lecture 15 economy of the empire

describe Portuguese exploration

europeans new Indian ocean trade was rich and wanted silk, spices, ceramics, Ag/Au

silk road trade declines bc of ottomans, need new way to get goods

Henry the Navigator starts voyage around Africa

describe how the portuguese carried our their exploration

trading post empire - colonization thru trading ports

• few colonists, initial cooperation with natives

Vasco de Gama - first journey via sea to india 1499

Asians don’t want any European goods, but Europe needs money

portuguese make military bases inside India - sell Cartaz pass for every merchant vessel entering

describe the spanish philippines

spain jealous and want easy conquest and take over philippines

• Divided, far from portuguese

• china doesn’t care, but still close to Chinese Spice Islands

Spanish colonization from Mexico

• no big battles, high diplomacy

• large scale conversion to catholics

Spanish mistreated filipinos + coercive tactics, moved to large cities - Manila

similarities British and dutch east India companies

• Both Established in the early 1600s

• Represented the British/Dutch Effort to join the Indian Ocean Trading Network

  • East Indian trade through private companies

  • Funding from wealthy merchants and state

• “Unlike” the companies of today:

  • Granted trade monopolies in the region

  • Allowed by home countries to conquer and rule over people.

describe the Dutch east India company

almost only modern indonesia

wanted trading rights + control luxury good production - killed/enslaved small Island populations to secure trade

cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace

near exclusive control, bought for cheap, charged europeans a lot, trillions of dollars

describe the British east India company

• Initially did not have as many resources

  • got 3 major coastal ports

  • British Navy was all powerful, but not enough for straight conquer

• initially nice to mughals at first

  • Negotiated and brought gifts, bribery

  • Mughals still main authority

  British trade focused on few resources

  • Indian Cotton - worn by colonists and popular in Europe

  • Spices such as pepper

more similarities between east indian companies

didn’t conquer areas at first

focused mostly on spices/luxury goods for european markets

cheap acquiring cost, high prices inside europe

how did Japan react to new westerners coming over

initially welcoming

• Europeans had more sophisticated technology and access to vast economic resources

• Japan was in a period known as Sengoku Jidai - 1467-1615 = Endless Civil Wars

• gunpowder, tech, big conversions to christianity

societal structure during Sengoku Jidai

emperor, shogun (hereditary military dictator), daimyo/feudal lords, samurai, ronin, peasants, artisans, merchants