Chapter 14, Section 1 The Search for Spices

Motivations…Why Explore the Seas? Historical background: Crusades introduce Europeans to Asian luxury goods The Black Death & Decline of the Mongol Empire disrupted that trade in the 1300s 1400s: Europe’s population was growing = increased demand for trade goods Most valuable items = SPICES Used for… Food preservation Flavor Medicines & Perfumes Chief Source = The Moluccas

Competition: 1400s = Arabs & Italians controlled trade between Asia and Europe Asians brought goods to Eastern Mediterranean + Italians Carried those goods to the rest of Europe. However… Europeans Outside Italy = wanted direct access to Asian markets…more profitable

Portugal Sails East: Prince Henry = sailed for Portugal Claimed the Azores and Madeira Islands Saw great promise in Africa 1415 = seized Ceuta on the N. African Coast Why Africa? Portuguese could convert Africans to Christianity Also wanted to find sources of wealth Wanted an easier route to Asia = meant you had to go around Africa Redesigned ships, prepared maps and trained crews and captains for long voyages Explored the West Coast of Africa 1488: Bartholomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope = opens a sea route to Asia

WE ROCK!!!! (even though we picked up scurvy!) The Prize of India 1497 = Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut on the West Coast of India Get a cargo of spices = makes huge profit in Europe Returns with new, bigger fleet 1502 = forces a treaty on Calicut Left Portuguese merchants there They would buy spices and store them for da Gama’s ships Portugal establishes a “ring” of trading posts around the Indian Ocean….establishes them as a world power WE ROCK!!!! (even though we picked up scurvy!)

Christopher Columbus Background: Navigator from Genoa, Italy Goal: To reach the East Indies (groups of Islands in SE Asia) by sailing west across Atlantic Problem: Underestimated the size of the Earth!!! Portugal refused to sponsor him…big mistake Spain sponsors him = compensate for power they had recently lost

The Columbus Story… August 3, 1492 = Nina, Pinta, & the Santa Maria set sail Voyage is longer than expected Supplies are running very low… October 12 = Land is spotted!!! He had reached the Caribbean He named the people Indians…b/c he believed he was in the East Indies (Tainos) 1493 = Returns to Spain & makes 3 return journeys to the Caribbean…convinced he was in Asia Other nations = realized he was in a “New World” Ooopps! Oh well, we’ll just call it the “West Indies”!

The Line of Demarcation: Set by Pope Alexander VI following a request from Ferdinand & Isabella of Spain Divided non-European world into 2 zones Spain to the west, Portugal to the East Treaty of Tordesillas = established the terms Effect: other European nations wanted to build their own empires….quickly Wanted to keep pace with Portugal & Spain

The Search for a Direct Route Northwest Passage = path between Europe and Asia that ships could sail on Ferdinand Magellan = Sailed for Spain Wanted to find the Pacific Rounded the tip of S. America Named the ocean “Pacific” = peaceful 1521, reaches the Philippines where he is killed Survivors returned to Spain = First people to circumnavigate the globe