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History (5.1.14) OBJECTIVE The students will know: 1. Know how Portugal and Spain took the initiative in this search for new routes. 2. Learn the reasons for the Portuguese overseas empire not lasting long. 3. Be familiar with the Spanish colonies of South America and Mexico. SUMMARY THE Islamic global order which revolved round the Indian Ocean for a long time was replaced by the Christian global order by the end of the Era of Discovery. The region from East Africa and Ethiopia to Arabia, the Yemen, Persia, India and the Indonesian archipelago, had been under the aegis of Islam. It was a world economy in and around the Indian Ocean with India at its centre and the Middle East and China as its two dynamic poles. Portuguese and Spanish adventurers wanted to open a new route for the age old trade by exploring the sea. This venture ultimately led to the discovery of the West Indies and finally of America. With the discovery of America by Columbus and the sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, both in the last decade of the 15th century, a new world system was born. These developments provide hints about the dual nature of the new age – that it was increasingly an age of truly world history and that it was one whose success story was dominated by the astonishing success of one civilization,that of Europe. Europeans eventually became masters of the globe. Western civilization came to the Portuguese and Spanish colonies as a pre-modern Catholic civilization while the Dutch and the English colonies of a later period signified mercantile capitalism and rationalist ideologies with a milder dose of Christianity. GLOSSARY Age of Discovery – A period in European history from early fifteenth to early seventeenth century, during which intensive exploration of the world was undertaken establishing contacts with Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania; pioneered by the Portuguese and Spanish; led to mapping of the world. Albuquerque’s navicert - A type of monopolistic system in which trade with certain ports and commodities (especially spices) was permitted only on the basis of a license issued by the Portuguese to the merchants, in lieu of payment. Zamorin – A title used by the Hindu rulers of Kozhikode (present day Kerala), who were close allies of the Arab traders ; Kozhikode or Calicut was the most important trading port on the Malabar coast. Plantation crops – Crops such as tea, cotton, sugar, tobacco or other commercial crops which are cultivated in large estates. Henry the Navigator – The Portuguese Prince,(13941460), who established the first navigational school in the world and planned the circumnavigation of Africa. Francisco Pizarro Gonzalez (1476-1541) – Spanish conquistadore, conqueror of the Incan Empire; first European to cross the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and view the Pacific Coast of the New World. Vasco da Gama (1469-1524) – One of the most successful explorers in the Age of Discovery; the Portuguese commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India in 1498. Hernan Cortez (1485-1547) – The Spanish conquistadore who caused the fall of the Aztecs and brought a large portion of Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile; was the governor, captain-general and chief justice of New Spain. Enlightenment – The European movement, which stressed tolerance, reasonableness, common sense, and the encouragement of science and technology. Rationality – The idea of the great 17th century ‘Rationalists’ like Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz, who believed that the general nature of the world could be established by wholly non-empirical demonstrative reasoning. QUIZ Complete 1. Which power captured Constantinople in the 15th century? a. The Arabs b. The Turks c. The Mongols 2. Where did Columbus land in his quest for India? a. America b. India c. West Indies 3. What was the most lucrative item of Portuguese trade in Morocco? a. Slaves b. Gold c. Corn 4. What was the most important item of Spanish trade from Peru? a. b. c. Gold Silver Diamonds 5. Who sent the first expedition to circumnavigate Africa? a. The king of England b. The king of France c. Henry the Navigator 6. Hispaniola is a a. Caribbean island b. Pacific island c. South American region 7. The greatest colonial power in the 15th century was a. England b. France c. Portugal 8. Which power replaced the Portuguese in the East? a. The Dutch b. The French c. The Spaniards 9. Pizarro is credited with defeating the a. Aztecs b. Incas c. Red Indians 10. Which place was called ‘New Spain’? a. Brazil b. Mexico c. Peru FAQ 1. What were the two important events that changed the course of European history in the 15th century? The two important events which changed the course of European history were, the capture of Constantinople by the Turks and the control of the Guinea coast of Africa by the Portuguese. 2. What was the nature of the Annales school of thought? The Annales movement was distinctive for its stance against the established empiric school of thought. Instead of focusing on politics and individuals the historians of the Annales school focused on social groupings, collective mindsets and long term changes. They preferred to rely on a wide range of sources including folklore and literature and did not confine themselves merely to primary helped Portugal documents. 3. What were the factors that expanding to other regions overseas? in Portugal possessed a long seaboard, a considerable fishing and seafaring population and a powerful commercial class largely emancipated from feudal interference. Portugal shippers were also eager to shift from an Atlantic trade, to a more lucrative trade in gold, spices and slaves. 4. Why was the control of Gibraltar so important for the Portuguese? The control of Gibraltar was important for the Portuguese because it was located at a point from which ships could go from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and so would enable them to stop the Arab incursion into those areas. 5. What was the pattern of world trade in the 16th century? Sixteenth century world trade had a triangular pattern. Manufactured products were brought from Europe to Africa. African slaves were taken to the Americas and plantation crops were brought from the Americas to Europe. 6. Why was Henry the Navigator so keen to send expeditions to circumnavigate Africa? Henry the Navigator wanted to circumnavigate Africa for two reasons. One was to find the source of African gold and the other was to encircle the area dominated by Islamic forces. 7. What was the significance of the opening of the sea route to India for the Portuguese? The opening of the sea route to India, enabled the Portuguese with their superior guns to disrupt Arab trade in the Indian Ocean and establish their dominance there, and to force trading concessions from the rulers of the coastal areas of Africa and India, and to establish a sort of monopoly over the trade between Europe and the East which had been dominated by the Muslim merchants. 8. What was the advantage of the English East India Company over the similar companies of other European states? The English East India Company was a private commercial organization whereas the similar companies of most of the other states were government controlled ones. So the English East India Company was free to take its own decisions while others such as the Portuguese or French companies had to wait for decisions to come from the government authorities back in Europe. 9. How did the Portuguese strengthen their authority in the newly acquired territories? Since the Portuguese did not have enough men for defence, they constructed forts and garrisons, which could save them from native opposition. In all the ports held by the Portuguese, the fortress areas containing dockyards and warehouses, barracks and living quarters were set apart. They also had a naval force to protect themselves. 10. What were the motivations for the Spaniards to go to America? The Spaniards initially went to America for private profit and national wealth, rather than as explorers and missionaries. After failing to find a route to the East for the lucrative spice trade they turned their attention to whatever was available in the New World. The lures of landed estates, opportunities for stock raising and of course for precious metals, motivated them to venture forth. ASSIGNMENTS 1. Do you agree that the world order changed its shape in the 15th and 16th centuries A.D.? 2. What was the importance of the fall of Constantinople? How did it affect the Eastern and Western halves of Europe? 3. Discuss the part played by geography and technology in the European exploration of the world. Why did the Islamic forces fail to resist the Europeans? 4. What are the main reasons behind Portuguese success in India and the Far East? Why did the Portuguese Empire in the East collapse? 5. Narrate in brief the history of Spanish explorations. What were its consequences? REFERENCE 1. D. L. Weidner – The History of Africa : South of Sahara. 2. Sir Reginald Coupland – The Exploration of East Africa. (1968 Faber and Faber) 3. D. Macpherson – History of the European Commerce with India. 4. F. G. Danvers – History of the Portuguese in India, 2 volumes. 5. W. Milburn – Oriental Commerce, 2 volumes.(1999 Kessinger Publishing) 6. R.S. Whiteway – Rise of the Portuguese Power in India, 1497-1550. (Westminster Constable) 7. R. B. Merriman – The Rise of the Spanish Empire. ( Cooper Square Publishers Inc. 1962) 8. E. J. Payne – History of the New World called America. ( Oxford 1899) 9. J. Fiske – The Discovery of America. ( 1992 Reprint Services Corp ) 10. B. Penrose – Travel and Discovery in the Renaissance, 1420 – 1620. (Holiday House 1955)