The Maritime Revolution, to 1550 Chapter 15

Masters of the Oceans Really this achievement marks a turning point for Europe Not so much because of what they got from their initial exploration of the globe But because it marked the end of a long period when Asia had initiated most overland and maritime expansion And Asia was the source of the most useful technologies and systems of belief And Asia had been the home to the most powerful states and the richest trading networks The center of the world’s power, wealth and innovation will shift to the West

Global Maritime Expansion Before 1450 In the Pacific the Polynesian developed larger more sea-worthy canoes—some as long as 120 feet and improved their navigational skills so they could extend voyages over ever-greater distances from Asia to the eastern Pacific And the extensive travel in the Indian Ocean of seafaring people on its shores Especially Arab traders who shared a common language, common laws and Islam, although not a common state, or political entity

The Chinese In 1368 the Ming dynasty overthrows the Mongol dynasty (the Yuan) and wished to reestablish Chinese predominance and prestige abroad Between 1405 and 1433 the Ming sent 7 imperial fleets to renew contacts with the people of the Indian Ocean Huge fleets—the first in 1405 sent 62 treasure ships—large junks (150 X 300 feet) with 9 masts and 12 sails. One expedition contained 27,000 people Zheng He, a Muslim and an imperial eunuch, commanded the voyages The ships were filled with gifts of silk, and other gifts to give the rulers of the cities they visited, and they returned with gifts for the emperor But the main function was diplomatic-to reestablish ties with the diverse people of the Indian Ocean These voyages stopped, most say Imperial authorities wished to concentrate on internal matters rather than exploration

Comparison

The Vikings In the Atlantic Ocean the Vikings were the great explorers Small, open ships that could travel on the open ocean and up Europe’s rivers Colony in Iceland in 770, Greenland 982, saw the shores of North America, established a colony in Newfoundland

Also in the Atlantic Portuguese and Genoese sailed int othe Atlantic reaching Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands There is evidence of Africans exploring the Atlantic as well—in 1324, Mansa Musa told of an ancestor, Mansa Muhammad, who had sent 400 vessels into the Atlantic and ordered them to find the other side of the Ocean—one canoe returned and said the others had been lost in a violent current And Arawak people of South America colonized the islands of the Caribbean by the year 1000, and were followed by the Carib who replaced them in later centuries

European Expansion So nothing new about ocean exploration But the Iberian explorations profoundly change World History Iberian voyages the result of strong economic, religious and political motives and also improvements in maritime technologies The revival of trade and urban life, alliances between merchants and rulers, the struggle with Islamic rulers for trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, and growing curiosity about the rest of the world Individual Italians (Columbus was Genoan) explored the Atlantic, but Italy had its connections to the Indian Ocean And powerful religious motives—the text uses the term Christian militancy

Portuguese Voyages Portugal’s decision to invest resources in new exploration In 1415 they conquered the rich Moroccan city of Ceuta, which gave them better intelligence about the gold and slave caravans coming north from West Africa across the Sahara They could not militarily move inland, so they sought an ocean route Henry the Navigator devoted his life to promoting exploration First Africa was the goal, and then India First he collected maps and information from sailors and travelers And to collect and improve navigational instruments from China and the Islamic world And to make better vessels capable of longer distances This was the caravel—lateen sails or square ones, small cannon, plenty of room for cargo And over time, they figured out the winds 1440’s slaves, and gold

Results In 1469 a Lisbon merchant established sugar plantation using African slaves on the Atlantic island of Sao Tome, which will be the model for New World plantations And finally, Vasco da Gama reached India by sailing around the Cape in In 1500 Portuguese ships reached South America—and established a claim for Brazil

Spanish Voyages Not Portugal’s century long planning and persistence, but blind luck Throughout the 15 th century Spain was preoccupied with internal wars and the alliances necessary to unify Spain The Spanish crown sponsored 4 voyages by Christopher Columbus from The idea of a New World was resisted, then debated, then named after a mapmaker, Amerigo Vespucci who explored the New World, and made a map To prevent disputes between Christian nations, Spain and Portugal agreed to split the world between them in the Treaty of Tordesillas negotiated by the pope in 1494 Magellan’s voyage, , began to clarify the globe’s size and the positions of its major land masses

Encounters With Europe Europeans evaluated by the people they encountered as potential allies or enemies Europeans attempted to insert themselves into existing trading structures They made very slow progress in establishing colonies and asserting political influence in Africa and Asia, although they profited from commercial ties But in the Americas Spain and Portugal, and then others moved rapidly to establish empires

West Africa Initially Africans were interested in the easier ocean routes the Portuguese offered, and the possibility of new trade The establishment of trading posts by Portugal on the West Coast began slowly and appeared to be beneficial to both sides Initially local rulers appear to have been in control of the trade and the Portuguese traders Interest in and conversion to Christianity, rulers visited Portugal Eventually the trading post in Benin was closed to Portuguese And in the Kongo it appears the ruling family lost control of the trade, and then lost control of the kingdom

East Africa The East Coast of Africa was Muslim, and the reception Vasco de Gama received was mixed because of the history of conflict Muslims had with Christians The ruler of Malindi, though gave him a guide to help him get to India 7 years later Portuguese war ships shelled the Islamic cities of the East Coast, except Malindi, and then the Indian port of Goa

Indian Ocean States The Portuguese meant to conquer the Indian Ocean, which had been an open sea used by merchants of al the surrounding coasts They were laughed at given the poverty of their trade goods, but not their cannons and soldiers The Portuguese were able to gain control of the port of Hormuz and 2 ports on India’s West Coast They took control of Malacca which was the main trading city of the Eastern Indian Ocean in 1511

Force Not Always Necessary On the China coast, local officials and merchants allowed the Portuguese to establish a trading post at Macao, from which they were able to monopolize trade between Japan and China The Mughals of India largely ignored Portugal’s ports The Ottomans did send ships and men to fight the Portuguese But most of the smaller port cities found resistance difficult They never gained control of the Indian Ocean, but they were every to dominate key ports and trade routes during the sixteenth century The Portuguese were able to break monopolies held by Genoa and Venice, and use profits to finance colonization of Brazil Overall, the Portuguese had little impact on the Asian and African mainlands, in contrast to their impact in the Americas

The Americas The Spanish established a vast territorial empire in the Americas in contrast to the trading empire the Portuguese created The difference had little to do with Portugal and Spain, but in the differences between the New World and the Indian Ocean Disease weakened the ability of Amerindians to resist, and seemed to confirm for the Spanish that this was God’s will The Spanish sought to serve God, and become rich in the process Both the Aztecs and the Incas fell to small, but ruthless forces The Spanish found and took much gold and silver, and their tales of wealth and conquest encouraged more conquistadors to find their way to New Spain