KL

Exploration

Reasons to Explore

The Three G’s

  • Gold, God, and Glory

Gold

  • natural resources sold for profit

    • timber

    • sugar

    • tobacco

    • Ivory

  • Spices were a hot item explorers were looking for

  • wealth is what explorers were after

  • Spices

    • high demand meant high prices and lots of profit

    • trading contact with Muslims made Italian traders very rich

    • used to flavor and preserve meat, perfumes, cosmetics, and medicine

God

  • Spread Christianity and halt Islam

  • Europeans felt it was their duty to spread Christianity

  • Some spread through peaceful means while others used force to conquer the people they could not convert

  • The Crusade during the Middle Ages

    • series of wars over the Holy Land - Jerusalem

  • Missionaries race to convert native peoples to Christianity

  • Secure sa pot in heaven by doing God’s work

  • Replace souls lost to Protestantism

Glory

  • Ideals of Humanism and focus on individual achievement

  • The printing press made fame more accessible

    • print the fastest routes to spice lands to be remembered

  • kings wanted glory for their kingdoms

Technologies that Enable Exploration

  • Caravel

    • small, highly maneuverable ship

    • used two different sails from Southern and Northern Europe

  • Magnetic Compass

    • had a magnetized needle supporting a magnetic card

    • pointed towards the North Pole

  • Mathematical Compass

    • tool used to make circles or arcs

    • helped with measuring on navigational maps

  • Mercator Projection

    • a cylindrical map projection presented by Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569

    • standard map projection for navigation

  • Hourglass

    • measure the passage of time

    • dependable at sea

    • the motion of the ship sailing did not affect the hourglass

  • Chronometer

    • measuring time

    • keep accurate time in spite of motion or variations in temperature, humidity, and air pressure

    • first developed for marine navigation and used with astronomical observation to determine longitude.

  • Astrolabe

    • instrument used to make astronomical measurements

    • typically of the altitudes of the celestial bodies

    • in navigation for calculating latitude

  • Sextant

    • used to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation

    • helps determine latitude and longitude

Early Exploration

Prince Henry the Navigator

  • Portugal is a small nation

    • needed to compete

  • sponsored many voyages of exploration

  • encouraged schools of navigation

  • combined ship technology learned from Islam with new European innovations

Early Expeditions

  • went south along the African coast

  • Traded

    • guns

    • textiles

    • manufactured goods

  • Brought back

    • gold

    • Ivory

    • spices

    • slaves

      • beginning of the Atlantic Slave Trade

  • Set up trading posts and challenged North African followers of Islam called Moors for control of West Africa

  • In the mid-1400s the Portuguese fleets explored the West African coast - each new expedition proceeding a bit further

  • trade develops

Portugals Downfall

  • attacks on Muslims and forcing of Christianity turned Muslims away from trade

  • attacked China and failed to gain control caused China to take all the trading power from Portugal

Lake Portugal

  • trading post along African and Indian coasts

  • control of spice trade → world power

  • spread Christianity → Africa, India, Spice Islands

    • sank Muslim ships

    • destroyed Hindu Temples

    • Brought Inquisition

  • tried to take control of china

Explorers

Bartolomeu Dias

  • 1487 - set sail with 3 ships to continue exploring the coast of Africa

  • Stormy seas forced the boats away from the shore

  • tried to sail east but they couldn’t so they turned north

  • Dias realized they sailed around the tip of Africa and did not know

  • Cape of Storms → Cape of Good Hope

Vasco da Gama

  • sailed around the Cape of Good Hope

  • Explores the Eastern Coast

    • Mombasa

    • Mozambique

    • Malindi

  • Crosses the Indian Ocean

  • Landed in Calicut India after sailing for 23 days

  • forced to flee India - it took 3 months to cross the Indian Ocean

  • returned home in 1499 as a hero despite his losses

Pedro Alvares Cabral

  • Followed da Gama’s route but storms took him off course

  • Landed in Brazil and claimed the land for Portugal in 1500

  • Not interested in Brazil

  • Brazilwood - harvested for red dye to be used in clothing

  • continued on his trip to India

    • lost 4 ships at the Cape of Good Hope

    • one of the sailors was Bartolomeu Dias

Alfonzo de Albuquerque

  • 1511 - tried to link the spice world of India to the unexplored world of Asia

  • took control of the Muslim world and started trade talks with Asia through force

  • established Portuguese control over the spice trade between Europe and Asia

The Dutch Seize Opportunity

  • Protestant Dutch more interested in profit than spreading religion

  • used military force to establish a monopoly over trade and shipping

  • 1599 - a Dutch fleet returned from Asia carrying a cargo of pepper, cloves, and other spices

  • 1602 - a group of wealthy Dutch merchants formed the Dutch East India Company

Dutch East India Company

  • very powerful

  • given own army and navy

Exploring the East

Korea

  • Hermit Kingdom

  • constantly invaded and attacked

  • the government instituted a closed-door policy

Trade

  • isolation

  • excluded all foreigners except Chinese and a few Japanese

    • European sailors were imprisoned or killed

China

  • change in leadership was common

  • new dynasties seized control over one another

  • revolts and wars were common in China

  • Ming dynasty was known for its exploration

  • treasure ships were huge compared to Caravel

  • set up shipping ports and brought back riches

  • Court Advisor convinces the Emporer that exploration expeditions were wasteful and could cause foreign influence

  • The emperor ordered the destruction of all ships and banned exploration - fear of outside influence

Trade

  • The Portuguese reached China in 1514

    • European textiles and metalwork were inferior

    • had little to offer in exchange for China’s silk, porcelain, and cotton

    • China demanded gold or silver

  • Eventually, Emporer Ming opened a trading post at Macao so Europeans could trade with the Chinese, but under strict conditions

    • all trade must be supervised by officials

    • end of the trading season, Europeans were required to leave

Admiral Zheng

  • controlled over 200 ships

  • established ports in India and Africa

Historical Japanese Government

  • feudalism government

  • established armies and a warrior system to defend the country and engage in offensive attacks against outside

Trade

  • traders arrived in 1453

    • Japanese were fascinated by the Portuguese language, ships, and appearance

  • referred to the Portuguese as Nanban (southern barbarians

    • Portuguese brought lad, gold, silk, wool, and cotton textiles

    • Japanese traded swords, lacquerware, silk, and silver

  • unlike China or Korea, the Japanese welcomed European trade at first

    • reason for the introduction of Christianity to the country

  • eventually, all foreign trade is outlawed

    • The Dutch were the only exception

  • Protestant Dutch were not interested in spreading religion

    • prioritized profit

  • only permitted to trade Nagasaki

  • merchants provided current news of European nations and larger world affairs

Major Belief Systems in China and Korea

  • Confucianism - Confucius, clear order to society

    • those in power take care of the weaker

    • focus on moral values, social harmony, and the importance of family and education

    • emphasizes respect for authority and the role of rituals in maintaining societal order

  • Daoism - Laozi, understand the way of nature and find inner peace

    • centers around living in harmony with the Dao

    • promoting naturalness, simplicity, and spontaneity

    • values the balance of opposites and the pursuit of spiritual immorality

    • Yin and Yang

      • an opposite but interconnected, self-perpetuating cycle

  • Buddhism - Siddhartha Gautama, suffering comes from desiring things

    • introduced form India

    • teaches the four noble truths and the eightfold path

    • emphasizes the importance of overcoming suffering through ethical conduct, meditation, and wisdom

Japanese Culture

  • some Japanese converted to Catholicism

    • European missionaries

  • Japanese Government expelled, persecuted, and murdered Christians

    • executions included crucifixion or burning at the stake

European Conquest of America

Christopher Columbus

  • 1492 Christopher Columbus discovers new land while trying to reach Asia by sailing west

    • Italian sailing for Spain

  • Inspired by Marco Polo’s book

  • Took three ships

    • The Nina

    • The Pinta

    • The Santa Maria

  • Left on August 3, 1492

  • Landed on October 12, 1492

  • Made three more voyages that got progressively worse

  • His death went unnoticed on May 20, 1506

  • New continents were named after Portuguese explorer Amerigo Vespucci who sailed in 1501.

  • Although he returned with gold, silk, and spices he was convinced he was near Japan or China

    • three more voyages

    • Vespucci realized he had discovered the New World

Effects of Encounter

  • use of force

  • converted inhabitants to Christianity

  • took all resources to Spain

  • Opened the door to exploring the new world for riches

  • Establishes a permanent connection to the New World

Waldseemuller Map

  • created in 1507

  • first map to use the name America (New World) in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, the explorer

  • cartographer breakthrough - depict the Americas as separate from Asia

  • influenced the development of European perceptions of the world in the early 16th century

  • one of the more sophisticated maps of the time

  • introduced a more recognizable projection of the Western Hemisphere

Ferdinand Magellan

  • Portuguese explorer who sailed for Spain

  • set out to find a westward route to the East Indies

  • first to circumnavigate the Earth

  • died before the journey was complete

  • left September 1519 with 277 men and 5 ships

  • crew mutinied twice with one ship turning back

  • discovered the straits of Magellan and first to sail in the Pacific Ocean

  • reached the Philippine Islands and created conflict with local chieftains

  • killed and Juan Sebastian del Cano finishes the trip

  • returns with only 1 ship and 18 men three years later

Ponce de Leon

  • Explored the Caribbean

  • “Discovered”

    • Puerto Rico

    • Florida

  • Legend: Searched for the Fountain of Youth

Conquistador

  • Spanish and Portuguese explorers and soldiers who conquered parts of the Americas (15th-17th centuries)

  • Goals - gain wealth, spread Christianity, acquire slaves, and expand European empires and influence

  • Notable Conquistadors - Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro

  • Methods - military force, alliances with natives, and disease

  • Impact - overthrew native empires, spread European diseases, and established colonies

Hernań Cortés

  • 1519

  • sailed for Spain

  • landed in Mexico with 600 men and 16 horses

  • made alliances with natives who were unhappy with Aztec rulers

  • attacked the city of Tenochtitlan

  • defeated Montezuma

Agriculture

  • Maize, beans, peppers, and cocoa

  • no beasts of burden except turkeys

Francisco Pizarro

  • landed in Panama with 180 men

  • moved into South America, eventually to Peru

  • conquered much of South America

  • overran the Inca’s

  • held their leader, Atahualpa, for ransom

  • was paid, but killed him anyway

How They Conquered

  • Military technology

    • muskets, cannons, armor

  • Horses

    • frightened the natives

  • Division

    • pitted tribes against each other

  • Disease

    • made them weak and easy to defeat

    • killed thousands

Treaty of Tordesillas

  • Agreement between Spain and Portugal setting the Line of Demarcation as a dividing line

    • Spain gets land west of the line

    • Portugal gets land east of the line

Vikings

Who were they

  • sailed in small, open ships and were famous for their skills as warriors and traders

  • originally from Scandinavia

  • called Norsemen

    • People from the North

Pursuit of Land

  • Scandinavia - very cold most of the year and it is very mountainous

  • needed good land to settle and farm on

  • 870 - Vikings reached Iceland

Iceland

  • good for grazing, farming, and fishing

  • no trees

  • by 960AD, it overpopulated and needed more land

Greenland

  • no trees

  • covered by glaciers

  • good for hunting seals

Leif Eriksson

  • led the Vikings to be the first Europeans to inhabit North America

  • Landed in Newfoundland, which is now the easternmost province of Canada

  • later he traveled south to Nova Scotia

Northwest Passage

  • a sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Ocean

    • along the northern coast of North America

  • during exploration, many believed they could find a passage that would cut through North America

    • never found

Notable Northwest Passage Explorers

  • John Cabot - English

    • Newfoundland

  • Jacques Cartier - French

    • St. Lawrence River

  • Henry Hudson - Dutch

    • Hudson River

Sir Francis Drake

  • English Privateer

  • followed Magellan’s route and traveled around the world

    • attacking Spanish and Portuguese ships

  • returns a hero and is knighted

English Fleet vs Spanish Armada

  • Great Britain is able to defeat the Spanish Armada thanks to…

    • storms in the English channel

    • sending ships on fire at the armada to disrupt their formations

  • Power shift - England now has the strongest navy in the world

New France

  • sent hunter and trappers

  • Fox, lynx, otter, and beaver furs are sold for high prices in EU

  • French moved in small groups down the Mississippi River

French Settlement

  • Samuel de Champlain explores Canada and establishes the first settlement

    • City of Quebec

  • Forms an alliance with the Huron and fights against the Iroquois

The Dutch of New Netherland

  • was settled along the Hudson River

  • found new Amsterdam - present-day New York

  • focused on sugar in the Caribbean and spices from Southeast Asia much more than New Amsterdam

Zwaanendael

  • Dutch settlement - now Lewes

  • did not last long

  • wiped out by Natives due to a misunderstanding

  • the only survivors were 2 boys - Pierre and Hendrick Wiltsee

Northern Delaware

  • settled by Sweden - 1st in America

  • Fort Christina - In Wilmington

  • Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) - still exists from that time period

Enligh Colonies - Joint Stock Companies

  • Not like the Spanish - no gold or silver along the east coast of North America

  • had to settle to make money from the land

  • Roanoke Island, NC 1587

    • entire colony disappeared

    • ”Croatoan”

  • Jamestown, VA - 1607

  • hoped to find gold, silver, and a route to the Pacific

  • found marshy ground and impure water

  • 1620 - Pilgrims

Seven Years War

  • French and English settlers classed in the upper Ohio River valley

  • French and Indian War

  • Native Americans fought on both sides

  • England claimed victory and France was removed from North America

    • Treaty of Paris

  • England forced colonies to pay for the war through taxes

Treaty of Paris

  • France gave Britain all lands east of the Mississippi except for New Orlean and Louisiana (given to Spain)

  • France gave colonies in the East Indies and India

  • Spain gives Florida to Great Britain

Columbian Exchange and Economic Systems

Columbian Exchange

  • the global exchange of goods, plants, animals, and disease that began with Christopher Columbus

  • To the New World

    • horses

    • cows

    • wheat

    • rice

    • oranges

  • From the New World

    • corn

    • potatoes

    • tobacco

    • cacao

  • Europeans carried unknown diseases to natives which killed millions

    • smallpox

Impact on Wealth

  • Spanish Silver and Pieces of Eight

Potosi and Cerro Rico

  • a mountain of silver in Spanish Peru, now Bolivia

  • 41,000 metric tons of pure silver was mined over 200 years

  • Forced native labor which led to mercury poisoning

  • 30,000 African slaves were taken to Potosi during the colonial era

Silver

  • Spanish silver from Potosi to Asia

    • Triangle route: Philippines to China to Japan

  • Silver Floods Chinese Market

    • devaluation of currency and recession

    • reduces the price of Chinese goods in Europe

    • encourage Europeans in conquest and trade

  • Triangle Trade

    • between Europe, colonies, and Africa

    • goods were exchanged for enslaved people

    • Middle Passage - the long trip from Africa to the Americas

    • many Africans lost their lives during this journey

Economic Systems

Mercantilism

  • a theory that a country should try to collect as much bullion (gold and silver) as possible, creating wealth and power

  • If a country sold more goods to other countries than it bought from them, it would acquire this bullion

  • If a nation is truly powerful, exports should exceed imports

  • nations compete for resources

  • new territory seen as a way to build the strength and importance of your country

  • competition with other European nations

  • Change Ways of Life

    • Adam Smith - English philosopher who was against Mercantilism

    • limited potential for real wealth

    • pushed for Free Enterprise - an economic system in which money is invested by individuals in business to make profits

Encomiendas

  • Spain

  • encourage settlers to move to the new world Spanish Crown gave…

    • settlers given large tracts of land

    • settlers given natives to work the land

  • forced labor systems develop

  • European colonization follows

American Indian Societies Destroyed and Transformed

  • Encomiendas

    • Spanish settlers paid the Crown taxes for the land

  • Advantages

    • created community (schools and churches)

    • built strong economy

  • Disadvantages

    • a large number of enslaved natives

    • many died due to disease and poor treatment

    • looked for another labor source - African slaves

Bartolomé de Las Casas

  • advocated for the rights of Native Americans and later suggested the use of African slaves as a labor solution, believing it would alleviate the suffering of indigenous populations.

Triangle Trade

  • colonial trade route between Europe, its colonies, and Africa

  • goods were exchanged for enslaved people

  • Middle Passage - the long trip from Africa to the Americas

  • many Africans lost their lives during the journey