4.1 Notes

  • Various inventions allowed empires to travel long distances across the sea including

  • Magnetic Compass (from China)

  • Astrolabe (from Muslims) 

  • Three masted sailing ship (from Portugal)

  • Cartography

  • Population growth forced Europeans into exploration and trade

  • Primogeniture laws only gave wealth of a wealthy family to the eldest son 

  • Religious minorities immigrated to other regions that were religiously tolerant


Development of Transoceanic Travel and Trade

  • Europe connected to Asia through Indian Ocean trade

  • Introduced them to silk, spices, and tea (brought through the Red Sea)

  • Became more active in Indian Ocean trade in 16th century

  • Hoped to gain wealth and find people to convert  

  • Europe faced problems with Middle East traders in kingdoms like Oman

  • Portugese traders set up forts which were forcefully taken down 

  • Inspired Chirstopher Colombus’ search for a new route to India

  • The voyages by Christopher Colombus connected Afro-Eurasia and the Americas

  • Obtained sugar, tobacco, and rum (from the Americas)

  • Obtained enslaved people (from Africa)

  • Obtained silk, spices, and rhubarb (from Asia)

  • Trade between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas transformed empires into maritime empires 

  • Most of the trade was carried by men

  • European women were in charge of trade in Southeast Asia due to their culture 


Classical, Islamic,and Asian technology

  • Europeans combined ideas from different cultures to create naval technology

  • Using stars for navigation (taken from the Greeks)

  • Knowledge from Asian and Islamic sailors (obtained through Al-Andalaus)

  • Prince Henry the Navigator was the leading figure (was Portuguese)

  • As scholars got together they improved the safety of sailing

  • Newton’s discovery of gravity - Led to increased knowledge of tides letting them predict when water levels would decrease and expose dangerous rocks

  • People kept records of wind intensity and directions - Allowed sailors to travel more confidently

  • Most empires used astronomical charts to guide a ship’s direction (before compass was invented)

  • Made using telescopes

  • Divided into grids to locate specific constellations and objects in space 


Advances in Equipment

  • Stern Rudder (from China)

  • Improved ship mobility 

  • Astrolabe (from Muslims)

  • Allowed sailors to determine the distance they were from the equator 

  • Compass - Primary direction finding device containing

  •  Magnets

  • Gyroscope - Wheel that spun rapidly around the axis in various directions

  • Magnetic Compass (from China)

  • Improved navigation

  • Uses Earth’s magnetic field to function

  • Lateen sails (Used by Arab sailors)

  •  Allowed travel in different directions (old sails could travel only in one direction)

  • Combined with square sails allowed travel over oceans

  • New ships became more efficient by

  •  Adjusting the ratio of length and width of a ship

  • Adding or reducing the amount of masts

  • Using different types of sails


Impacts

  • Combining navigational techniques in Europe (from different countries) caused

  • Rapid expansion of exploration and global trade

  •  Only part unaffected in Afro-Eurasia was Polynesia

  • Chinese invention of gunpowder 

  •  Aided Europeans in overseas conquests

  • Were used by sea pirates 

  • The growth of the Abbasid Empire led to

  • Rapid spread of Islam in North Africa

  • Interaction between various cultures led to new technologies and extensive trade

  • Spread of navigational techniques

  • Peter the Great copied European technology to improve Russian naval power





Summary 

Naval technology allowed empires to travel long distances across the ocean using different inventions made by different countries. Many people were forced to become traders and explorers because of population growth which lessened job opportunities. Europe was connected to Asia and then connected the rest of Europe with the Americas leading to them obtaining new goods from both continents. The conflict between European traders and the Oman led to Christopher Colombus’ search for a new route to India and led to the discovery of the Americas. Europeans combined different ideas and techniques from other cultures to create naval technology like the Greek, Chinese, and Muslims. Scholars discovering certain things like gravity increased sailing safety since they could predict when tides would decrease and expose dangerous rocks. Most empires used astronomical charts before the invention of the compass and created those charts using telescopes. This advancement in naval technology rapidly expanded exploration and trade except for Polynesia it had a major impact on the rest of Afro-Eruasia