Download European Exploration

European Exploration
The 3 G’s of Exploration
“For God, Glory and Gold”
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Eurasian Empires, 1300 - 1700
Eurasia on the eve of European expansion was dominated by a complex of huge, interlocking, landbased empires,
linked by overland trade routes, and by the Arab trading along the Indian Ocean. The four empires
highlighted here were land-based, inward-looking, and ill-prepared for the challenge of European
imperialism that would arrive by sea and, over the next four hundred years, effectively undermine
them. (excerpts from Spodek, The World’s History)
Why European Exploration Matters?
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In the 1500s and 1600s, Europe emerged as a powerful new force on the world
scene – The voyages of exploration marked the beginning of what would
become European DOMINATION of the globe.
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In the centuries ahead, COMPETITION for empires would spark wars in
Europe and on other continents
.
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European expansion would spread goods and other changes throughout the
world- revolutionizing European ECONOMY and transform its society.
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The concept of “the WEST” itself emerged as European settlers transplanted
their culture to the Americas and, later, to Australia and New Zealand.
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Many Factors Encourage Exploration
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Europeans Seek Greater Wealth
 Merchants and traders hoped to benefit from the trade of
spices and luxuries from Asia
 Muslims and Italians controlled this trade – at high prices
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Spread of Christianity
 Europeans hoped to convert the peoples of Asia and the
Americas
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Achieve Glory and the first two factors
 “…to serve God and His Majesty to give light to those who were in
darkness and grow rich as all men desire to do.” Bartolomeu Dias,
early Portuguese explorer.
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European Exploration : Portugal
Leads The Way
Prince Henry the Navigator – (1394 – 1460)
For military reasons and trade routes he encourages
Sailors to push farther and chart new areas.
The Portuguese sail down the African west coast,
as they do so they set up trading stations along the
coast… these trading stations would later become
the origins of the African slave trade.
1492 - Christopher Columbus lands in San
Salvador and calls the locals Indians; thinking
that he had arrived in India (he thought the
earth was 8,000 miles around)…
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Why was the Strait of Malacca coveted by the Portuguese?
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Technological Advances Make it
Possible
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Portuguese Shipbuilding - Combining old designs the
Portuguese were able to make a small, fast and
maneuverable ship design
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With the help of the compass “borrowed” from the Chinese,
the Portuguese are able to navigate well
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Sailors used the astrolabe perfected by the Muslims to
determine how far North or South they were from the
equator
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Technological Advances
Viking ships had square
sails to capture the wind…
Early Chinese ships had
triangle sails, allowing
them to cut through
wind currents…
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Technological Advances
The Portuguese combined
the 2 sail designs to come
up with their own design.
This design was later
Modified by the Spanish…
The Galleon… 9
Early Portuguese Voyages
1488 – Bartolomeu Dias rounds the southern tip of Africa but
returns home exhausted
1498 - Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese sailor, goes around
the southern tip of Africa en route to India and returns home
a hero
De Gama finds himself
in the Indian Ocean
and finds a centuryold ocean trade
network (Arabs and
Africans).
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Portuguese Successes
The Arab and African ships were not equipped with any sort
of weapons… The Portuguese were, they had front mounted
cannons… They forced the Arabs into moving goods for them.
Now Europeans use
naval technology to
affect naval trade.
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Portugal faces European Trading Rivals

1492 - Spain finances Christopher Columbus’ voyage to
Asia by sailing West –finds the Caribbean instead.
 Rivalry with Portugal Grows Tense

1494 – Treaty of Tordesillas – establishes imaginary Line
of Demarcation through the Atlantic Ocean
 Portugal won right to control lands to the East - Africa, India Asia
 Spain got lands to the West – most of the Americas

1600s English and Dutch enter East Indies
 Each formed their own Dutch East India Company
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China Rejects European Outreach
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Ming Dynasty led by Hongwu replaces Mongol rules for 300 years
 Hongwu’s s Yonglo wants to make contact with other Asian People
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The voyages of Zheng He
 1405 – Zheng He led several fleets to SE Asia , India, Arabia and
Africa during 7 voyages to show Ming Chinese superiority
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Chinese Began to isolate themselves and limit trade to 3 coastal ports
 Christian Missionaries accompanied traders

Qing (Manchu) Dynasty – peace and improved agricultural production
continue Policy of Isolation
 Population doubled – China pulled back
 Confucianism – focused on agriculture rather than commerce.
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Japan Limits Western Contacts
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Civil war erupts in 1467
1590 Toyotomi Hideyoshi unifies Japan under Tokugawa
Shogunate – which lasted until 1868
Contact between Europe and Japan begins in 1543
Missionaries arrived in 1549 and converted about 300,000
Japanese to Christianity.
 Banned by 1637
1639 Japan’s borders sealed open only to Dutch and
Chinese
Tight control over foreign contact for next 200 years
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Spanish Conquests in the
Americas
By Columbus’ time (1492) the last of the Muslim
Strongholds in Spain had been defeated, this led to a
Shift in European focus…
How did the ending of the Crusades (pushing the Muslims out of
Spain), impact the above motivation for exploration?
- Pre 1517 - The focus of Europe was fighting the
Muslims
- After 1517 - Their focus is on spreading Christianity
to new lands… you can’t let the heretics get to them
first!
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Spanish Conquests in the
Americas
Spread the good word!
1492 - Christopher Columbus sets out to find new
Trade routes to India and China to cut out the
middle-men (the Ottomans)
The Ottomans were Muslims… bad to Christians…
Every time Europeans wanted to trade with China or
India they had to pass through Ottoman trading posts;
this meant that they had to give money to the Muslims.
If money = power, who was getting powerful in this
deal?
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Spanish Conquests in the Americas

1492 – Columbus claims the Americas for
Spain
 Spain begins to create colonies
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1519 - Hernando Cortez came to Mexico
and defeated the Aztec Empire led by
Montezuma II
1533 – Francisco Pizarro conquered the
Inca Empire of South America
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The Columbian Exchange and
Global Trade
Christopher Columbus unknowingly set in motion an exchange of goods
between Europe and the Americas that would become known as the
Columbian Exchange.
The exchange involved:
- Plants (Early Islam 700-1100CE previously)
- Foods (Early Islam 700-1100CE previously)
- Crops (Early Islam 700-1100CE previously)
- Animals (Early Islam 700-1100CE previously)
- Human populations
- DISEASES!!!
- Smallpox, measles, diphtheria, w. cough
- 1519 = Smallpox devastates Aztecs (17-1.3m)
- 1500-1800 = 100m +
Overall, the Columbian Exchange increased world populations…
1500=425m, 1600=545m, 1700=610m, 1800=900m
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4.4The Columbian Exchange
From Europe:
Wheat
Horses
Cattle
Pigs
Sheep
Goats
Chickens
From the Americas:
Maize
Potatoes
Beans
Tomatoes
Peppers
Peanuts
Pineapples…
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The Columbian Exchange and
Global Trade
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The Commercial Revolution – caused by
growth in overseas trade
 Capitalism – private ownership and investment
of wealth for profit
 Joint Stock Companies – like the modern
Corporation – people pool $$ for profit
 Mercantilism – theory that a country’s power
depended on its wealth.
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The Columbian Exchange and
Global Trade
The Mentality
Mercantilism - Policy by which a nation sought to
export more than it imported (balance of trade) and to
build up it’s supply of gold and silver (wealth).
Bottom Line: Gain as much wealth for the empire as
possible. How could you gain wealth in the 15th century?
Question: Following the Renaissance and the Rise of
Monarchies, why do you think Europeans went exploring?
Answer: MONEY and RESOURCES!!! War was a big drain!
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4.4Emerging Global Trade
For the first time Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe, AND the Americas
were connected in global trade.
China, the premier power at this time will use it’s muscle to set the
conditions of trade by demanding Silver (their basis of currency).
This global market sets the stage for global resource exploitation by
the 1600s.
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Prediction
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Now that global trade had begun and naval
power became important:
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WHAT MIGHT START TO HAPPEN AS A
RESULT OF THIS ADVANCEMENT IN
TRADE?
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