Establishment of Maritime Empires

Motivations Behind Maritime Empire Building

• Gold, God, and Glory: These were the primary motivations that drove European states to build maritime empires.
  • Economic Enrichment: Desire for wealth through trade and resources.
  • Religious Spread: Aim to convert heathens to Christianity.
  • Prestige and Rivalry: The drive to be the greatest state.

Key European Powers and Their Strategies

Portugal

• Trading Post Empire: First to establish control around Africa and the Indian Ocean.
• Military Dominance: Equipped caravels with heavy artillery to control trade by force rather than peaceful participation.

Spain

• Colonization in the Philippines: Different from Portugal's trading posts; established full colonies.
• Methods: Used tribute systems, taxation, and coerced labor, similar to their American colonies.

The Netherlands

• Dutch Dominance: Quickly overtook Portuguese control in the Indian Ocean with advanced fluyts.
• Methods: Similar to Portuguese, focused on trade dominance and control.

Britain

• Initial Struggles: Had difficulty due to insufficient military power against the Mughal Empire.
• Trade Posts in India: Set up trading posts which eventually turned into full colonial rule by the 18th century.

Continuity and Change in the Indian Ocean Trade

• Continued Use by Asian Merchants: Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian merchants continued to use the trade network.
  • Economic Benefits: Increased profits even with European involvement.
  • Power Increase: Merchants like the Gujaratis and the Mughal Empire grew wealthier and more powerful.

Resistance to European Domination

Tokugawa Japan

• Unification and Initial Openness: Initially open to European trade but identified Christianity as a threat.
• Expulsion of Missionaries: Expelled Christian missionaries to prevent cultural fracturing.

Ming China

• Isolationist Policies: Initially sought to control Indian Ocean trade (Zheng He voyages).
• Restricting European Trade: Expelled Portuguese due to their underhanded trade practices.

Impact on African States

Asante Empire

• Economic Partnership: Key trader with Portuguese and British, providing gold, ivory, and enslaved laborers.
• Military Expansion: Economic strength enabled military growth and resistance against colonization.

Kingdom of the Congo

• Diplomatic and Economic Ties with Portugal: Traded gold, copper, and enslaved people; conversion to Christianity by leaders.

Developments in the Americas

• Agricultural Economies: Focused on agriculture, requiring new and existing labor systems.

Labor Systems

• Existing Systems: Continued use of the Inca Mita system for labor.
• New Systems Introduced:
  • Chattel Slavery: Race-based, hereditary slavery.
  • Indentured Servitude: Contractual labor for passage to colonies.
  • Encomienda System: Coerced labor system similar to feudalism.
  • Hacienda System: Large estates focusing on food export.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

• Continuity: African slave trade existed in Mediterranean and Indian Ocean networks.
  • Roles in Islamic World: Domestic servants, and in some cases, military or political positions.

Changes in the Americas

• Demographic Impact: Preference for male slaves, affecting African states.
• Scale: Over 12.5 million Africans transported over 350 years.
• Racial Component: Slavery became tied to race, providing justification for brutal treatment.