Download Section 3.11

Section 3.11
The Opening of the Atlantic
What was the impact of the Age of
Exploration?
• Growth of capitalism
• global trade
• Columbian Exchange
– new products
– Depopulation of Native
Americans and Africans
• Die-off in many areas
exceeded 90%
– Destruction of cultures
What was the impact of the Age of
Exploration?
•
•
•
•
Huge population growth
New commercial class
New emphasis on naval power
Cultural relativism
–Europeans’ differences
seemed less important
when compared with
their common identity
vis-à-vis indigenous
Americans
Why did Europeans Explore?
• Motives
– “Gold, God, Glory”
– Conquistadores typically
embodied all three of these:
• Cortes
– Conquered Aztecs;
established Spanish
power in Mexico
• Pizarro
– Conquered Incas;
established Spanish
power in Peru
Other Factors
• Fall of Constantinople
(1454)
– Eastern Mediterranean
trade cut off
– Desire for new trade
routes
• New Technologies
– Astrolabe/quadrant,
compass, dead reckoning,
caravel, lateen sail
Significance of Constantinople’s Fall
The East
(The
Orient)
Constantinople
Now, how would
Europeans
get ‘their stuff’?
That’s three miles to the west, or 23, 997 miles to the east…
Might there be a ‘back way’ to the Orient?
Portuguese Advantage
Portugal
In 1415, during the Battle of Ceuta, the city was captured by the
Portuguese during the reign of John I of Portugal. The King of Spain
seized the Portuguese throne in 1580 and held it for 60 years ( Iberian
Union ). During this time Ceuta gained many residents of Spanish
origin.[1] Thus Ceuta became the only city of the Portuguese Empire
that sided with Spain when Portugal regained its independence in 1640
and war broke out between the two countries.
The formal allegiance of Ceuta to Spain was recognized by the Treaty
of Lisbon by which, on January 1, 1668, King Afonso VI of Portugal
formally ceded Ceuta to Carlos II of Spain. However, the originally
Portuguese flag and coat of arms of Ceuta remained unchanged and the
modern-day Ceuta flag features the configuration of the Portuguese
shield. The flag's background is also the same as that of the flag of
Lisbon.
When Spain recognized the independence of Spanish Morocco in 1956,
Ceuta and the other plazas de soberanía remained under Spanish rule as
they were considered integral parts of the Spanish state. Culturally,
modern Ceuta is part of the Spanish region of Andalusia. Indeed, it was
attached to the province of Cádiz until 1925 — the Spanish coast being
only 20 km away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnic Berber
Muslim minority as well as Sephardic Jewish and Hindu[2] minorities.
On November 5, 2007, King Juan Carlos I visited the city, sparking
great enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the
Moroccan government.[3] It was the first time a Spanish head of state
had visited Ceuta in 80 years.
African coast and beyond
Ceuta
Straits of
Gibraltar
In 1415, during the Battle of Ceuta, the city was captured by the
Portuguese during the reign of John I of Portugal. The King of Spain
seized the Portuguese throne in 1580 and held it for 60 years ( Iberian
Union ). During this time Ceuta gained many residents of Spanish
origin.[1] Thus Ceuta became the only city of the Portuguese Empire that
sided with Spain when Portugal regained its independence in 1640 and
war broke out between the two countries.
The formal allegiance of Ceuta to Spain was recognized by the Treaty of
Lisbon by which, on January 1, 1668, King Afonso VI of Portugal
formally ceded Ceuta to Carlos II of Spain. However, the originally
Portuguese flag and coat of arms of Ceuta remained unchanged and the
modern-day Ceuta flag features the configuration of the Portuguese
shield. The flag's background is also the same as that of the flag of
Lisbon.
When Spain recognized the independence of Spanish Morocco in 1956,
Ceuta and the other plazas de soberanía remained under Spanish rule as
they were considered integral parts of the Spanish state. Culturally,
modern Ceuta is part of the Spanish region of Andalusia. Indeed, it was
attached to the province of Cádiz until 1925 — the Spanish coast being
only 20 km away. It is a cosmopolitan city, with a large ethnic Berber
Muslim minority as well as Sephardic Jewish and Hindu[2] minorities.
On November 5, 2007, King Juan Carlos I visited the city, sparking great
enthusiasm from the local population and protests from the Moroccan
government.[3] It was the first time a Spanish head of state had visited
Ceuta in 80 years.
Portuguese
• Eastern Goods
– Sugar, silk, nutmeg, rugs,
medicines, porcelain
• Henry the Navigator/Ceuta
• Old Land Routes
– Silk road= slow and
unreliable
– Sahara= Ditto
• New Routes
– Water is now a bridge,
not a barrier
Portuguese
• Da Gama
– ‘Machiavellian’
– Reached Calicut in
1494
• Torched cities,
butchered prisoners
• Portuguese
concentrated on the
‘familiar’ East
(Africa and Asia)
• Spain filled the void in
the Americas
Why did the Europeans win?
• Better weapons
– Guns, horse
• Alliances
– Aztecs hated by Toltecs
and others
• Quetzalcoatl
– Were the Europeans
gods?
• Machiavellian
– Pizarro’s ransom of
Altahualpa
• Disease
– No resistance to smallpox
Spanish Empire in America
• Encomienda System
– Colonial feudal system
– Race/origin as basis for place in
hierarchy
• Catholicism forced on native populations
• Natives die at incredible rate (90% plus in
many areas, within just a few years)
• Die-off leads to renewal of African Slave
Trade
• “Black Legend”
– Belief that Spanish conquistadores were
extremely cruel
– In reality, less cruel than Aztecs (life was
tough all over)
Spanish Empire: Good and Bad
• Established universities
– Lima (1551), Mexico
(1553)
• Potosi Silver Mines (Bolivia)
– 500 thousand lbs. of silver,
10 lbs. of gold annually
– Financed CounterReformation
• Where were England, France?
Middle Passage
• You’ve learned about this elsewhere,
I hope. If not, speak up…and we will
summarize the horrors and details.
Treaty of Tordesillas
• Rivalry between
Spain and
Portugal settled
by Pope
• Divided world in
half
• East – Portugal
• West – Spain
Treaty of Tordesillas
• Rivalry
between Spain
and Portugal
settled by Pope
• Divided world
in half
• East – Portugal
• West – Spain
Treaty of Tordesillas
• Boundary was
45 degrees
west, so
Portugal
(Brazil)
actually got a
little more than
the Pope had
intended