AROUND THE WORLD IN NOT QUITE EIGHTY

DAYSExploration and Consequences

BEFORE THE LATE FIFTEENTH CENTURY Exploration before the late fifteenth

century was largely limited to land travel

Ships were used on the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean trade routes for centuries, but they were linked up to land routes through Persia, Arabia, northern Africa, or central Asia on the Silk Road

Eager to eliminate Muslim middlemen and discover more efficient trade routes to Asia, the Portuguese and their Iberian rivals, the Spanish, set out to sea

“FLOATING EMPIRES OF THE WIND” Advances in navigation, ship-building,

and the development of gunpowder weapons allowed for increased sea travel

These “floating empires of the wind” soon controlled major shipping routes in the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and the Atlantic Ocean

PORTUGAL LEADS THE WAY The increase in European trade

encouraged by the Hanseatic League and the Crusades spawned a search for new, efficient trade routes on the seas

Portugal led the way because it was strategically situated near the coast of Africa, had long-standing trade relations with Muslim nations, and most important of all, was led by a royal family that supported exploration (the head of the royal family was known as Prince Henry the Navigator)

In 1488, Portugal financed a voyage by Bartholomew Dias who rounded the tip of Africa (which became known as the Cape of Good Hope)

In 1497, Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope, explored the east African kingdoms, and then went all the way to India, where he established trade relations

SPAIN Shortly thereafter, Spain, which had

recently been unified under Isabella and Ferdinand, wanted in on the action

In 1492, Christopher Columbus convinced them to finance a voyage to the east by going west

While those who were educated understood that the Earth was a sphere, few people understood how large it was

Despite the fact that some scholars had accurately estimated the Earth’s size, most people, including Columbus, thought it was smaller

As a result, Columbus thought that India and China were located where the American continents were

Columbus sailed, found Cuba and the islands that came to be known as the West Indies, and the exploration of the Americas was underway

TREATY OF TORDESILLAS By 1494, Portugal and Spain were

already fighting over land in the newly found Americas

To resolve their differences, the two countries drew up the Treaty of Tordesillas, which established a line of demarcation on a longitudinal (north-south) line that runs through the western Atlantic Ocean

Everything to the east = Portugal To the west = Spain

ENGLAND, THE NETHERLANDS, AND FRANCE Soon, England, the Netherlands, and

France launched their own expeditions They competed with each other by

rapidly acquiring colonies and conquering new lands

The cost and risk associated with these expeditions made it necessary for explorers to rely on the backing of strong and wealthy states

THE RISE OF NATIONALISM Merchants also wanted protection for

their trade routes, which could also be acquired through allegiance to a particular sovereignty

Colonialism and the expansion of trade routes contributed to the rise of nationalism and the development of strong monarchies

OTHER EXPLORERS Amerigo Vespucci explored South

America on several trips around 1500, realized that the continent was huge and not part of Asia; Americas named for him

Ponce de Leon In 1513, explored Florida for Spain in search of the fountain of youth

Vasco de Balboa In 1513, explored much of Central America for Spain; laid sight on the Pacific Ocean

Ferdinand Magellan In 1519, sailed around the tip of South America to the Pacific Ocean for Portugal…made it as far as Philippines, where he died; his crew continued, however, and became the first to circumnavigate the globe

Giovanni di Verrazano In 1524, he explored the North American coast for France

Sir Francis Drake In 1578, became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe

John Cabot In 1597, explored the coast of North America for England

Henry Hudson In 1609, sailed for the Dutch looking for a northwest passage to Asia; explored the Hudson River and made claims to the area for the Dutch

THE POWER OF INNOVATION In the late fifteenth century, innovation

was combined with determination to apply new technologies to political and economic goals

THE TECHNOLOGIES Advanced mapmaking techniques Sternpost rudder (invented in China during

the Han Dynasty) Lateen Sails (allowed ships to sail in any

direction regardless of wind) Astrolabe (portable navigation device by

measuring the distance of the sun and stars above the horizon helped determine latitude)

Magnetic Compass (borrowed from Chinese, through trade with Arabs…allowed sailors to determine direction without staying in the sight of land)

Three-Masted Caravels large ships employed significantly larger sails could hold provisions for longer journeys in their larger cargo rooms

By the late fifteenth century, these inventions had converged on one continent largely through trade

This continent (Europe) was fiercely competitive about trade routes, newly wealthy, increasingly organized under strong leaders, and racing with the innovation and imagination of the Renaissance

CONFLICT ON THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT With explorations, commercial

exploitation, and wealth of the New World came further conflict on the European continent as well as in the colonies

At first, the Dutch were the most successful in the competition with the Iberian peninsula for overseas control, for they had an efficient merchant ship (the flyboat) that was able to challenge Portuguese control in the East Indies to establish Dutch interests in the New World

The Netherlands monopolized whaling in the Arctic and trade in the Baltic

Temporarily (until 1664) they controlled New Amsterdam (New York), the northeast coast of Brazil (until 1654), and the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa

But the Netherlands became entangled in a series of wars with France and England, and lacked the manpower and resources necessary to compete with mightier neighbors

ENGLAND AND FRANCE England and France became supreme in

the commercial rivalry of the eighteenth century, in part because of their high industrial production and in part because of the fact that their governments were organized on a national scale

Over half of England’s trade became transoceanic, whereas only one-third of France’s trade was involved overseas – the other two-thirds were in Europe and the Near East

The eventual decline of the Netherlands and the Iberian powers left England and France to fight for the mastery of the New World and to maintain a balance of power on the European continent

Conflicts for control for North America, India, and eventually Africa, as well as for supremacy at home, were fought in 1679 – 1689 (King William’s War) and 1701- 1713 (The War of the Spanish Succession or Queen Anne’s War)

The Peace of Utrecht in 1713 partitioned the Spanish empire: Belgium, Naples, Sicily, and Milan went to the Austrian Hapsburgs, Sardinia to the Duke of Savoy and Minorca and Gibraltar to England

England also acquired Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Hudson Bay area from France

Then followed the War of the Austrian Succession (King George’s War) in 1740-1748 and the Seven Years’ War in 1756-1763

Although there were eight years between them, they were essentially the same war, for their causes were the same:

1. A struggle between Britain and France for colonies, trade and mastery of the seas

2. A duel between Prussia and Austria for power in Central Europe

THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR The Seven Years’ War began in America

but soon spread to Europe On the continent, it was merely another

war of partition The Marquis of Montcalm was finally

defeated by General James Wolfe at Quebec, and Joseph Dupleix was defeated by Robert Clive in India

The deciding factor in the colonies was the superior strength of the British navy

After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, England was in control of North America and India, supreme on the seas, and, hence, the most powerful nation in the world

France surrendered the St. Lawrence Valley and all territory east of the Mississippi in America

Spain lost Florida to the British, and France lost all her fortifications in India

IN SUMMARY The fifteenth century was a dynamic

century, which saw many radical changes

New political, economic, religious and dynastic forces were at work throughout western Europe, and all of these challenged feudal society - sealing the fate of the landed aristocracy and, to some degree, that of the Church in Rome

Changes affected all classes of society, but none so profoundly as the bourgeoisie

It was during the 15th century that a new class of merchants, ship-builders, tradesmen and others appeared - living in and around Europe's old medieval towns

This class was to ally itself with the monarchs of Europe, and nothing illustrates this merchant-monarch alliance better than the career of Christopher Columbus

A son of Genoa and a member of the new aspiring class, Columbus' ultimate success came as a direct result of having forged an unparalleled alliance with Isabella and Ferdinand, the Catholic monarchs of Spain

Although there were some attempts on the part of China to extend its influence westward around India before the 15th century, almost all subsequent efforts at discovery of far-away lands and seas have been made by western explorers

This is why there has been such an overwhelming European bias to the traditional commemoration of the Age of Discovery of the 15th and 16th centuries

The explorations of this time led to a worldwide expansion of European power in many ways…As always, it was the victor who wrote the history of the age, and the people and countries that made the discoveries were the main beneficiaries of the new wealth and glory

Clearly, Europeans were not the only people to initiate voyages of discovery

The peoples of North Africa and Asia, long before the 15th century, had sailed into unknown seas and explored distant lands

These discoveries, however, for the most part, either were kept secret to protect lucrative trade routes or resulted in only small additions to a larger picture

And before the time of the printing press, which led to the great expansion of learning at the time of the European Renaissance (roughly 1400 to 1550), the discoveries were known only within limited regions of the world

Exploration on a grand scale can only occur when great changes in technology or in political power make new ways of travelling possible

It was the rise of the European national monarchies, with their profound political and dynastic influence, that most helped to encourage the new spirit of adventure

To a 15th-century explorer, royal sponsorship was a necessity, not a luxury

Who else but a monarch could conduct diplomatic relations, colonize land and create an ultramarine government?

It was no coincidence that the Age of Discovery occurred at the same time as the appearance of the first truly national governments in western Europe