THE SEARCH FOR SPICES

The Beginning of the Global Age

ca 1400s – 1550s

Motivations for Exploring the East

Crusades introduced many Europeans to luxury goods from Asia:

Spices: cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, clovesSpices preserve meat, add flavor, medicine,

perfumesBlack Death and break up of Mongol Empire

disturbs tradePopulation grows again

Spice Islands

The chief source of spices could be found on the Moluccas – an island chain in present day Indonesia

Arabs and Italians controlled tradeEuropeans (outside of Italy) knew it would be

more profitable if they had direct access to Asia

Spice Islands

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese 1415 – Madeira, Azores, and Ceuta (north

Africa)Felt Africa had a lot of promise Convert people to ChristianityAnother source of riches controlled by

Muslims

Prince Henry

Bartholomeu Dias

1488 – Rounded the southern tip of AfricaNamed the Cape of Good Hope – because it

opened the way for a sea route to Asia

Vasco De Gama

1497 – Reaches Calicut on the West coast of India

Half his crew was lostLeft a merchant whose main job was to buy

spices and store it until he returnedPortuguese would seize ports around India

De Gama

Christopher Columbus

• Italian• Believed he could reach Asia by sailing West

across the Atlantic Ocean• Columbus believed the Earth was a sphere• Under estimated the size of the Earth• Portugal refused to sponsor him• King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain financed his

voyage• Strengthen Catholicism• Spanish Inquisition weakened the nation in

affluence and culture• Wanted to Columbus’ voyage to bring them

wealth and prestige

Columbus

Dividing the Globe in Half

Line of Demarcation – divided the non European world into two zones

Spain – east of the line (Americas)Portugal – west of the line (Africa and India)Treaty of TordesillasOther European nations saw this as

arrogance entered the race for world exploration and domination

Treaty of Tordesillas

Waldseemüller Map

America

Ferdinand Magellan

1520 – Reaches the southern tip of South America

Straits of MagellanNames it the Pacific or peaceful1522 – reaches Philippines (he was killed) Crew first to circumnavigate around the

globe

Magellan

Conquest in the Americas

1492 – Explorer Christopher Columbus – Caribbean islands now called West Indies

Repeated cycle of encounter, conquest, death Taino people

Conquistadors

ConquerorsHispaniola – Dominican Republic and HaitiCubaPuerto RicoSeized goldMade them pan/mine for more goldForced conversion to Christianity

Guns, Horses, Disease

Guns and cannons superior to bows and arrows

European armorHorses helpful in suppliesLack of immunity90% of population in the 1500s died from

disease

Cortez

1519 Hernan Cortez – landed on the coast of Mexico

600 men16 horsesA few cannonsBegan an inland trek toward Tenochtitlan –

capital of the Aztec EmpireMalinche – “Dona Maria” Alliances – Other native American groups

despised the Aztecs and helped Cortez

Moctezuma

Leader of the Aztecs Terrified at the “pale skin

bearded strangers” might be Quetzalcoatl – Aztec god king who vowed to return

Montezuma sent presents including gold and silver

They were dazzled by the city

Captured Montezuma fight the Aztecs

Eventually Montezuma is captured and renamed Mexico City

Pizaro Takes Peru

Francisco Pizaro 1532 – captures Athulapa

Atlulapa refuses to be a vassal and convert to Christianity

Held ransomInca pay ransom but

killed anywayInca overrun and

killed by disease

Effects (1500s-1600s)

A few hundred Europeans aided by superior weapons and disease had conquered millions of native Americans

Native American labor to establish gold and silver mines

Treasure fleetsFirst time in history entire world connected