4.1 cross cultural interactions

technological innovations

• innovations that facilitated travel: compass (china), astrolabe (muslim sailors), caravel (small ship used by portuguese voyages), carrack (portuguese trade ship), fluyt (dutch trade ship), lateen sail (catch wind on either side)

• cartography (mapmaking improved), better knowledge of currents/wind patterns

• reasons for transoceanic travel: population growth led t oshortages of employment + food

  • primogeniture laws (estate given to eldest son) limited opportunities, religious minorities faced persecution

  • motivations: work, food, land, tolerance, adventure

  • europe entered indian ocean trade network

  • columbus, seeking route to india ended up linking afroeursasia + americas, as well as giving rise to new european maritime powers

4.2 expansion of maritime exploration

• motives for exploration: competition between european states, trade, wealth, foreign trade monopolies, desire for resources + raw materials, military funding

• portugal began age of exploration with prince henry the navigator, bartholomeu dias, vasco de gama, alfonso de alburquerque

• columbus sailed to americas in 1492, discovered mesoamerica, brought back slaves, resulting in disease/death

• treaty of tordesillas: portugal given the east (asia, africa, cutoff at brazil), and spain got the west (americas)

• spain conquistadors, like hernan cortes in the aztec empire conquered the americas after columbus’ voyages

• other voyagers included john cabot, giovanni de varazzano, henry hudson

economic causes/effects of exploration

• spain conquered americas, portugal established trading post empire.