An Age of Explorations and Isolation

1400-1800

Background

By 1400, Europeans were ready to venture beyond their borders

• Renaissance encouraged a new

spirit of adventure and curiosity

• Printing press spread ideas and

new maps and charts

#1- New Trade Routes

#2- Spread Christianity

I. Causes of European Exploration

I. Causes of European Exploration

#1- New Trade Routes

• People want wealth; achieve that through trade

Traded spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, pepper)

Introduced during Crusades; people still demanded goods once wars ended

Demand greater than supply= high prices

Causes of European Exploration (cont’d)

• Trade routes controlled by Italians and Muslims

Muslims sold Asian goods to Italians

Italian merchants resold items at increased prices to merchants throughout Europe

Other traders did NOT like this and wanted new routes that bypassed Italian merchants

Causes of European Exploration (cont’d)

#2- Spread Christianity

• Crusades left hostility between Christians and Muslims

• Europeans believed they

had a sacred duty to

continue fighting Muslims

and to convert non-Christians

Causes of European Exploration (cont’d)

• Bartolomeu Dias: early Portuguese explorer

“For God, Glory, and Gold”

(”To serve God and His majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness and to grow rich as all men desire to do.”)

Causes of European Exploration (cont’d)

#3- New Exploration Technologies• Caravel: stronger, sturdier ship with triangular

sails (adopted from Arabs); made it possible to sail against the wind

• Astrolabe: brass circle w/ carefully

adjusted rings marked off in

degrees; used to calculate latitude

(perfected by Muslims)

• Compass: magnetically tracked

direction (Chinese invention)

Age of Exploration Video

• Age of Discovery.mp4

II. Portugal leads the wayA. Portugal was 1st to establish

trading outposts along the west coast of Africa

B. Prince Henry: son of Portugal’s king

• Nation’s most enthusiastic supporter of exploration

• Conquered Muslim city in North Africa where he discovered exotic wealth never found in Europe (cinnamon, cloves, pepper, silver, gold, jewels.

Portugal leads the way (cont’d)• Henry determined to find

the source of that wealth

• 1419 he founded a navigation school in Portugal

(mapmakers, shipbuilders, scientists, and sea captains, gathered there to perfect their trade)

Portugal leads the way (cont’d)

• By Henry’s death, Portugal held a series of trading posts along western African shores.

Traded for gold and ivory

Eventually, they traded for African captives (slaves)

Next, Portugal searched for a trade route to Asia

Portugal leads the way (cont’d)

C. Portugal secures a Sea Route to Asia

1. Bartolomeu Dias

• 1488 Sailed down w. coast of Africa

where he reached the tip - 1st

• Huge storm arose, battered ships

• Realized his ships were blown around the tip

• Explored SE coast but crew was exhausted so they returned home

Portugal leads the way (cont’d)2. Vasco da Gama

• 1498 began exploring east African coast

• Reached Calicut (SW coast of India)

• Amazed by spices, rare silks, precious gems

• Filled boats with goods and returned to Portugal where they sold them for 60 times the cost of the voyage

• Da Gama’s voyage of 27,000 miles gave Portugal a direct sea route to India

III. Spain also makes claimA. Christopher Columbus

• 1492 he convinced Spain (although he was Italian) to pay for his plan to find a trade route to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean

Spain also makes claim (cont’d)

• October 1492: landed on a Caribbean Island which he mistook for the East Indies (AKA -Indonesia.)

• Immediate impact of Columbus: Increased tension between Spain and Portugal.

Spain also makes claim (cont’d)B. Spain vs. Portugal

• Portugal believed Spain reached Asia and that Columbus claimed lands that the Portuguese might have reached first.

• Pope Alexander VI divided the land between the 2 nations

Spain also makes claim (cont’d)

• He drew the Line of Demarcation: imaginary North/South line that gave lands on the east to Portugal (light green) and the lands on the west to Spain

• 1494 Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas: they agreed to honor the line.

Trading Empires in the Indian Ocean

With new trade routes came conflict. European nations scrambled to establish profitable trading posts as they battle natives and each other

Trading Empires in the Indian Ocean

A. Portugal

• Built huge trading empire by capturing many Muslim owned lands (w/ help from cannons mounted on their ships)

(Straits of Hormuz, Goa, Strait of Malacca, Spice Islands)

By capturing these Muslim owned lands, the Portuguese broke the Italian-Muslim domination of trade and sold goods at 1/5 the cost.

Trading Empires in the Indian Ocean

B. English and Dutch

• 1600 they began to challenge Portugal

• Dutch owned the largest fleet of ships with 20,000 vessels

• Both formed East India Company to establish and direct trade throughout Asia. Also could mint money, make treaties, and raise armies.

Trading Empires in the Indian Ocean

• Dutch East India Company eventually drove out the English and established dominance over the region

• By 1700, Dutch ruled much of Indonesia, the Spice Islands, and the Cape of Good Hope

Trading Empires in the Indian Ocean

C. French

• Established its own East India Company

• It struggled at first, faced attacks from the Dutch, eventually est. output in India

*Although Europeans took control of many port cities their influence rarely spread beyond the ports.

Sec 2. China: Ming Dynasty

Europeans had ports all over the Indian and Asian coasts and were now looking for more sources of wealth.

They found it in China, then Japan.

By 1514 the Chinese had driven out the Mongol rulers and had united under new leadership: the Ming Dynasty

China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)

A. Ming Dynasty: dominant power in Asia from 1368-1644

• Hong Wu: commanded a rebel army that drove out the Mongols in 1368 and became the 1st Ming Emperor

Promoted reforms to restore agricultural lands destroyed by war, erase all trace of Mongols, & promote China’s power and prosperity

China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)

• Hongwu eventually dies, his son (Yonglo) takes over. He was very curious of the world so he launched 7 voyages of exploration.

• Zheng He led all 7 voyages 40 to 300 ships made the voyages: fighting ships, storage vessels, and “treasure” ships (400 ft long!)

Carried soldiers, sailors, interpreters, accountants, doctors, and religious leaders.

China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)

• Zheng He showed superiority by leaving silver and silk as gifts

• More than 16 countries paid tribute to China

• Officials complained it was a waste and the voyages ceased after the 7th in 1433

China: Ming Dynasty (cont’d)

B. China’s trade policies reflected isolation

• Only government officials were allowed to conduct foreign trade through 3 coastal ports

• However, smuggling went on up and down the ports

VI. China: Qing Dynasty

A. Manchus: people of Manchuria (west of the Great Wall) invaded China and took over the Ming (had ruled for 200 yrs)

• Qing Dynasty: name taken of the Manchus as they ruled for 260 yrs

• Expanded China’s borders to include Taiwan, Chinese central Asia, Mongolia, and Tibet

China: Qing Dynasty (cont’d)

B. Rebellions

• Many Chinese resisted the non-Chinese Manchus and rebellions flared up for decades

C. Improvements

• Manchus made frontiers safe

• Restored China’s prosperity

• While keeping Confucian beliefs and social structures

China: Qing Dynasty (cont’d)

D. Rulers

• Kangxi: Qing Emperor 1661-1722

Reduced govt.

expenses

Lowered taxes

Patron of the arts

Welcomed the Jesuits who told them of science, medicine, mathematics, etc. in Europe

China: Qing Dynasty (cont’d)

• Qian-long:

Kangxi grandson

China reached its greatest size and prosperity

China: Qing Dynasty (cont’d)

E. Chinese continue isolation

• China, center of universe

• If foreigners wanted to trade, they had to follow the Chinese rules

Special ports & tribute

Dutch followed the rules

Dutch returned w/ many

trade items including a new

one…TEA.

By 1800 tea made up 80% of shipments to Europe

China: Qing Dynasty (cont’d)

• British also wanted to trade, but didn’t like the rules

1793 Lord Macartney of England delivered a letter from the king asking for better arrangements - increase trade

Qian-long declined

This leads to problems later

VIII. Japan’s 3 Daimyo

BackgroundIn the 1300s Japan had developed unity under the Shoguns (military

rulers). In 1467, civil war shattered Japan’s feudal system and the country slipped into chaos as violent disorder followed. AKA-”Warring States” period. Eventually powerful samurais gained control and offered protection to peasants in return for loyalty. Their new system of feudalism resembled that in Europe, with castles, small armies, and now, muskets.

Japan’s 3 Daimyo (cont’d)

Daimyo: warrior chieftains who become lords in Japan

A. Oda Nobunaga: brutal and ambitious daimyo who hoped to gain enough power to take the whole country.

• Seized the capital in 1568

• “rule the empire by force”

• 1st to use muskets in Japanese battle

• 1582 committed seppuku (ritual of

suicide of a samurai) when one of his

own generals turned on him

Japan’s 3 Daimyo (cont’d)

B. Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Nobunaga’s best general, continued his mission of destroying the daimyo that remained hostile

• By 1590 he controlled most of Japan

• Wanted to conquer China, so sent troops to Korea (allies with Ming)

• Hideyoshi died 1598, troops w/drew from Korea

Japan’s 3 Daimyo (cont’d)

C. Tokugawa Ieyasu:

completed the unification

of Japan

• 1600, defeated rivals

• Became sole ruler of Japan

• Tamed the daimyo at the local level by requiring them to spend every other year in the capital

• Founded Tokugawa Shogunate: dynasty of shoguns that ruled Japan until 1876

Life in Japan (cont’d)

C. Contact between Japan and Europe• Europeans began coming to Japan in the 16th century and were

welcomed Shipwrecked Portuguese washed up on their shores

Brought clocks, eyeglasses, tobacco, firearms, & other unfamiliar items Daimyo very interested in firearms (traditional weapon was sword). They wanted every

advantage over others

Many samurai kept the traditional sword and lost badly in battle

Life in Japan (cont’d)

• Christians in Japan

1549 Christian missionaries arrived in Japan

Japanese accepted them b/c they associated them with goods from Europe

Converted over 300,000 Japanese

Tokugawa Ieyasu upset b/c these Christians scorned Japanese beliefs & involved themselves in politics Didn’t do anything b/c he didn’t want to drive off the new merchants

Life in Japan (cont’d)

Ieyasu died in 1616

In 1637, 30,000 peasants revolted against the Shogunate.

b/c so many rebels were Christian, they blamed them for the rebellion

After that, they ruthlessly persecuted Christians and forced Japanese to demonstrate Buddhism

* This led to Japanese exclusion policy!

X. Japan’s Closed Country Policy

• At first, Japan welcomed new trade

• Over time, they realized they could safely exclude both missionaries and merchants

• 1639 they sealed their borders and instituted their “Closed Country Policy”

– Only ONE port, Nagasaki, remained open to Chinese and Dutch.

Japan’s Closed Country Policy (cont’d)

• For 200 yrs, Japan remained basically closed to Europeans.

• AND Japanese were forbidden to leave!

• Japan went on to develop self-sufficiently, free of European attempts to colonize

Haiku

• You will write a Haiku!

• 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables

• Haiku’s are Easy

• But sometimes they don’t make sense

• Refrigerator

• Doritos Taste Great

• So was the Qing Dynasty

• Cheesy Chinese Folks