Download I. Global Maritime Before 1450: Pacific Ocean

I.
Global Maritime Before 1450:
Pacific Ocean:
Malay Peninsula peoples settled East Indies, New Guinea, Melanesian Islands,
Polynesian Islands, the Marquesas, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
(Even Hawaii) – This occurred over several hundred centuries
Polynesians:
Intention of colonizing other islands. Planned expansion.
Sailor techniques:
Used star navigation, ocean currents, and evidence of land
Indian Ocean:
Malayo-Indonesians colonized Madagascar
-Series of voyages through 1400s
Sailors:
Used Monsoon winds – established trade routes
Moslem traders – Increase in African Moslem empires
Chinese Ming Dynasty (1405-1433) – sponsored voyages
-Fleets of 60 treasure ships: carried luxury goods (silk, precious metals) –
diplomatic relations
-Hundreds of smaller ships too
-Voyages – not profitable – ended in 1433
Atlantic Ocean:
Vikings:
During warm period of several centuries, Vikings explored Iceland, Greenland, and
Newfoundland (Vinland)
-Colder climate reappeared (1200) – Vikings abandoned Greenland and Newfoundland.
Few Europeans and Africans attempted Atlantic Ocean exploration in 13th and 14th
Centuries
-Both of these societies had attempted Atlantic Ocean exploration, but the voyages never
returned:
Genoa (1291)
Mali (1300s)
1300s – Genoese and Portuguese discovered Madeira Island, Azores, Canary Islands
Arawak in South America – colonized Lesser and Greater Antilles
--The Carib – took over Arawak settlements
European Expansion: (1400-1550)
Motives:
Iberian Kingdoms – sponsored voyages
Reasons:
Adventurous leaders
Revival of trade and urban life
Struggle with Islam for control of Mediterranean Sea:
---Years of warfare with Moslems
---Did not participate much on Mediterranean Sea trade
---Advances in technology: shipbuilding, canon, open to new geographical knowledge
Intellectual curiosity
Alliance between rulers and merchants
City-states of Northern Italy – no incentive for Atlantic Ocean exploration
Reason: good alliance with Moslem traders – access to Asian goods
Italian ships designed for calm Mediterranean Sea – could not handle open
Atlantic Ocean and its violent weather
Europe:
Anti-Moslem Crusade of 1396 and 1444:
Reason: Ottoman Empire’s expansion disrupted European trade routes
Portuguese Voyages:
Prince Henry the Navigator – captured Moroccan port city of Ceuta
-Attack on Ceuta: plundering, religious crusade, and military intervention
-Set up Research and Navigation Institute at Sagres
Researched Sub-Saharan Africa
-Knowledge on gold and slaves in region
Institute improved compass and astrolabe
Made new vessel – caravel
--Small, shallow draft, square and lateen sails, cannon = excellent for exploration
Portuguese saw Africans eager to trade
Portugal – learned all about prevailing westerly winds that blew back to Portugal
Portuguese voyages – funded by properties of Prince Henry’s Order of Christ
1440s – Profit began from voyages
Reason: slaves and gold
1469 – commercial sailing
Fernao Gomes (Lisbon, Portugal merchant) – sent exploration
-discovered São Tomé and Gold Coast
Bartholomeu Dias (1487-1488) – reached tip of Africa
Vasco da Gama (1497-1499) – sailed around Africa to India
Spanish Voyages:
Christopher Columbus – asked Spanish crown to sail for new route to Asia
-Very persistent in getting Spanish crown’s approval
1492: Columbus sailed to New World (Reached Caribbean)
1493: Columbus reached New World in second voyage
1498: Columbus reached mainland of South America in third voyage
-Columbus always believed he travelled to Asia (East Indies)
-Other Europeans knew he discovered new lands
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) – world divided into two (Spain and Portugal)
-line drawn down center of North Atlantic
-Pope Alexander VI
-Treaty of Saragossa (1529) – divided the other side of the world
Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese man who sailed for Spain) – sailed across the Pacific
Ocean (1519-1522)
st
1 to circumnavigate the earth
Confirmed Portuguese claim to Molucca Islands
-Spanish claim to Philippine Islands