Age of Exploration

Exploration of the New World

• 15th century- New World and Far East– 1400– 1325: no regular traffic

b/w northern and southern Europe

Why did Europeans begin exploring at this time?

• Population- Black Death- never recovered

• Role of national governments– Italy and Germany cut out

• Scarce items– Couldn’t produce themselves

• Renaissance– No desire to look ‘beyond’

during Middle Ages- Renaissance led to curiosity

– World as sphere 1409 (Ptolemy)

– New inventions

The Beginnings of Exploration

• Portuguese– Led in exploration along Africa– Prince Henry the Navigator– Gold Coast (Africa)– Bartholomew Diaz– Slave trade– Treaty of Torsedillas in 1494- divided world– Vasco De Garna- reached India– Trading posts in India– Spread Christianity

• Jesuits in Japan in 1549

The Beginnings of Exploration• Spanish

– Columbus- landed at San Salvador• Population of Hispanola:

1,000,000 in 1493 to 100,000 by 1510

• Black slaves

– Ferdinand Magellan• Found the Pacific• Arrived in Philippines

– Conquistadors• Cortes- Aztec empire

(Mexico)• Pizarro- Incan empire (Peru)

– Influx of wealth created inflation in the rest of Europe

Social Results of Exploration and Expansion

• Technology– Ship building– Galleons before; Caravel

developed by Portugeuse

• Gold and silver coming in– Bullion led to price

increases

• Price of food rose• Some things no longer

‘luxuries’• Industry thrived

Social Results of Exploration and Expansion

• Slavery– Portugal dominated– Chief market was South

America– Almost always got slaves

from other African tribes• Africans already practiced

slavery– Why?– Conditions

– Pace at which they were taken increased

– Controversy at once• Inhumane vs. economic

necessity

Social Results of Exploration and Expansion

• The Columbian Exchange– Alfred W. Crosby– Transfer of biological materials

• Most important: food– Potato, fish, tomato, corn

• Sugar trade- Brazil• Beverages

– Coffee, chocolate and tea– Approved by Protestants

• Cooking techniques– Barbecue

• Disease– Measles, small pox, mumps, pneumonia– 90% w/in first decade– Total drop: 25-30 million to less than 5 million in 150 years after Columbus

Columbian Exchange

Commercial Revolution

• World-wide capitalism• Mercantilism– Government regulated– Non-unified countries couldn’t compete– Amount of wealth was fixed

Commercial Revolution

• Spain and Portugal• Early lead in exploration• Population of Portugal was too small• Spain– Hurt agricultural base– Religious persecution– Money from overseas = inflation

Commercial Revolution

• Netherlands– Dutch East India

company– West India company

• Private authorized by state

– Better ships and lower freight rates

– Religious toleration– Too small in numbers

Commercial Revolution

• England– Prevailed in long run– Inferior in population to France– Geographic isolation– Laws benefitted trade and banking• Navigation Acts

– Had to put into English ports

– Relative religious toleration– Distance from mother country to colonies shorter

Commercial Revolution

• Other economic developments– Banking and accounting• Bank of Sweden; Bank of England• Joint stock companies

Commercial Revolution

• The Domestic System– ‘Cottage industry

system’ a.k.a. putting out system• Suitable for cloth, buttons

and knives• First in England

– Advantages:• Increased employment• Not regulated by guilds• Specialization

Commercial Revolution• Second Agricultural

Revolution– Fortunes in trade =

buying land• Middle Ages: 1/3 left

fallow• Farmers alternated crops

– Systems of rotation developed

• Bigger & healthier herds• Large amounts of land• Enclosure- took land of

commoners- new class of tenant farmers