History (spain and the new world): key topic 1 = spain reaches the new world

When/how was Spain politically united?

• since 1479 and the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand or Aragon

• In 1492 Spain was religiously ’united’ all Jews + Muslims expelled or killed in they didn’t convert

Why did Ferdinand and Isabella want to explore?

• known as the ‘catholic monarchs’, extremely pious

• They wanted more people to be catholics to gain support from the very powerful pope, also because they were extremely religious

• The Catholic Church had a lot of influence over religion + politics and every day life

• Support from pope would strengthen monarchs power and influence

• They also wanted to expand trade prospects abroad

How did the Spanish attempt to spread their beliefs?

• in 1490 one of the most powerful countries in Europe

• Used crusades (religious wars) to try and gain power

Why did Europeans need new trade routes to the ‘spice islands’?

the original routes to the east had/were :

• bandits and pirates

• Dangerous lots of people

• Competition with other countries

Why was setting up and expediting so expensive?

• ships must be bought or leased

• Navigation Equipment installed

• Supplies must be bought and loaded

• Crew members recruited and paid

• Unknown length of journey added to costs

Sponsorship of Columbus : foreign ambitions

• bring wealth to Spain

• Spread Christianity

• Spread Spanish influence abroad

• New trade routes

Sponsorship of Columbus: race to find sea route

• more reliable than over land

• Racing against Portugal for sea route (another country with ocean coast)

• Portuguese King John had refused in 1484

Sponsorship of Columbus: Ferdinand + Isabella decision

• Isabella wanted to continue crusades outside of Spain + wanted to create a Christian mission in East Indies

• Spain would gain prestige + status if they reached the indies before Portugal

• Could bring them wealth + Status

• Would bring riches to Spanish treasury + prosperity to Spanish merchants

• Isabella’s personal priest offered advice + lodgings while he made his case

Sponsorship of Columbus : official support

• Columbus given title ‘Grand Admiral of Ocean Sea’

• Columbus appointed Governor of newly colonised land

• Right to 1/10 of produce of any new territory he discovered

• Encourage more explores

• Encourage others to join and sponsor

When did Isabella and Ferdinand agree?

1491

What did Columbus need?

- Crew:

• Not hard as he had royal backing

• Leaders of his ship helped him recruit

• He recruited an Interpreter but no soldiers priests or settlers

• KEY PEOPLE : Martin + Vincent Pinzon

- ships:

• hired 3 ships

• Two Caravels called the Nina and the Pinta and a carrack called the Santa Maria (Columbus’s main ship)

• Also brought things to trade, food supplies, wine and fresh water

The narrative of Columbus’s journey to the new world?

• Columbus gets sponsorship from Isabella and Ferdinand

• Columbus gets his ships + crew

• The ships are equipped with beads and necklaces for trading, food sufficient for feeding crew for 1 year, barrels of wine + fresh water

• On 3rd August 1492 ships set sail from Palos Harbour, reach Canaries islands for repairs and supplies, set sail again on 6 September

• They face some problems while at sea: Portuguese rivalry (news of Portuguese ships so route adjusted to avoid them), sailors fears (sailors become distressed after being out of sight of land for so long, Columbus keeps two logs one accurate one and one shorter one), possible mutiny (by 24/9 very growing restless fears of mutiny rises but Columbus convinces them to carry on for 2 weeks), fight over routes ( Martin Pinzon + Columbus argue about what route to take)

• On 10/10 Columbus promises a silk coat to whoever spots land, that day both Columbus + Martin sight land birds + branch with berries, sailor shouts land and next day they row ashore

• Columbus crew land in new world after 6 WEEKS

What happens first when Columbus reaches the America’s?

• Columbus lands in Bahamas which he called San Salvador

• Natives are friendly but cautious

• Natives wearing gold ornaments through their noses , makes Columbus want to go to other islands in search of gold

• They find several islands (the Bahamas) but no gold

• They then set sail for Cuba - which they though would have gold

Key events which lead to La Navidad?

• in November 1492 Martin Pinzon takes his ship the Pinta to go and search for gold himself without Columbus’s permission, he was growing frustrated with having to follow Columbus’s orders

• On Christmas Eve or 1492 the Santa Maria hit a coral reef of Haiti and is shipwrecked

• They now only have one ship left the Nina which is too small to bring everyone back to Spain so they build La Navidad out of the wood from the Santa Maria, it was founded on Christmas Day

• They leave behind 39 men including a doctor and an interpreter

Impact on contact with the ‘Indians’ : gold + other recourses

• As Spanish went to more islands natives began to realise Spanish exploration was driven by their desire to find gold, this lead to increasing tensions + hostility

• Spanish found little gold but did find cotton and tobacco

Impact of Contact with ‘Indians’ : Samana

• Due to bad weather the Nina had to stop at a place called Samana of the coast of Haiti, here the Spanish claim they say dried human heads + very large boats

• They also saw painted native warriors with bows and arrows

• Columbus was told there was gold ashore by a native so he sent men ashore

• Here they were ‘attacked’ by native who had been hiding in the tress, the natives fled

• The Spanish started to have more negative views towards the natives, in Columbus’s journal he said the natives would learn to ‘fear’ Christians

• Here rumours of Cannabolism began to spread (especially amount Caribs)

What were the two ‘types’ of natives?

Tainos: the ‘peaceful’ natives

Caribs: the ‘violent’ natives

Impact of Spains rivalry with Portugal?

• Columbus caught in Storm and has to land in Lisbon first ( march 1493)

• The first monarch he meets is King John of Portugal, then he goes to Spain

Spanish + Portuguese Rivalry : Treaty of Alcáçovas

• both Spanish and Portuguese believed they had claim over the new world, Spain because the discovered it and Portuguese because it was there according to this treaty

• Pope Alexander VI was Spanish and he supported Isabella and Ferdinand mostly because they were Spanish but also because they were extremely religious and he knew they would spread Christianity

Spanish + Portuguese rivalry: treaty of Tordesillas

• 7 June 1494

• New treaty between Spain + Portugal split world vertically instead of Horizontal

• Spain had most of new world / America

• All newly discovered land west would be Spanish and everything east would be Portuguese

• Split up by line dividing Brazil

What role was Columbus given in the new world?

• ‘viceroy of the Indies’

• In charge of Spanish settlements

• Columbus had no experience running settlements and didn’t really want to either

What did Columbus have to do as governor?

• responsible for establishing a colony of settlements

• He had power to appoint new officials to act on his behalf

What were Columbus’s aims as governor?

• treat the natives well and convert them to Christianity

• Send gold back to Spain

Columbus’s further voyages narrative?

• Columbus returns to find La Navidad destroyed and all settler dead

• He rebuilds the settlement as La Isabella in 1493

• Columbus is exploring new islands + creating new settlements

• In 1494 Columbus returns to Spain to report back and leaves his younger brother (Bartholomew) in charge of

• Bartholomew creates a new settlement called Santo Domingo on coast of Haiti

• More disagreements are arising between leadership + Spanish settlers

• Columbus returns from in Spain in 1498 to find Santo Domingo in uproar and he can’t settle problems

• Columbus responded to uproar by hanging both natives and Spanish

• Columbus requests help from Spanish monarchs

• They send out Bobadilla, who arrested Columbus and his brother and they get shipped back to Spain

• Columbus gets to keep his title but loses all power

What decree to Isabella and Ferdinand issue for the new world?

• 10 April 1495

• Every ship leaving for Carribean has to leave from Cadiz and be registered with authorities there

• Any one could live in the new world, and if they discover gold 1/3 can be kept the rest must be sent to Spanish crown, 1/10 of all products had to be sent back to Spain

• 1/10 of cargo carried by ships to the new world must be Spanish

What was Casa de Contratacion?

• established in 1503

• Intended to control trade + access to new world

• Seville, southern Spain

• What they did:

  • approved all voyages of exploration and trade

  • Collected taxes levied in indies

  • Ensure all trade to new world happened on Spanish ships

  • Collect and keep up to date informations about new routes and discoveries

  • Collect taxes on goods entering Spain

What was the importance of Santo Domingo?

• in 1502 it was destroyed by a hurricane

• Re-built by Ovando

• Helped consolidate Spanish power:

  • buildings designed to be administrative offices (rules + regulations, taxes + tributes collected and maintained contact with Spain)

  • Built in Spanish style

  • Spanish courts set up so Spanish justice could be administered

  • Governors houses, hospitals, houses for merchants + bankers and a massive cathedral built

What was the roles of catholic missionaries?

• when ovando came from Spain he had 17 Franciscans and 4 priests with him

• Rules from 1503 to civilise Indians :

  • be taught about Christianity + baptised, expected to give up old beliefs

  • Live under Spanish protector and pay taxes

  • Taught to read and write , how to dress decently

What were the two types of missionaries?

• Franciscans: Roman Catholic, seeking to persuade people to become Christian by example - living life of poverty

• Dominican: Roman Catholic, persuaded people to become Christian by teaching them about Christ

Why were Dominican missionaries sent?

• Archbishop of Seville was horrified at treatment of natives so sent over Dominicans

• On 4/12 of 1511 Dominican missionaries called out Spanish for their treatment of natives, calling them out for cruelty and tyranny (happened in a cathedral)

What were the laws of Burgos?

• passed in 1512 by Isabella and Ferdinand

• Better conditions for natives (laid down regulations regarding working hours, housing, clothing, feeding and insisted they were treated with kindness)

• Consolidates Spanish power and control:

  • upheld ecomiendo system ( Indians worked for Spanish and paid a salary for world they did

  • Called for spanish officials to be established in every town to punish Indians who broke laws

  • Laid down instructions for how natives were to introduced to Christianity

What were the effects of Spanish settlement on natives?

• rebellion + repression:

  • weakened natives

  • Massacres occurred (higuey massacre- hundreds of tainos slaughtered by Spanish, Jaragua massacre - burnt alive in meeting houses)

  • Natives who resisted treated horribly

• Introduction of slavery:

  • forced free labour for gold mining

  • Some shipped back to Spain

  • Lack of respect

  • Ecomienda system ( natives worked for and had to pay tribute to Spanish, errosion of native culture, converted ti Christianianty)

• Search for golem

  • tensions with natives due to persistence over gold (violence)

  • Forced labour for gold mining

  • Led to ecomienda system being set up

• New diseases:

  • small pox’s and measles killed thousands of natives (on Haiti in 1492 around 500,000 natives down to 60,000 in 1507)

  • Natives had no immunity

  • Led to more mistrust from natives, believes Spanish may have been cursing them