Chapter 12: The European Empires

• 16th century was an age of exploration
  • Knowledge from the past caused curiosity about the present
• Technological advancements allowed for long sea voyages
• Demands of commerce provided incentives
• The expansion of the Ottoman threatened to cut the access Europe had to Eastern goods
  • At all levels of society eastern goods and spices were in high demand
• Financial crisis in Western Europe emerged
• Initial Portuguese expansion into Africa brought forth conflict and Muslim enemies
• Portuguese were in control of trade along both coasts of India, Africa, and the Spice Islands by the 16th century
• Portuguese began to struggle when it came to funding and supporting their outposts
• Spain gained the power to rival the Portuguese in terms of exploration
  • Marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand gave them the power to unify Spain and expel the Muslims
  • Isabella was responsible for sponsoring Christopher Columbus to find a short route for trade
  • Columbus’ travels caused the Spanish and Portuguese to be in direct competition with each other
• Spain explored for three primary reasons
  • God
  • Glory
  • Gold
• The Conquistadores were characterized by their greed and ruthlessness
• The Americas were discovered due to Columbus’s expedition
• Native populations were destroyed
  • There were wars over conquest of land
  • Diseases such as smallpox, typhoid, and measles spread
  • Native population diminished in numbers (25 million to 2 million)
  • A need for African slaves became prominent
• Spanish immigration rates rose
• The new world and Europe were intermixed together in one singular marketplace
  • Focus of European finance moved from the Italians to the Dutch
• Africa supplied slaves and gold
• South America supplied silver
• Europe had over 500 independent principalities in 1500
• Eastern Europe
  • Mongols conquered central and southern Russia
  • Created political unites (Khanates)
  • Ottoman Empire was in control of all of Byzantine, Greece and the Balkan Peninsula
• Northern Europe
  • Scandinavian countries ruled by a single king in the 15th century
  • Denmark was the wealth center of trade
  • Land was less fertile than the west, climate was more severe
  • Low population
• Central Europe
  • Holy Roman Empire (largest population in all of Europe)
  • Independent principalities (church lands & free towns)
  • Church held the Holy Roman Empire together
• Italy
  • Good mineral deposits
  • Large forests
  • Good land for agriculture
  • Largest market in Europe
  • Important to early European industrial production
• Western Europe
  • Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain)
  • France (second largest population in Europe)
  • Richest agricultural lands in Europe
  • Good climate
• The unification of the independent principalities faced many challenges
  • Transportation
  • Slow communication
  • Various languages
  • Popular Assemblies resisting monarchical power
• Ivan IV “The Terrible” allowed Crimean Tatars to sack and burn Moscow
  • All effective local government systems were destroyed
  • Serfdom was implemented
• There weren’t any threats of foreign invasion in the 16th century
• House of Tudor won control of the crown at the Battle of Bosworth Field
• Henry VII
  • First Tudor King
  • Wanted to control the nobility
  • Needed enough money to rule
  • Centralized the management of royal lands and custom taxes to increase the revenues
  • Seized church lands and sold them
• Many challenges occurring in France concerned the overly strong nobility with the reign of Louis XIV being culminated
• Louis XI
  • “Spider King”
  • Gained control of New Orleans through the marriage of his son
  • Began the process of centralization of government administration
• Broad foundation of taxes on the common people removed King’s reliance on nobility
• Spain
  • Conquered by the Moors
  • Had a large Moorish presence
  • Ferdinand and Isabella got married in 16th century
  • Created political unity
  • Cultural divide remained
  • Reconquista (expulsion of Moors from Iberian Peninsula)
  • Created sense of national unity
  • Spanish Inquisition (drove Jews and non-Christians out of Spain)
  • Terror was used to coerce confessions, public humiliations, and burning at the stake
  • Crippled Spanish economy
  • Led to Golden Age of Spain
  • Failed to tie nation together completely
• 16th century was a time of constant warfare
  • War made bloodier by technology
  • War was connected to dynastic policies
  • Monarchs wanted war and had the capability and money to make war
• Italian Wars
  • Holy Roman Empire allied with Henry VIII and crushed France
  • Treaty of Madrid
  • France established new allies
  • France was unable to push Germans out of Italy
• Some considered the dynastic wars at the beginning of the 16th century as the start of a balance of power international security concept
• Resources of the New World were used by European monarchies to go to war against each other
  • Became good at warfare
• Battlefield technology developed
  • Further helped in the conquest of the New World
  • Increased the emphasis on national identity

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