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Exploration
Desire for wealth and Christian
converts, Europeans began an age of
exploration
Motives For Exploration
Greater Wealth:
 luxury goods from Asia (Spices)
 Find direct route to Asia in order to cut out Italian & Muslim
middlemen.
Spread Christianity
 Hostility between Muslims and Christians as a result of Crusades
 New non-Christian converts
Technological Advancements
 Caravel (triangular shaped sail for sailing against the wind)
 Astrolabe, magnetic compass
Muslims and Italians Controlled the
Mediterranean

During the Crusades, the
Italians and Muslims began
importing and exporting goods
throughout the Mediterranean
region.

The demand for exotic spices
grew as the people of Europe
were given access to them.

Both the Italians and Muslims
worked as middlemen between
the spice merchants and the
traders
Europeans Begin to Explore

For many centuries, Europeans had been
largely, though not completely, isolated from
contact with people from other lands.

That changed in the 1400s. One reason for this
change was that Europeans hoped to gain new
sources of wealth.

Marco Polo’s stories of the Orient sparked
interest in finding the far east.
Many Factors Encourage
Exploration

By exploring the seas far from Europe,
traders hoped to find new, faster routes to
Asia—the source of spices and luxury
goods.

Their goal was to win access to these
lands and bypass the Muslims and Italians
who currently controlled this trade.
Desire to Spread Christianity

Another reason was the
desire to spread
Christianity to new lands.

The Crusades had ended,
but bad feelings between
Christians and Muslims
remained.

The Christians of Europe
wanted to convert the
people of Asia.
The Caravel

Advances in technology made these voyages possible.

A new kind of ship, the caravel, was stronger built than
earlier ships. It had triangle-shaped sails that allowed it
to sail against the wind.
The Magnetic Compass

Ships could now
travel far out into
the ocean. The
magnetic compass
allowed sea
captains to better
stay on course.
Portugal Leads the Way
Prince Henry the
Navigator
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Determined to find a
direct route to Asia
Spread Christian faith
Founded a navigation
school
Began to explore western
coast of Africa in search
for gold and ivory
Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias
reached the tip of
Africa and were
blown around the tip
by a storm.
Vasco da Gama


1498: Reached the port
of Calicut in Asia
Gave Portugal a direct
route to Asia
Spanish Claims

Christopher
Columbus: 1492
reached the
Caribbean Islands
claiming the New
World for Spain
Treaty of Tordesillas

To settle claim disputes
between Spain and
Portugal over newly
discovered land, Pope
Alexander VI proposed
an imaginary dividing
line north to south
called the Line of
Demarcation.
Portugal Creates Asian Trade
Empire

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Built a fort at Hormuz
Established control over
Strait of Hormuz
Captured Goa (India)
Sailed to Indonesia
Captured Malacca (west
coast of Malaysia)
Gained control of the
Spice Islands
Other Nations Drive Out Portuguese

Spices now cost
Europeans one-fifth of
what they had cost
before, while still making
Portugal very wealthy.

Other European nations
joined in this trade.
The Dutch and English

In the 1600s, the English and Dutch entered the
East Indies to challenge Portugal.

The Dutch and English had the largest fleets in
the world. Each had about about 20,000 ships.

These two nations quickly broke Portuguese
power in the area.

Then both nations set up an East India
Company to control Asian trade.
Dutch East India Company

These companies were more than businesses.

They were like governments, with the power to make
money, sign treaties, and raise their own armies. The
Dutch managed to drive out the English and grab the
Asian trade for themselves.
European Trade Outposts

The Dutch made their trading headquarters on
the island of Java in the East Indies.

By 1700, the Dutch ruled much of Indonesia.
They had trading posts in many other Asian
countries and commanded the southern tip of
Africa.

At the same time, both England and France
finally gained footholds in India.
The Asian People Remain Isolated

While the Europeans controlled the trade
between Asia and Europe, they had little
impact on most people living in these
areas.

From 1500 to 1800, the people of Asia
were largely untouched by the European
traders.
China Rejects Europeans

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Hongwu:
 Son of a peasant helped to drive the
Mongols out of China
 Founded Ming Dynasty
 Capital at Nanjing
 Restored agricultural land
 Restored merit-based civil service
exam system
 Became ruthless tyrant and
conducted purges and killed
thousands of government officials
Zheng He
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Chinese Muslim
Admiral
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Large ships
Large fleets
Huge distances traveled
Spread the splendor of
Ming China
Expand China’s tribute
system
The Qing Dynasty
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Manchus took over
Beijing (1600s)
Many Rebellions
Chinese men forced
to wear pigtail as a
sign of submission
to the Qing
Upheld traditional
Confucian traditions
Kangxi
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Kangxi - 1st of the Qing
Dynasty
Reduced government
expenses
Lowered taxes
Gained support of
Chinese intellectuals
Jesuits visited his court
Qian-Long
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Grandson of Kangxi
Led china to ists greatest size
and prosperity

Allowed trading in only in
specific areas to reduce
European contact with
Chinese

Dutch accepted restrictions,
English did not.