The Spanish Conquest | Class Notes
Caribbean Islands
Following Columbus’s voyages, Spain controlled much of the Americas for the next hundred years. This era was called New Spain and Spanish. Soldier explorers were called conquistadors.
Columbus’s second voyage was far larger than his first. In 1493, Columbus landed in the lesser Antilles and then Puerto Rico. After scouting Puerto Rico, Columbus returned to Hispaniola to find that the 40-man Garrison he left behind was slaughtered by tanos led by canova after the Spanish Garrison had attempted to rape native women and enslave men. Columbus left his son Diego in charge of a new outpost calledIsabella and then traveled to Cuba and Jamaica.
In his absence, another war erupted between the Spanish and the Taino as the newcomers attempted to take native women and force the men to labor in the gold mines for them. Columbus decided to enslave the Indians and forced them to pan for gold, and he also wanted to sell them as chattel or property in European markets.
A month later, tens of thousands of Tainos faced 200 Spaniards in the large pitched Battle of Vega Real in March of 1495. This resulted in the Taino defeat. Their slings and arrows were no match for mounted Spanish Warriors armed with swords and steel armor.
In 1508 alone, 45 ships made the journey from Spain to the New World and back. So, combined with the Taino and Spanish settler deaths, the Spanish needed more slaves to labor the gold fields. So, in 1505, the first Spanish-speaking African slaves arrived on the Island of Hispaniola. In 1508, the Spanish began settling Puerto Rico, which had roughly 32,00 Taino people on the island. Ponce de Leon of Fountain of Youth Fame was chosen to be the governor of the island, and he ruthlessly enslaved the population, so that by 1530, there were only 1148 Tainos alive.
The conquest of Cuba took place from 1511-1514, mostly because Cuba did not have much gold, unless the Spanish were not as interested in conquering it. The native people, the Arawak fought the conquistadors led by Diego de Velázquez. And as a result, the Arawak went from 112,000 people to just 19,000 by 1519, and that number dropped again to 2000 by 1600. This massive scale of death that the Spanish brought with them.
Fall of the Aztecs
Hernán Cortéz is arguably the most famous Conquistador of his age. Cortez was the youngest son of a minor Hidalgo or aristocracy, and did not have much property due to primogeniture. Frustrated in Spain, Cortez decided to try his luck in the New World. He served in the conquest of Cuba with acquired minds, plantations, and ambition to increase his wealth and status.
Cortez first went to the island of Kuzumel, where he picked up a Spanish Priest who had been shipwrecked eight years earlier, called Geronimo Del Aguilar. Cortez then landed at Ponochachan and defeated the local Mayans in battle. As a result, the Mayan Chiefs gave Cortez 20 women as slaves, one of whom was called Melonson, but is now referred to as La Malinche.
Cortez had two great interpreters who knew the languages of both the Aztecs and the Mayans. These interpreters were critical for building alliances that Cortez would use to conquer the Aztecs. Cortez then landed near Veracruz and was welcomed by representatives of the Aztec emperor Moctezuma.
Cortez needed to secure the loyalty of his men, so he built a small settlement and had them elect him captain general, freeing him from Velázquez’s authority. Cortez allied wtith a nearby Tottnac tribe and took an Aztec tax collector’s prisoner in March towards the capital of Tlaxcalan. Along the way, Moctezuma continued to send gold in an attempt to stop the Spanish, but this increased their ambition for greed. As Cortez advanced towards the capital, he faced resistance from the Tlaxcalans, who initially viewed him as a threat, leading to a series of battles that ultimately resulted in their alliance with the Spaniards against the Aztecs.
When Cortez found that the men he had left behind had committed a great massacre
Spain’s Rivals
Spain controlled the Philippines, the holy Roman Empire. Spain owns half of Italy. Spain owns a large amount of territory, which means they have a lot of enemies.
Protestant Reformation
French War of Religion (1562-1598)
Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604)
Thirty Years’ War ( 1618-1648)
10 million people died
Germnay
Early contact
The goal is to make it to Asia to find porcelain silk, things that make money
Jacques Cartier tried to make a settlement in Canada, which failed due to sickness
encounters with 2 large tribes which are at war with one another. One side is the Iroquois and Huron
Fishers: The Grand Banks. The fishermen kidnap the natives and make them into slaves. This leaves the natives angry. The fishermen introduce diseases that wipe out towns.
Settlement
Samuel de Champlain is a Renaissance man, which means he’s a jack of all trades.
He first came to Canada in 1603 with Cartier on voyages. Samuel founded the city of Quebec City in 1608. In addition to his accomplishments in exploration, he played a crucial role in establishing trade relations with the local tribes (Huron and Algonquians), fostering alliances that would benefit French interests in the region.
Samuel made a trading alliance with the Iroquois, but didn’t know he would make enemies for the next 80 years. He is now at war with the Iroquois.
Governor of New France in 1620
Trade
France claims most territory in the New World. But does France actually control the land? No. What is actually happening is that Tradnetworks to working with Natives to get the goods they want. Fur trade in return for steel and firearms.
The French establish relationships by marriage, gifts, and trade.
The natives are more powerful than the French. The French can do nothing without the French.
No trade equals war: Iroquois Raids
COnversion
The French, at first, are not interested in conversion; they want money. The catholic church pressures the king to convert natives to catholicism.
Sainte Maires Among the Hurons
The Jesuits are the best-trained people in Europe. These people prize information, language, and knowledge. They use this to convert natives. Jean de Brebeuf decides to live among native tribes to become like the natives: language and customs, to attempt to convert. Good at cultural adaption to the natives, the Jesuits were able to establish strong relationships and trust, which facilitated their missionary work and allowed them to spread Christianity more effectively. This produces a backlash in native tribes because they have their own religion, traditions, etc. There is going to be a divison between the traditionalist and the convents
The Dutch Trade
1614: Fort Nassau was discovred ed along the Hudson River, serving as a key trading post for the Dutch as they sought to establish their presence in North America and engage in the lucrative fur trade.
Five Nations (Iroquois) Trade
The french give you better quality steel goods at cheaper prices
Conflict is going to arise all the Iroquois raids increased and the french were left with nothing
The complex entanglement of Native and European relations results in a volatile landscape where alliances shift quickly, exacerbating tensions among tribes and colonial powers.
Destruction
Beaver Wars starts off as small raids attacking kaneos full of Iraqous attacking other Iraqous
many Canadian priests are killed
Quebec/montreal are burned to the gorund
It gets so bad the French professional arm gets called in. They don;t want to send the army because of money.
War and peace
English 13 colonies developed. The english are going to the native tribes, encouraging fighting. Tribes are destroyed by the Iraqous:
They capture children and women
The Iraqous and the French realize the war is counterproductive. So they made the Great Peace of Montreal of 1701 (peace treaty). 30 different nations made peace with the French. This treaty marked a significant turning point in relations, as it allowed for a period of relative stability and cooperation among the involved nations, fostering trade and diplomacy in the region.