Chapter 13The Age of Exploration

Motives for Exploration Attraction to Asia

Inspired the writings of Marco Polo and his voyage to Kublai Khan’s court

Economic motives Expand trade- spices and precious metals of the far East

Religion Making sure natives were “introduced into the holy Catholic faith”

Sense of adventure and glory “God, Glory, Gold”

What Made Exploration Possible?

European monarchies increased their power and resources Could focus beyond their

borders

New levels of technology Sailing

New global age emerges

Portuguese ExplorersVasco da Gama

Rounded the tip of Africa and and cut across the Indian Ocean to India

May 1498, arrived off the port of Calicut and took on a cargo of spices

After returning to Portugal, dd Gamma made a huge profit

Alfonso de Albuquerque

Portuguese fleets returned to the area to take control of the spice trade from the Muslims

Albuquerque set up a port at Goa on the western coast of India

Then headed to the Malay Peninsula (SE Asia) to further take control of spice trade

Guns and seamanship made the Portuguese the first successful European explorers

Spanish ExplorersChristopher Columbus

Believed he could reach Asia by sailing West instead of East around Africa

Oct 1492 he reached the Americas and explored the coastline of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola (Hati/ DR)

Columbus believed he reached Asia but in his four voyages, he reached all major Caribbean islands and Honduras

Ferdinand Magellan

Set sail Sept 1519 down coast of S. America in search of a sea passage through the America

Oct 1520 he passed through waterway (Strait of Magellan) into the Pacific Ocean

Fleet reached Phillipines but Magellan was killed by natives

Although only one of his ships returned to Spain, he is known as first person to circumnavigate the globe

Strait of Magellan

Treaty of Tordesillas Spain and Portugal both

feared that other countries might try to lay claim to the lands they had discovered

Treaty of Tordesillas: called for a line of demarcation extending from north to south through the Atlantic Ocean and the easternmost part of the S. American continent Unexplored territories east

of the line would be controlled by Portugal and west of the line by Spain

Other ExplorersJohn Cabot

Venetian seaman who explored the New England coastline for England

Amerigo Vespucci

Florentine

Letters describing the lands he saw led to the use of the name America (after Amerigo)

Encomienda Right of landowners to use Native Americans as laborers

Holders of encomienda supposed to protect natives but instead… Forced labor, starvation and disease Mexico: 25 million down to 1 million

Monks converted and baptized hundreds of thousands of natives Developed parishes, schools, hospitals

Native American political and social structure torn apart and replaced by European systems

Mercantilism Set of principles that dominated economic thought in 17th ce

Led by Portugal and Spain, European nations began est trading posts and colonies in Americas and the East

According to mercantilists the prosperity of a nation depended on a large supply of gold and silver

Colonies considered important as both source of raw materials and as markets for finished goods

Destroyed Civilizations Conquistadors: Spanish conquerors whose firearms,

organizational skills, and determination brought them incredible success

Cortes had a relationship with the Aztecs Modern weapons of the Spanish gave them an advantage over the

natives Many Aztecs fell sick and died from new diseases such as

smallpox Spanish leveled pyramids and temples to build gov’t buildings and

churches

Within the 30 years after the fall of the Aztecs, Spanish expanded their control to all of Mexico

Same situation happened with Francisco Pizarro and the Incas

Columbian Exchange Exchange of plants and

animals between Europe and the Americas Transformed economic

activities in both worlds

Colonists est plantations and ranches to raise sugar, cotton, vanilla, livestock, and other products to export to Europe

Increase in the volume and area of European trade

Produced a new age of commercial capitalism

Development of the world economy through trade empires

Trade, Colonies, and Mercantilism

Colony: settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the parent country by trade and direct government control

Balance of trade: the difference in value between what a nation imports and what it exports over time When the balance is favorable, the goods exported are of a

greater value than those imported

To encourage exports, gov’t granted subsidies (payments) to new industries and improved transportation systems

Placed high taxes on foreign goods to keep them out of their contry

Favorable Balance of Trade

Colonies

Colonies were considered

important both as…

Source of raw materials

Markets for finished goods