9/4 Lecture 3: The Emergence of New World Patterns

Page 1: The Emergence of New World Patterns (1500-1800)

• Timeframe overview: 1500–1800 marks the emergence of a new global pattern in world history.
• The slides set the stage for understanding how the early modern era connected distant regions through exploration, trade, and cultural exchange.

Page 2: Two objectives

• Objective 1: Explain why the 15th century was a turning point in the history of the Modern world.
• Objective 2: Describe the motives that generated overseas exploration, expansion, and conquests.

Page 3: Why the end of the 15th century was a crucial period in world history?

• The end of the 15th century is framed as a pivotal moment for global history, signaling transformations that would reshape economic, political, religious, and cultural landscapes.

Page 4: The Age of Exploration: creation of a new “world system”

• Before the 15th century the West was peripheral; after the 15th century it became a center.
• It served as a launching pad for an era of Western domination.
• It marked the end of the long isolation of the Western hemisphere.
• It extended the maritime trade network, with Portuguese and Spanish dominance of shipping on international trade routes.
• It led to an increase in trade and manufacturing, stimulating major economic changes.
• It created the first truly global network of ideas and commodities.

Page 5: What were the motives for European expansion around the world?

• The overarching question guiding the discussion: why did Europeans venture beyond Europe to expand, conquer, and trade?

Page 6: The traditional summary: “God, glory and gold”

• Historians describe three main motives for overseas exploration, expansion, and conquests: God, glory, and gold.

Page 7: The three motives in more detail

• Gold: Europeans desired increased wealth and power.
• Glory: international competition among monarchies; a drive for prestige and dominance.
• God: religion played a major role in motivating the Age of Exploration; spreading Christianity to non-Christian peoples.

Page 8: 1) Gold: The Search for spices

• Europeans had long been attracted to the East, fueled by myths of exotic wealth and magical lands.
• High hopes of finding precious metals and expanding trade, especially for East spices.
• Portugal led early exploration along the African coast under Prince Henry the Navigator ($1394-1460$).
• In $1441$, Portuguese sailors reached the Senegal River.
• In $1471$, a new source of gold was discovered in West Africa, known as the Gold Coast.
• The Portuguese leased land from local rulers and built stone forts along the coast.

Page 9: Reaching Calicut

• In $1487$, Bartolomeu Dias used westerly winds in the South Atlantic to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
• In $1498$, Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape and stopped at ports in East Africa controlled by Muslim merchants (Kilwa, Sofala, Mombasa).
• With the help of a Muslim mariner, da Gama’s fleet crossed the Arabian Sea and arrived off Calicut, India, on May 18, $1498$.
• Da Gama aimed to destroy the Muslim monopoly over the spice trade, intensified by the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in $1453$.
• The Portuguese did not find Christians at Calicut but did find spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

Page 10: Raiding Goa

• Goa was a commercial entrepôt on the western coast of India, south of present-day Mumbai.
• In $1510$, Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque established his headquarters at Goa.
• From Goa, the Portuguese raided Arab shippers and blocked passage through the Strait of Malacca.
• After a short but bloody battle, the Portuguese seized Goa, killed many locals, and built a "Factory" (warehouse) and a church.
• From Malacca, the Portuguese expanded farther east to China (visited in $1514$).
• Within a few years, they managed to seize control of the spice trade.

Page 11: 2) God: Expanding the frontiers of Christianity

• Key figures: Christopher Columbus (Italian from Genoa, $1451-1506$); his 1492 voyage across the Atlantic marked a turning point.
• Hernán Cortés led the Spanish expedition to the Gulf of Mexico, arriving in 1519.
• Upon arrival, the Spaniards were initially met with a friendly welcome by the Aztecs.
• Tensions soon erupted between Spaniards and Aztecs.
• Cortés attacked native beliefs and sought to convert the Aztecs to Christianity.
• Spanish forces took Montezuma hostage and began destroying Aztec religious shrines, prompting a local population revolt.

Page 12: Christianity & European languages

• Ancient social and political structures weakened as European institutions, religion, languages, and culture began to triumph.
• A limited number of Asians, Africans, and Native Americans converted to Christianity.
• Nevertheless, the impact of Christianity was greater than the conversion numbers would suggest; many converted or adopted Christian beliefs, and Christianization spread broader cultural influence.

Page 13: Principal Voyages of Exploration

• A Portuguese expeditions, 1430s–1480s (A)

• Dias, 1487–1488 (B)

• da Gama, 1497–1499 (C)

• Portuguese voyages to the Orient, 1509–1514 (D)

• Columbus's first voyage, 1492 (E)

• Columbus's three successive voyages, 1493–1504 (F)

• Voyages attended by Vespucci, 1499–1502 (G)

• Magellan–del Cano, 1519–1522 (H)

• Cabot, 1497 (I)

• The map indicates areas under Spanish control, trade winds, and routes. It shows:

  • Areas under Spanish control and Portuguese control.
  • Spanish trading cities and Portuguese trading cities.
  • Independent trading cities and Spanish routes, Portuguese routes, and other routes.
  • Notable geographic nodes include the Gold Coast, Elmina, Kilwa, Sofala, Mombasa, Calicut, Goa, Malacca, Canton, Macao, Manila, and the spice islands (Moluccas).

Page 14: European Warships During the Age of Exploration

• Visual reference: European warships were central to projecting power and protecting trade routes during the Age of Exploration.
• Note: The image credit indicates participation by institutions (e.g., The Art Archive, Museo de la Torre del Oro, Seville; Gianni Dagli Orti).

Page 15: Massacre of the Indians

• Image reference illustrating violence against Indigenous peoples in the Americas.
• Reflects the brutal consequences of conquest and colonization for native populations.

Page 16: The port of Calicut, India

• Visual/illustration of Calicut as a major node in the spice trade and a focal point of early European maritime activity in the Indian Ocean.
• The image is attributed to Mary Evans Picture Library/The Image Works.

Page 17: Conclusion

• The period from the $16^{th}$ through the $18^{th}$ centuries is referred to as the early modern era.
• Europeans created the first truly global economic network dominated by the rising force of European capitalism.
• This network enabled goods, people, and ideas to travel from one end of the world to the other, linking distant regions through trade, conquest, and cultural exchange.

Key themes and implications (synthesis)

• Globalization of trade: The Age of Exploration established a connected global economy via sea routes linking Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia.
• Shifts in power: European maritime powers (notably Portugal and Spain) gained dominance over shipping routes and spice trade, altering balance of economic and political power.
• Cultural and religious transformation: Christianity spread widely, often accompanying coercive or violent encounters; European languages and institutions spread in many colonies.
• Indigenous peoples and populations: Encounters included cooperation, adaptation, and violent suppression (e.g., massacres, revolts, and cultural suppression of indigenous beliefs).
• Economic transformation: The era contributed to the rise of a global capitalist economy and settler-colonial processes that reshaped labor systems, production, and wealth flows.
• Ethical and philosophical considerations: The era raises questions about colonialism, ideology, religious missions, and the morality of conquest and conversion.

Important dates and figures (quick reference):

• $1394-1460$: Prince Henry the Navigator (Portugal) and early Atlantic exploration
• $1441, 1471$: Senegal River discovery; Gold Coast discovery
• $1487$: Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape
• $1492$: Columbus's first voyage; encounter with the Americas
• $1493-1504; 1499-1502; 1519-1522$: Columbus’s later voyages, Vespucci-era voyages, Magellan–del Cano voyage
• $1453$: Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (monopoly concerns over the spice trade)
• $1509-1514$: Portuguese voyages to the Orient; Goa becomes a key base
• $1510$: Albuquerque establishes Goa
• $1514$: Chinese voyage reach (Malacca–China link through Malacca)
• $1519-1522$: Magellan’s circumnavigation (Cano succeeds Magellan)
• $16^{th}$ to $18^{th}$ centuries: The early modern era and the rise of European capitalism as a global network