Why did european monarchs of the 15th century sponsor the voyages of many explorers?
01 - Exploration and ExpansionMotive and Means • The Portuguese Trading Empire
By the 1490s, both Spain and Portugal had explored new lands. Both countries were afraid that the other might claim some of its newly discovered territories. In 1494, they signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. This treaty created a line of demarcation, an imaginary line that extended from north to south through the Atlantic Ocean and the easternmost part of South America. Unexplored territories east of the line would be controlled by Portugal. Those west of the line would be controlled by Spain. The treaty gave Portugal control over its route around Africa. It gave Spain rights to almost all of the Americas. The governments of many countries began to sponsor expeditions to the Americas. A Venetian seaman, John Cabot, explored the New England coastline for England. The Portuguese sea captain Pedro Cabral landed in South America in 1500. Amerigo Vespucci went along on several voyages and wrote letters describing what he saw. His letters led to the use of the name America for the new lands. Europeans called these lands the New World, but they were only new to the Europeans. They already had flourishing civilizations when the Europeans arrived.
• The Spanish Empire
The Spanish then established a colony in the Philippines. Spanish ships carried silver from Mexico to the Philippines and returned to Mexico with silk and other luxury goods. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, an English fleet landed on the northwestern coast of India and established trade relations with the people there. The first Dutch fleet arrived in India in 1595. Shortly after, the Dutch formed the East India Company and
began competing with the English and the Portuguese. The Dutch also formed the West India Company to compete in the Americas. They established the Dutch colony of New Netherlands in the Hudson River valley. However, the English seized the colony of New Netherlands and renamed it New York. They also founded Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. By 1700, the English had established a colonial empire along the eastern seaboard of North America. The French were also interested in the Americas
and colonized parts of what is now Canada and Louisiana. In the 1500s and 1600s, European nations established trading posts and colonies in the Americas and the East. A colony is a settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the parent country by trade and direct government control. Colonies played a role in the theory of mercantilism, a set of principles that dominated economic thought in the seventeenth century. According to mercantilists, the
prosperity of a nation depended on a large supply of bullion (gold and silver). To bring in gold and silver, nations tried to have a favorable balance of trade. The balance of trade is the difference in value between what a nation imports and what it exports over time. When the balance is favorable, the goods exported are of greater value than those imported. To encourage exports, governments stimulated export industries and trade. They granted subsidies, or payments, to new
industries and improved transportation systems. They tried to keep foreign goods out of their own countries by placing high tariffs (taxes) on these goods. Colonies were important because they were sources of raw materials and were markets for finished goods.
Visual Diagram of the Columbian Exchange
02 - Africa in an Age of Transition
During the next two centuries, the trade in slaves grew dramatically and became part of the triangular trade. In the triangular trade system, European ships carried manufactured goods, such as guns and cloth, to Africa, where they were traded for a cargo of slaves. The slaves were then shipped to the Americas and sold. Europeans then bought tobacco, molasses, sugar, and raw cotton and shipped them back to
Europe. As many as ten million African slaves were brought to the Americas between the early sixteenth and the late nineteenth centuries. The journey from Africa to the Americas became known as the Middle Passage, the middle portion of the triangular trade route. Many slaves died on the journey. Those who arrived often died because they had little or no immunity to diseases. Before Europeans became involved in the slave trade, most slaves in Africa were
prisoners of war. Slaves were sold at slave markets on the coasts. At first, African slave traders got their supplies of slaves from coastal areas nearby. As the demand for slaves increased, they began to move farther inland to find their victims. Many local rulers traded slaves. They viewed slaves as a source of income. Many sent raiders into defenseless villages in search of victims. Some local rulers became concerned about the impact of the slave trade on their societies, but their protests
were generally ignored by Europeans and other Africans. The slave trade led to the depopulation of some areas. It also took the youngest and strongest men and women from many communities. The need to provide a constant supply of slaves led to increased warfare in Africa. Coastal leaders increased their raids on neighboring peoples. Of course, the slave trade always had tragic effects on the lives of individual victims and their families. The slave trade also had a devastating effect on some
African states. In Benin, for example, the slave trade caused the population to decline and warfare to increase. As time went on, the people of Benin lost their faith in their gods, their art deteriorated, and human sacrifice became more common.
Political and Social Structures 03 - Southeast Asia & the Spice TradeEmerging Mainland States The Arrival of Europeans Religious and Political Systems 04 - Amistad
What were the causes of European voyages of exploration in the 15th century?Along with the idea of looking for new trade routes, they also hoped to find new sources of gold, silver, and other valuables. Additionally, Europeans saw exploration as a way to bring Christianity to other cultures that lived in other lands.
Why did European monarchs encourage exploration?In addition, monarchs created incentives for explorers to find all-water passages to Asia. Believing that by controlling trade with Asia a nation became powerful, monarchs invested time and money in exploration.
Why did people want to explore the world in the 15th century?The most common reason was trade. The OLD WORLD wanted Asian spices, African ivory, and gold. European traders were soon also seizing lands and trying to convert the local populations to the Christian faith. Many explorers, though, were driven by a sense of adventure or scientific inquiry.
What was the purpose of European exploration between the 15th and 19th centuries?New trade, and the search for gold and spices were the three main motives behind Europe's thirst for exploration and discovery. Trade with Asia and Africa was shrinking, Europe's gold supply was drained, and spices were growing in demand, forcing Europe to send explorers in search of new resources and trade.
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