Establishment of Maritime Empires

Overview

• Motives: Gold, God, and Glory led European states to develop Maritime Empires.
• Competition and rivalry between European states.

European Powers and Their Methods

Portuguese

• Established a trading post Empire around Africa and the Indian Ocean.
• Utilized armed vessels to dominate trade networks.
• Focused on owning and controlling rather than participating peacefully.

Spanish

• Established colonies in the Philippines and used tribute systems, taxation, and coerced labor, similar to their colonies in the Americas.

Dutch

• Took over the Indian Ocean trade from the Portuguese with advanced ships called flouts.
• Used similar methods to the Portuguese for establishing dominance.

British

• Initially set up trading posts in India, struggling against the Mughal Empire.
• Transformed trading posts into colonial rule later, specifically in the 18th century.
• Similar colonial expansion in Indonesia.

Resistance to European Dominance

Tokugawa Japan

• Expelled Christian missionaries and suppressed Christianity to prevent cultural fracturing.

Ming China

• Implemented isolationist trade policies and expelled Portuguese traders to resist European dominance.

Impact on Trade and Local Powers

• Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian merchants continued benefiting from trade networks.
• European entrance increased profits for both Europeans and traditional merchants.

African States

Asante Empire

• Became wealthy through trade with Portuguese and British, expanding military and power.

Kingdom of the Congo

• Formed diplomatic ties with Portuguese, enhancing economic prosperity.

American Colonial Economies

• Relied on agriculture, necessitating labor systems.

Existing Systems

• Spanish utilized Inca Mita system for silver mining.

Introduced Systems

• Race-based chattel slavery.
• Indentured servitude.
• Encomienda and hacienda systems by the Spanish.

Development of Slavery

• African slave trade was not new and continued historic patterns.
• Atlantic slave trade marked by massive scale and racial components, altering demographics and justifying brutal treatment.

---

Key Takeaways: European pursuit of gold, God, and glory led to the establishment of Maritime Empires, marked by competition, dominance over trade networks, economic exploitation of colonies, and resistance by affected regions. The introduction and adaptation of labor systems, especially in the Americas, demonstrated a blend of continuity and change, notably in the form of racialized slavery.