The Age of Exploration: Crash Course European History #4

Crash Course European History: The Age of Exploration

The Impact of the Ottoman Empire

• John Green introduces the significance of the fall of Constantinople in May 1453, marking a pivotal moment that changed global dynamics.

• Ottoman control over southeastern Europe forced European kingdoms to seek alternative trading routes, igniting exploration from the Iberian Peninsula.

Portugal's Role in Exploration

• Prince Henry, known as "The Navigator," played a crucial role by funding exploration and developing navigation tools during Portugal's impoverished state.

• Inspired by Mansa Musa’s wealth, Portuguese explorers sought riches in Africa, leading to their ventures along the Atlantic coast for food, gold, and slaves.

Trade Dynamics and Relationships

• Portuguese traders kidnapped locals for slave markets while establishing stone fortresses that served as trading posts along the African coast.

• Many Portuguese men formed partnerships with wealthy African women traders who were essential for local market connections and trade networks.

Expanding Horizons: Indian Ocean Commerce

• Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, paving the way for further Portuguese exploration into Indian Ocean commerce.

• Vasco Da Gama encountered sophisticated Muslim merchants upon reaching India in 1498, challenging preconceived notions about exploration being a quest for empty lands.

Contrasting Empires: Portugal vs. Spain

• By the seventeenth century, Portugal had established a trading empire focused on controlling shipping routes rather than land ownership.

• In contrast, Spain's empire began with Columbus’s voyages in 1492 aimed at colonization and extracting wealth directly from conquered lands.

Columbus's Journey and Its Implications

• Columbus sought support from Spanish monarchs after failing to gain backing from Portugal; his expeditions were driven by religious motives alongside economic ambitions.

Colonization and Its Impacts

The Colonization Model

• The colonization model adopted by Spain and later by Portugal in Brazil was primarily focused on benefiting the colonizers, with a secondary aim of converting indigenous populations to Christianity.

Wealth Generation through Exploitation

• Much of the wealth generated from these empires stemmed from treating human beings as property, notably through the slave trade and forced labor of colonized peoples.

Indigenous Perspectives on Colonization

• For indigenous communities, colonization resulted in severe impoverishment: loss of land, life, religious beliefs, and community assets. In contrast, colonizers viewed it as an opportunity for wealth accumulation.

Magellan's Circumnavigation

• Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition (1519-1522) circumnavigated the globe despite facing mutinies and harsh conditions. His journey opened up global transportation and exchange but also led to warfare and pandemics.

Spanish Conquests in the New World

• Hernan Cortés encountered wealthy indigenous civilizations like the Aztecs in Mexico. He was astonished by their sophistication and wealth, which contrasted sharply with European norms at that time.

Indigenous Empires: Aztecs and Incas

Encountering Advanced Civilizations

• Both Cortés and Francisco Pizarro were impressed by the advanced societies they encountered—the Aztecs' vast empire with its capital Tenochtitlan and the Incas’ extensive road systems along South America’s west coast.

Alliances with Rival Communities

• To conquer these empires, both Cortés and Pizarro relied on alliances with rival indigenous groups who provided support against their common enemies.

Navigational Advances in Exploration

Iberian Motivations for Exploration

• Iberians were driven to explore due to poverty and Catholic faith but faced disadvantages in manufacturing skills compared to other cultures. Their strengths lay in sailing expertise and weaponry.

Technological Innovations in Navigation

• The Portuguese improved navigation techniques using triangular sails borrowed from Arabs combined with square-rigged sails for better wind utilization. They also utilized various navigational instruments for determining latitude.

The Role of Local Knowledge

Importance of Local Intermediaries

• Early European explorers often depended on local people for navigation knowledge, especially within complex trading networks where they lacked familiarity with goods available at ports.

Key Figures: Malinche's Contribution

The Impact of European Colonization in the 1530s

Territorial Disputes Between Spain and Portugal

• The 1530s saw significant chaos among the Iberian kingdoms due to competing claims over newly discovered lands, leading to disputes between Spain and Portugal.

• The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, established a permanent line of demarcation for territorial claims, located 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands.

• A subsequent treaty in 1529 further defined boundaries for both countries within the Indian Ocean and Pacific regions.

Consequences of Contact with Indigenous Populations

• European contact resulted in catastrophic consequences for indigenous populations, primarily due to diseases like smallpox and measles rather than direct military conquest.

• It is estimated that up to ninety percent of the indigenous American population perished as a result of these diseases, which spread rapidly and decimated entire communities along with their cultural traditions.

Economic Transformation Through Colonization

• The colonization efforts proved highly profitable for Spain and Portugal, transforming them from impoverished kingdoms into wealthy powers within a century.