2.1 Portuguese Exploration and Spanish Conquest

Introduction

• Portuguese exploration and Spanish conquest were pivotal in the development of the Atlantic World.
• These explorations led to significant European expansion and the beginning of globalization.

Portuguese Exploration

Key Figures

• Prince Henry the Navigator: spearheaded Portugal's exploration of Africa and the Atlantic.

Achievements

• Established a trade empire with footholds in Africa, India, and Brazil.
• Colonized Atlantic islands: Canary, Cape Verde, Azores, and Madeira.
• Controlled key nautical trade routes with strategic holdings of islands and ports.

Impacts

• Introduced European interest in the African slave trade.
• Established sugar plantations on Atlantic islands using enslaved Africans.

Important Sites

• Elmina Castle: A trading post in Ghana, used later as a holding pen for enslaved Africans.

Spanish Exploration and Conquest

Key Figures

• Christopher Columbus: Sponsored by Spain to find a westward route to India.
• Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro: Notable conquistadors.

Historical Context

• Ferdinand and Isabella unified Spain and completed the Reconquista in 1492, expanding Catholicism and seeking commercial advantage over Portugal.

Achievements

• Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492.
• Established first European settlements in the Caribbean, Central, and South America.

Treaty of Tordesillas

• Divided the New World between Spain and Portugal along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands.

The Conquests

• Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire with help from native allies and diseases like smallpox.
• Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire, founded Lima, and fought off both natives and Spanish rivals.

Cultural and Political Impacts

• Spanish exploration led to immense wealth from gold and silver.
• Contributed to the Spanish Golden Age, funding the flourishing of Spanish arts and literature.
• Prominent figures: Miguel de Cervantes, Diego Velázquez, and El Greco.

Spanish Golden Age

• Marked by a flourishing of art and literature funded by New World riches.
• Notable works: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
• Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, reflecting Spain’s cultural vibrance.

Conclusion

• Portuguese and Spanish explorations were central to the development of the modern world.
• Established patterns of colonization and exploitation that would shape global history.