Age of Exploration: Impacts on Europe, The Americas & Africa

Three Worlds Collide

Europeans Seek New Trade Routes to ASIA

Main reason: To gain wealth Crusades spurs demand for Asian goods Muslims and Italians control trade from

East to West Other European nations want to bypass

these powers

FOR GOD, GOLD & GLORY Desire to spread Christianity

also spurs exploration Portuguese explorer

Bartholomeu Dias wanted to serve God and king

Technology:

In 1400s, the caravel made it possible to sail against the wind

Astrolabe makes navigation easier

Magnetic compass improves tracking of direction

Ay caramba!

Caravel

Crosshatch

Log

CompassMariner’s Astrolabe

Hourglass

Tools of Navigation

Mariner’s Astrolabe Used to measure Latitude,

using the positions of the Sun or a well known star

A simple brass ring, marked off in graduated in degrees with a rotating blade for sighting the Sun or a star.

Not very accurate - errors of four or five degrees were common

The Portuguese Explore Africa

Prince Henry of Portugal

1419 - founded Portuguese navigation school

By 1460, Portuguese trading posts along west coast of Africa

Portuguese Sailors Reach Asia

1488 - Dias sailed around Africa

1498, Vasco da Gama sailed to India

Returned with valuable cargo

Portugal’s Trading Empire

1509 - Portugal defeated Muslims took over Indian Ocean trade in India & Malaysia Also control southern tip of Africa

These gains broke Muslim-Italian hold on Asian trade

Challenges to Portuguese in Asia

English & Dutch move into Asia

Portuguese weakened

England & France move into India

A Rival Power - Spain Spanish want access to ASIA

also

They sponsored Columbus

Idea: Sail west to reach Asia

OOPs - Found the Americas instead

IMPACT: Opened Americas to exploration and colonization

Shoulda asked for directions…

Columbus

Columbus and the Taino meet – two worlds collide

Impact on Indigenous Populations: 1. No immunity to European diseases. 2. Whole tribes decimated.3. Brutal treatment of local peoples. Enslaved & tortured.

Fr. Bartolome de Las Casas convinced the King of Spain to halt the mistreatment of the natives.

Impact on Africans:

Over time, Africans replace native peoples as slaves.

Slavery becomes essential part of

N & S American colonial systems

Between 1500-1800, at least 12 million people were taken from Africa.

Impact on Europeans:

Merchants & monarchs seek to increase wealth• Thousands of Europeans voluntarily left for a

new life – for religion, land, gold, or power

• Spain, England & Portugal gain profit, land, power

• Treaty of Tordesillas 1494 : Split the New World into two between Spain and Portugal.

Columbian Exchange: Massive exchange of plants and animals

between Europe and America.

Spain’s New Empire

Conquistadors: Spanish explorers searched the Caribbean, Central America and South America for gold and silver.

Hernán Cortés:

Lands in Mexico in 1513 600 men, 17 horses, ten cannons.

3. Cortés “subdues” the Aztecs and Montezuma aided by Spanish firearms, diseases and native allies.

Tenochtitlan

Wealth from the Americas

1. New Spain: Colony in Mexico

2. Mestizos: Mixed native and Spanish blood.

3. Encomienda: Spanish plantation system.

Chinese Explorations Ming Dynasty- rule China

from 1368-1644

collect tribute from many Asian countries

1405 – Launch explorations

The Voyages of Zheng He Chinese admiral Zheng He leads 7 long voyages

Distributes gifts to show China’s superiority

Chinese then turn away from exploration More concerned with threat from Mongols

Comparison of a Chinese Junk to a Portuguese Caravel