Chapter Three

Contact and Conflict

 

History Reconsidered

·        The view that lands were discovered my Europeans and not people living in these areas were the ones who encountered Euros is common

 

The World in 1450

A Medieval View

·        15th century held a revolution in geographic knowledge

·        Geography, book written by Ptolemy, contained famous map of the world

o       Portrayed the world as a globe, divided into 360 degrees longitude, three continents, two oceans; underestimated land to water ratio as well as size of the earth

·        Large amounts of mythology with far off places

The Wider World in 1450

·        The dominate civilization in the first half of the last millennium was not Euro, it was China

o       Most populous, most technology, powerful military

·        15th century other societies thriving; Ottoman and Muscovite states, Mesoamerica, Inca, Africa

·        Why were the Euros the ones to explore?...

 

Fate, Fortune, and Faith

The Rise of Capitalism

·        15th century saw emergence of powerful banking families: Medicis of Florence, Fuggers of Augsbers  à changed view of wealth

·        Primary importance was to use money to make money

·        Capitalism: relies on organization of capital, labour, raw materials to produce surplus wealth

o       Provided motive for powerful merchants to sponsor exploration

·        Changed nature of long distance trade; merchants did not look as much for luxury goods but for raw, unprocessed materials to be refined by Euro manufacturers

Searching for Wealth

·        India and Orient supplying Euro with spices, silks, herbs

o       These exotic goods leady many to believe there was a terrestrial paradise; reflected importance of trade between Euro and Orient

·        Turkish conquest of Constantinople 1453 – created problem for Euro merchants

·        Ottomans regulated goods by imposing duties – goods either not available or too expensive

o       Western merchants were forced to look elsewhere

Geography

·        Secure riches provided motivation for Euros to explore – geographic fate provided opportunity

·        All Euro powers that engaged in overseas exploration had one thing: Atlantic Ocean

·        Greatest maritime discovery – cracking codes of Atlantic wind systems

Technological Developments

·        Quadrant and Astrolabe allowed sailors to sail past the vision of land

·        Mapmaking allowed for geographic documentation of long-distance travels

·        15th century, Portuguese developed new sailing ship, without slaves paddling

o       25 meters long, triangle sail allowed for faster and even upwind travel

The Search for Souls

·        Religion was also a major reason for exploration in 15th and 16th centuries

·        Expansion of Islamic empire of Ottoman Turks lead to Euro uneasiness

o       Some voyages taken in hopes of finding Christian allies

·        Reformation began with posting of Luther’s 95 theses – split Christendom into Catholic, Protestant, and Anabaptist faiths

o       Euro kingdoms either adopted Protestant or defended Catholic Church

·        Rivalries developed battles for souls – more incentive for exploration and colonization – developed into face to win converts

·        Overseas colonies became places for people to practice their religions free from persecution

Discoveries

·        Age of Euro exploration/expansion began 1414 when Portuguese captured Muslim port; opened door to Euro exploration in the south Atlantic

·        Need for raw materials to feed Euro capitalism and blockades of Ottoman Turks lead Euros to search for a path to the riches of Asia

·        Portuguese opened route to India 1487

·        Columbus came upon islands of Caribbean 1492; Spanish continued by exploring mainland of South and Central America

·        Spanish discovered Americas as well as a route to Asia – first circumnavigation of the globe

Trial of Columbus

·        Following discovery of Americas Columbus made Viceroy of Espanola

·        Efforts to establish Spanish colonies and spread Christianity came under criticism by King Ferdinand of Spain – sent Bobadilla to investigate in 1500

·        Bobadilla sent Columbus back to Spain in chains; Bobadilla governed island colonies and investigated charges

·        Book Caribbean states that Columbus was imaginative, a genius, but could not govern because he was always looking for the future and finish what he started

o       Thousands of Tainos people were slaughtered; became extinct

·        Bobadillo never returned to Spain with findings; drowned on return journey

·        Columbus exonerated and sailed final voyage in 1502 – died 1506 without reaching Asia

The Clash of Empires

·        Euro explorers encountered complex and developed societies on each continent visited

·        Trade began as mutually beneficial – Euro thirst for conquest and control lead to clashes of empires all over the world

 

The Ottoman Empire

·        Motivation for Euro exploration was expansion of Ottoman Empire

·        Ottoman Empire moved west, converted to Islam, became driving force behind renewed Muslim expansion

·        Ottoman Empire reached its peak under leadership of Suleiman the first

·        He extended Empire throughout Middle East, North Africa, Balkans, almost Vienna

·        Euro monarchs would now have to consider Empire when planning diplomatic and military affairs

·        Euros wanted to protect trade and boundaries – relationship developed

o       Individual alliances between Muslim sultans and Euro kings

o       France and Ottomans allied against Hapsburgs in Spain

·        Pre-18th century Ottoman Empire and Western adversaries were equal powers

·        Ottomans fell behind in military might and technical skills; Ottomans unable to expand or improve military

·        Euro was able to make the necessary changes – better medical practices, new foods

o       Got wealth by exploiting mines and fields in overseas colonies

 

Exploring The Americas

The Conquest of the Aztecs

·        Euros found cities as complex as their own in Aztec and Inca capitals

·        Prejudice and greed soon took over; Spaniards came into Mexico wanting fortunes by exploiting Indian  labour, and taking Indian land

·        Radical depopulation took place; disease, forced labour, slavery, demoralization

·        Cattle, sheep, goats introduced – needs had to be met

·        Population of central Mexico declined about 95% by end of 16th century

·        Invading Euros brought diseases

·        Aztecs starved and plagued to defeat; Spanish conquistadors prevailed

The Conquest of the Incas

·        Inca, in 90 years, developed an empire that exceeded all in the New World; military, administration, sophisticated, powerful à brought down by single event

·        Encounter between Inca emperor Atawallpa and Francisco Pizarro

·        Spanish attacked Atawallpa’s retinue  and army; no Inca offered armed resistance

o       End of day – 7000 Indians dead; extracted huge ransom; executed Atawallpa

·        Inca succumbed to Spanish invaders and destroyed by disease

·        Overall, biological disaster that allowed Euros to conquer Inca Empire

 

West Meets East

China

·        In attempts to establish trade relations with China and Japan Euros had to adapt to existing economy

·        16th century China was highly centralized and bureaucratized

·        Dutch tried to establish base in China but remained transporter of goods within established trade circle; couldn’t make themselves essential to trade

·        Chinese decided to limit foreign contact to commercial relations and only on selected costal sites

·        No Euro power ever established monopoly in trade with Chinese

·        English and Portuguese became competitive with Dutch showing them they were never an essential role in Asian world economy

Japan

·        16th century Japan was unstable making it easier for Euros to penetrate; lead by Portuguese Jesuit and Spanish Franciscan missionaries

·        Tried to Christianize the Japanese

·        Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, then shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu united Japan and moved seat of government to Edo (Tokyo)

·        Ieyasu brought Japan peace and order

·        Expelled all foreigners, crucified Native Christian converts that rebelled in 1638

·        No foreigner allowed to live on Japanese soil; beginning of seclusion policy

·        Japan remained isolated from the world for the next 250 years

 

Human Servitude

Origins of Slavery in Africa

·        Slavery existed in Africa before Euros arrived

·        Euro slavers used religion as a reason for: baptizing shiploads of Africans saying they should be grateful for slavery because it lead them to Jesus

·        Spanish and Portuguese dominated slave trade across Atlantic during 16th century; 17th century it was the Dutch

·        Trade in captives abolished in 19th century, as did slavery à last emancipation was in Brazil in 1888

·        1663 Royal Adventurers of England founded; slaves branded with “dy”

·        Result of exploitation of Africans as slaves was: depopulation (mostly young males) and the consequent underdevelopment of Africa

·        All of the above contributed to continuing status of African countries as developing nations today

The Evolving European World System

·        The Modern World-System by Immanuel Wallerstein – a capitalist world economy developed out of Euro trade

·        Two other world economies coexisted with Euro: Asia and Russia

·        Euro economy was capitalist throwing it into markets and resources of the world

·        Various workers to fuel new world economy: slaves, serfs, “tenant” and “yeomen” farmer à worked the land for the upper classes

Early Contact

·        Spanish discovered largest concentrations of precious metals in the Americas – Aztec Empire and Inca Empire

·        Both civilizations doomed to military defeat and population collapse from disease and intermarriage with conquerors

·        Rivalry between Spain and Portugal over discovered lands – tensions, papacy tried to help with Treaty of Tordesillas à divided respective areas of exploration along line of longitude

·        Spanish concentrated more on settlement than trade; enslaved Native peoples

·        Abuses of slavery; Taino people became extinct;

Trading Companies

·        East India Company (1600) to trade for spices with the Indian Malabar Coast

·        United East India Company (1602) to trade with Indonesia and Malaya

·        French East India Company (1604) in northern France

·        Dutch United West India Company (1621) in Netherlands to deal with furs and slaves

·        Set up by government initiatives and exploited overseas markets

o       Awarded monopoly rights, exemption from taxes, right to own land…

·        The Netherlands was able to develop a large empire; and the Dutch played a dominant role in various area of the world

 

Cross-Cultural Exchange

Europe Abroad

·        Passing of knowledge between Euro and wider-world was a two-way process

·        Information as well as cultures came back to Euro and Euro did the same in other places

Euro-American Societies

·        Euro-American was a blend of European and American cultures

·        South America – Spanish adapted Inca tribute system: encomienda

o       Designed to ensure the well-being of all members, good and bad, of a society

o       Spanish found tribute system good for their exploitation of Peru

·        The way Spanish adapted the tribute system to their needs so insensitivity to Inca tradition and their greed

o       Seized lands set aside for the Inca state and Cult of the Sun

o       Tribute crops supplied by Indians no longer in reserve for famine

o       Did not redistribute wealth for benefit of all

New Foods

·        Greatest impact form Columbus, on return visit in 1493

o       He brought horses, pigs, wheat, chickpeas, veggie seeds, fruit trees

·        Euros later brought: chickens, barley, oats, rye, coffee, sugar from Africa

·        Corn made a big impact, so did the potato

·        Other New World foods that entered Euro diets were: chocolate, peanuts, vanilla, pineapple, lima beans, peppers

·        Dutch attacked Portuguese colony in 17th century to try and take over sugar plantations

The Rise of Colonial Empires

·        Read page 122 and look at map on page 122