Asian Transitions in an Age of Global Change

1500s Europeans arrive in East & Southeast Asia Asia not much affected at first China & Japan strong enough to resist http://home.planet.nl/~eljee/J.htm

Vasco da Gama 1498 voyage to India Europe had little to trade Opened the way east for Europeans Europe had little to trade Asians not interested in Christianity http://college.hmco.com/history/west/mosaic/chapter9/images/vasco_da_gama.jpg

Limits to European success Sea power allowed: Control of spice exports Regulation of some areas in Asian trade network Europe participation, not control Tribute regimes http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/post-spice.jpg

Europeans and Asian Commerce Goal of Europeans in Asia = trade, not empire-building

Portuguese empire http://geography.ucdavis.edu/njrallan/class/geo10/slides/images/Geo10-124_jpg.jpg

A Portuguese Empire of Commerce Portugal created a “trading post empire” within the Indian Ocean Goal = control co mmerce, not large territories or populations Goal = control trading posts by force of arms, not by economic competition Major thing Portugal controlled = the spice trade

Portuguese Policies in the Indian Ocean Required all merchant vessels to purchase a cartaz (pass) to sail throughout the region Charged merchant vessels taxes of 6-10% of their cargoes Blocked the Red Sea route to the Mediterranean Sea Monopolized the trade route around Africa to Europe

Portuguese Control in the Long-Run Portugal never succeeded in controlling more than half of the spice trade to Europe By 1600 = the Portuguese trading post empire was in steep decline Competition from other European powers Competition from rising Asian states like Japan and Mughal India

Spain and the Philippines Spain was the first to follow in Portugal’s footsteps Established itself on the Philippine islands Named after King Philip II of Spain Spain set up outright colonial rule  because: Close to China and the spice islands Small and militarily weak societies on the Philippines No competing claims for the islands

What effect do you believe the Spanish will have on the Philipines?

Spain and the Philippines With Spanish rule came: Mass conversion to Christianity Relocation from scattered settlements to permanent, concentrated Christian communities Taxes, tribute, and unpaid labor Large estates owned by Spanish settlers or prominent Filipinos Responses to colonial oppression = short-lived revolts; flight to the interior mountains or bustling capital of Manila

Dutch trading empire, 1650 http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/brummett_awl/chapter20/medialib/thumbs/ch20_378.html

The East India Companies British and Dutch East India Companies Both militarily and economically stronger than Portugal  quickly overtook Portugal within the Indian Ocean network in the early 1600s Established their own parallel and competing trading post empires Dutch = focused on Indonesia British = focused on India

The East India Companies East India Companies = private trading companies that use merchant investors to raise money and share risks These companies were granted charters by their governments that allowed them to: Make war Govern conquered peoples Hold trading monopolies

Dutch East India Company Trading posts = in Indonesia Controlled production and shipping of: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace (all spices) Seized control of spice-producing islands with force and bloodshed

British East India Company Trading posts = in India Did not practice “trade by warfare” like the Dutch  were no match for the Mughal Empire in India Secured their trading bases on the coast with the permission of Mughal authorities Usually took substantial payments and bribes Focus = Indian cotton textiles

Asian Commerce Impact of European involvement in Asian commerce = not very big on the major powers of South and East Asia (Mughal India, China, and Japan) Europe posed no real military or economic threat to them Were able to get rid of European intruders if need be

Overall, South & Southeast Asia East Asia Europeans stronger, But most Asians kept control East Asia Ming China & Tokugawa Japan dominant

Japan and the Europeans When European merchants first arrived in Japan (1500s)  Japan = civil war between daimyos (feudal lords), each with his own band of samurai Result = it was easy for the Europeans to stay there European ideas taken by the Japanese = shipbuilding skills, military technology, geographic knowledge, commercial opportunities, and religious ideas

Feudalism in Japan vs. Europe

Japan and the Europeans Early 1600s = Japan unified politically by Tokugawa Shogunate Brought all daimyos under his authority Civil wars ended Shoguns began to see Europeans as a threat to Japan’s new unity Tokugawa Ieyasu

Edo castle http://dougukan.jp/B24.html

Tokugawa years Great Peace through dictatorship Monopoly on gunpowder technology Rigid class system http://www.hogaku.it/storia/azuchi_momoyama/map2.gif

Attempted to attack Korea 1592, 1597 Defeated “Turtle Boats” First ironclad warships http://www.pennfamily.org/KSS-USA/690428-621.htm

Restricted Europeans’ access to Japan 1500s: Portuguese, Spanish Dutch arrived Traders & missionaries Francis Xavier By 1614, up to 300,000 converts 10% of population http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/Printable.asp?ID=3993 “Portuguese arrive in Japan” Thomas Kostecki http://www.kostecki.de/en/chegada.htm

Japan and the Europeans Result = Japan did the following: Expelled Christian missionaries (banned in 1614) Violently suppressed the practice of Christianity Included: Torture and execution of missionaries and converts Forbade Japanese people from travelling abroad Banned European traders from entering Japan Result = Japan became isolated from the world of European commerce for 2 centuries (1650-1850) Maintained trading ties with only China and Korea Monument to Nagasaki martyrs

Shogunate’s accomplishments Peace restored Population grew Roads, canals, internal economy grew Tokugawas dynamic through mid-1700s Inflexibility Tokugawa rule ended 1868 when USA forces them to trade

Ming Dynasty 1368-1644 Ruled world’s most populous state Restored ethnic Chinese rule after 400 years’ foreign domination http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/

Founder Zhu Yuanzhang Military commander in revolt against Mongols Peasant origins Buddhist monk Military commander in revolt against Mongols Became emperor Laws favorable to peasants http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Dynasty/history-Ming-emperors.html

Hall of Harmony – Forbidden City http://www.historywiz.com/forbiddencity.htm

Dragon throne http://www.historywiz.com/qing.htm

Peak of cultural grandeur & elegance Confucianism revived Civil service exams reinstated, expanded Return to scholar-gentry dominance Zhuxi (Neoconfucian) Kaifeng

Foreign relations: Most dynamic dynasty 1300s-1400s: active in conquering neighbors Population growth based on new American crops Corn Potato Sweet potato (Cotton) Ming peasant with wheelbarrow

Great Wall Final & lasting reconstruction Built last 1000 kilometers http://www.free-beauty-tips.com/bw3.html

Culture Principal strength in 1500s-1600s Art & literature Silk Novels Silk Porcelain http://www.jozan.net/Artikelbilleder/MTA2003/Textile17ct-Ming-noah1_gr.jpg

Ming porcelain Emperors were biggest customers Prized by wealthy across Eurasia Rougher, more durable pieces sold to foreigners For silver American silver gave Europeans much greater access to Chinese markets

Europeans began arriving Portuguese, then Spanish China was too big to conquer Established trading houses Chinese image of 18th-century European sailor

Matteo Ricci Jesuit priest & scholar Traveled in China Respected by Chinese Traveled in China 1583-1610 Adopted Chinese dress Learned language Appointed court mathematician & astronomer Little success in spreading Christianity

Voyages of discovery Zheng He Mongol, eunuch 7 naval voyages, 1405-1433

7 Voyages of Zheng He http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~tliu/chinese/zhenghe.html

Zheng He’s fleet 1st expedition: 62 large ships 200 smaller ships 28000 men

Compared to Europeans Zheng He’s ships 400 feet long Santa Maria 85 feet

Why did they stop? Interesting but not practical Giraffes, zebras Glamorous but expensive Analogy: US cut back space program

Chinese/European point of view Emperor: curious, ambitious Merchants opposed—China is rich already Scholar gentry opposed waste of money threat to their power Confucian bias against merchants & trade Europeans: wide support Increase national & personal wealth, power Spread Christianity

Fall of Ming Poor leadership Internal corruption Peasant revolts Manchu (Northern nomads) invaded Founded Qing dynasty http://www.regenttour.com/china/history/qing.htm