Hist 105 WTWA chap 12 Contact Commerce and Colonization 1400s 1500s(2)

CONTACT, COMMERCE, AND COLONIZATION (1400s-1500s)

Overview

  • This period marked significant exploration, trade, and colonization, with notable efforts from European powers such as Portugal, Spain, England, and France.

Key Events and Voyages

  • Map 12.1: European exploration from 1420-1580 showcases coastal mapping by major European nations.

  • Trade Route Challenges: The eastern empires, such as the Ottoman Empire, hindered European land trade routes.

  • Portuguese Voyages: Focused on Africa and the Indian Ocean, seeking new trade routes and resources.

  • Spanish Voyages: Concentrated on the Americas, driven by the quest for gold and territory.

  • Comparative Patterns: Differing exploration patterns noted; e.g., established routes in the Indian Ocean vs. Americas.

PORTUGUESE EXPANSION (1400s-1500s)

Strategic Developments

  • The Fall of Constantinople (1453) impacted trade routes significantly.

  • Development of sugar plantations in West African islands modeled future colonial economies.

Notable Figures

  • Vasco da Gama (1469-1524): His travels facilitated a trading network, emphasizing commerce over territorial control.

  • Brazil: Emerged as a significant site signaling a shift in Portuguese colonialism, heavily reliant on resource exploitation.

THE ATLANTIC WORLD (1400s-1500s)

Ideology and Language

  • Shift from terms like "discovery" to "encounter" reflects evolving attitudes towards indigenous peoples and territories.

Spanish Goals

  • Economic and religious motives drove explorations, including plans for gold mining and establishing encomiendas.

Demographic Impact

  • European treaties often framed indigenous populations in contradictory terms, as both victims and savages.

CONQUEST OF THE AZTEC AND INCA EMPIRES (1519-21; 1532-33)

The Aztec Empire

  • Characteristics: strong agricultural base, centralized monarchy, substantial population (~25 million).

  • Cortés' arrival: Linked to legends (e.g., Quetzacoatl) and internal conflicts within the empire hampering resistance.

Factors Contributing to Conquest

  • Primary factors included:

    • Internal conflict among indigenous groups

    • Use of superior weaponry by Spanish forces

    • Introduction of diseases like smallpox, decimating native populations.

The Inca Empire

  • Agricultural dominance and tribute-driven economy.

  • Pizarro's conquest: Realized vast benefits for Spain, leading to control over large regions and new markets.

COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

Impact and Consequences

  • Introduction of crops like corn and potatoes facilitated population growth in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

  • Massive demographic decline in the Americas due to disease; estimates suggest a drop from 54 million (1492) to 8 million (1650).

  • Environmental transformations due to the shift in settlement and agriculture.

THE SPANISH EMPIRE

Economic Structures

  • Distinction between tribute payments and subsistence economies; formation of forced labor systems like encomienda vs. native tribute systems.

Wealth Generation

  • Silver Mining: Regions like Potosí and Zacatecas became crucial for wealth generation, driving the Spanish economy and facilitating transatlantic trade.

Cultural Interactions

  • Emergence of mestizos (mixed-race individuals) as a result of colonization and the reconfiguration of social structures.

SLAVE TRADE (1525-1860s)

Historical Context

  • Rooted in earlier slave trades with Muslim societies, but characterized uniquely in the Americas.

  • 12 million embarked on voyages; about 10 million survived. More Europeans migrated during the colonial period than enslaved Africans.

ATLANTIC SYSTEM

Triangular Trade Dynamics

  • Africa supplied labor; Americas provided land and resources; Europe held the markets and military strength.

  • Significant wealth channeling back to Europe altered global economic structures.

ASIA: MUGHAL INDIA

Regional Dynamics

  • Political expansion in India with weakened Portuguese monopoly due to rising Dutch and British interests.

  • Changes in commerce and military power influenced by economic monetization.

MING CHINA

Economic Isolationism

  • Limited European access confined to ports; reliance on silver from the Americas leading to an expanded economy but decline in subsistence farming.

SPAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES (1571)

Global Trade Networks

  • Establishment of the first trading galleon facilitated the exchange of silver, porcelain, and silk, marking the creation of the first global market.