Europeans Explore the East The Age of Exploration Europeans Explore the East World Map C. 1550

Europeans Explore the East For “God, Glory, and Gold” 1. Setting the Stage a. Europeans had been exploring during the Crusades. Marco Polo journeyed to the Far East. b. For the most part, Europeans had no interest or ability to explore foreign lands c. By 1400s, a desire for wealth coupled with advanced sailing technology sparked exploration.  

The Crusades 1095-1291 Series of military campaigns European Christians invaded the “Holy Lands” of the Middle East including Jerusalem Middle Eastern Muslims vowed to wage jihad to regain control of territories.

Marco Polo Italian merchant Traveled through Asia 1271 to 1295 His memoir introduced Europeans to geography and of ethnic customs and diversity of the Middle East and Asia. During his 23 years in Asia, he worked as special envoy for Mongol leader Kublai Khan, traveling to places in Asia not visited by Europeans.

“God, Glory, and Gold” God: Continued expansion of Catholic Church by spreading Christian beliefs and conversion Crusades led to Christians’ idea that non-believers were uncivilized Glory: European nations competed for supremacy over their rivals by taking control of trade routes and lands Gold: Spices and luxury goods not available in Europe were sold at high prices High demand + low supply = high prices Italian merchants dominated the trade

2. Europeans Seek New Trade Routes a 2. Europeans Seek New Trade Routes a. Main desire for exploration: New routes of trade (spices & luxury goods from Asia) b. Demand was greater than supply meant merchants could charge high prices c. England, Spain, Portugal, and France wanted to bypass Italian merchants and find new sea routes for themselves d. Europeans also used Christianity as a reason to travel: They wanted to convert non-Christians throughout the world

3. Tools of Exploration a. European ships improved with technology (p 3. Tools of Exploration a. European ships improved with technology (p.531) b. New vessel: The caravel i. Sturdier than earlier vessels ii. Triangular sails stronger against the wind iii. Large cargo area iv. Shallow draft allowed it to explore close to shore v. Sextant was an instrument used to determine latitude and longitude vi. Astrolabe helped determine location at sea vii. Chinese magnetic compass to track direction

Technology Sextant Caravel Astrolabe Magnetic Compass

4. Portugal Leads the Way a 4. Portugal Leads the Way a. Portugal led the way in sailing innovations b. First country to establish trading outposts on west coast of Africa c. Prince Henry son of the king, was Portugal’s most enthusiastic explorer d. The Prince wanted to make his country rich by trading for treasures of in the East and spread Christianity e. Bartolomeo Diaz sailed to the eastern side of Africa and reached its tip f. da Gama and crew were astonished by spices, silks, and gems found in India g. da Gama’s remarkable 27,000 mile journey was worth 60 times the cost of the trip and provided Portugal with a direct sea route to India

vb Portuguese explorers like B. Dias and V. da Gama wanted a route to Asia partly because the collapse of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks made the Silk Road difficult and dangerous. It had previously been accessible because of a period of Asian peace controlled by the Mongolian Empire. Vasco da Gama

5. Spain Also Makes Claims a. Spain watched Portugal with envy b 5. Spain Also Makes Claims a. Spain watched Portugal with envy b. 1492 Christopher Columbus convinced Spain to finance a bold plan of finding a sea route to Asia ---> Instead his arrival in the Americas begins a process that will change the world c. Portuguese suspected Columbus reached Asia and that he claimed land for Spain that Portugal had already claimed d. This increased the tension over exploration between Spain and Portugal e. The Pope stepped in to settle this dispute

Christopher Columbus Italian: Cristoforo Colombo Spanish: Cristóbal Colón The earth is flat Much farther than he realized King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain backed him, in spite of not believing his claims Took 4 trips, insisted that he was visiting Asia Called the peaceful natives (Taino, Arawak, & Lucayan) “Indios” Gold hungry & cruel to natives as Governor Myth! No educated person thought that Self-educated. Read extensively, including Marco Polo’s account of travels East. Drew conclusions that were often wrong and was passionate about them. Was very religious and interested in religious prophesy. Since the Ancient Greeks (Aristotle), people had understood the earth to be spherical. However, CC did think the earth was much smaller & underestimated the distance from Europe westward to Asia. He was off by about 10,000 miles. Ferdinand & Isabella hedged their bets by putting CC on the payroll to keep him from getting backing from one of their competitors. When he set sail, it was with an overly generous contract, due to the fact that no one expected success. Upon noting the “Indios” gold jewelry, he insisted to be led to the gold. He “gifted” a friend with a young native woman (at least one story that implies he assisted or knew about rape of native women) He bragged that he could easily conquer natives because they were not armed. Reportedly 3 million people were killed by war, slavery, and mining in 14 years of Columbus’s rule. (according to his Spanish successor)

Result: Line of Demarcation of 1494: Line that divided Spain and Portugal’s claims. Spain got land west of the line, which included most of the Americas, Portugal got lands to the east which included parts of modern-day Brazil. Signing the Treaty of Tordesillas, Spain and Portugal agreed to honor the division.

The Line of Demarcation

6. The Dutch (Netherlands) a. The people of the Netherlands declared their independence from Spain in 1581 and established the Dutch Republic b. By 1600, the Dutch had the largest fleet of ships in the world: 20,000 vessels c. The Dutch East India Company: a business that minted money, made treaties, and could raise an army. i. Was richer & more powerful than British East India Company ii. Competed with the Portuguese, English, and France for dominance in India. 7. European authority remained limited to ports. In spite of bringing profit to European businesses, their influence rarely spread inland.

Dutch East India Company Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie Dutch trading company founded in 1602 Protect Dutch trade interests in India Gain Dutch Indepence from Spain “Eighty Years War”

The Age of Exploration China and Japan

Ming Dynasty Hongwu drove out the Mongol leaders in 14th century during a time of famine, disease, and political turmoil. Created stability through a return to Confucian principles His roots as a peasant farmer made him sympathetic to the plight of common Chinese people

Confucianism Humanistic belief system of moral principles Focus on humaneness, justice, loyalty, and proper relationships Filial piety = respect for parents & ancestors All people have specific duties to be proper in their relationships with others The more powerful party must protect & be fair The less powerful party must be loyal & obedient

Exploration Chinese had traveled & traded as far away as Eastern African for centuries Yonglo, son of Hongwu, sent his trusted admiral Zheng He on 7 tributary missions Expense & political issues brought these voyages to an end Replica “middle sized” treasure boat

Isolation Threat of invading powers, piracy, and foreign influence caused non-government trade to be made illegal Despite this, the Western demand for Chinese silk, porcelain, and other luxuries drove the Portuguese and other European countries to seek trade with China

Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty Middle Kingdom – center of the universe! All other peoples considered inferior, barbaric The Dutch submitted & engaged in trade British resisted though they were eager to trade Kowtow ritual

Women in China Chinese women were considered subservient to men (even their sons). Sons were favored over daughters. Unless they were very poor, women were expected to remain indoors, secluded from the outside world. Foot binding was both a symbolic and literal means of keeping women submissive. The “ideal foot” was 3 inches

Sengoku & Edo Japan “Warring States” Daimyos held regional power through military force, including samurai and foot soldiers Battled against each other for supremacy Tokugawa unified Japan, becoming shogun and settling the capital in Edo (Tokyo)