslims (mythical Christian king somewhere in the East)
Prince Henry the Navigator
Financed expeditions along the western coast of Africa in hopes of finding gold
1488 Diaz: rounded the Cape of Good Hope
1498 Vasco da Gama : water route to India
Amerigo Vespucci: first to realize he was in a New World
Cabral was there first
Other Explorers 1513 Balboa: first European to see
the Pacific from the New World (Isthmus of Panama)
1519 Magellan: first to circumnavigate the globe
Brazil Portugal’s New World colony
SUGAR, coffee, cotton plantations Slave trade Much racial blending
Spain Columbus: 4 voyages to the New
World
Las Casas: defended the natives The Asiento: the slave trade Black Legend: Protestant belief that
religion was used as a smokescreen by Catholics for killing natives
Protestant countries just as guilty
1494 Treaty of Tordesillas
Divided the New World between Spain and Portugal (the Pope)
Conquistadores 1519 Cortez The Aztecs in Mexico 1532 Pizarro The Incas in Peru
The Potosi Mines
Spain’s Golden Age BUT…inflation Bullionism ruined by money drain:
no middle class, little industry, skilled workers, paid soldiers in specie and they spent it where they were
Bankruptcy and repudiation of debts
Spain’s New World Government
4 Vice Royalties Each had a Viceroy Audiencias: 12-15 judges to aid
Viceroys
Creoles: Were Spanish but were born in the New World. Never got the top jobs but secondary
Encomienda System The crown allowed the Spanish in
the New World to use native labor BUT natives were supposed to have a few days weekly to work their own land
Reality was brought to light by Las Casas and Spain opted for African laborers = Asiento
Racial Blending Mesitzos Mullatos
Imperialism Old Imperialism in the Old World (Africa
and Asia): Europeans worked through the existing political authority usually with trading posts along coast lines. Did not subjugate natives or impose political, economic systems, or cultural values
Old Imperialism in the New World: DID subjugate natives, impose economic, political systems, cultural values
Old Imperialism: Portugal
Set up trading posts and forts along coast
Worked through existing political authority
Africa: Gold and Slaves from Mali and Timbuktu
Da Gama in India (rubies)
D 'Albuquerque in the Spice Islands (Indonesia)
The Jesuits Led by Xavier
To India, Indonesia, Japan
The Dutch By 1602 The Dutch East India Co.
Took Portuguese holdings in the Spice Islands and Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1608 founded New Amsterdam in the New World
By 1650 the Dutch challenging Spain in the New World
Also 4 Anglo-Dutch wars (second ½ of 17th C.)
France Cartier and the Northwest Passage 1608 Quebec (Champlain)
Missionaries as well
England Under Henry VIII: Cabot brothers
found no gold in the New World so there was no interest
1607 Jamestown
More English colonists than others
The Asiento First Portugal Dutch interfering by 1620 Spain 1672 The English: Royal African
Company
By 1800: Africans made up 60% of the population in Brazil & 20% of the population in the United States
17th – 18th Centuries 50 million Africans had been taken
into slavery or had died on the way (Middle Passage)
Remember: SUGAR was the first important plantation crop
Remember: The American form of slavery was different than the old world slavery
The Columbian Exchange
What did Europe get?
Increased wealth Improved diets: Potato, Maize,
Tomato, Tobacco, Vanilla, Chocolate, wild Turkey
Increased global empire Syphilis
The Columbian Exchange What the Amerindians got:
Misery Smallpox Farm Animals Some Crops Horses More sources of protein
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