Establishment of Maritime Empires

Overview

• European states transitioned from trading in Indian Ocean networks to building Maritime Empires.
• Motivations: Gold, God, and Glory—economic enrichment, spreading Christianity, and achieving state supremacy.

Key European Powers and Their Strategies

Portuguese

• Trading Post Empire: Focus on controlling trade by force rather than peaceful participation.
• Armed their ships to establish dominance around Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Spanish

• Colonial Empire: Established full-blown colonies in the Philippines.
• Used tribute systems, taxation, and coerced labor similar to their American colonies.

Dutch

• Trade Dominance: Quickly became dominant in Indian Ocean trade, displaced Portuguese control.
• Utilized advanced ships (fluyts) and similar tactics to Portuguese.

British

• Initially struggled to establish control in India due to stronger Mughal Empire.
• Started with trading posts along Indian coast, later expanded to colonial rule in the 18th century.

Resistance to European Domination

Tokugawa Japan

• United under a Shogun, initially open to trade with Europeans.
• Expelled Christian missionaries to prevent cultural fracturing.

Ming China

• Initially sought to control maritime trade (Zheng He voyages).
• Shifted to isolationist policies; expelled Portuguese traders.

Impact on African States

Asante Empire

• Developed economic relationships with Portuguese and British, enriching and empowering the empire.
• Provided goods like gold, ivory, and enslaved laborers.

Kingdom of Kongo

• Established strong ties with Portuguese traders.
• Enriched by trade in gold, copper, and enslaved people.

Colonial Economies in the Americas

• Largely structured around agriculture, required labor systems.

Existing and New Labor Systems

• Mita System: Adapted by Spanish from Inca system for silver mining.
• Race-based Chattel Slavery: Enslaved Africans used mainly in plantations, hereditary and property-based.
• Indentured Servitude: Europeans signed contracts for labor in exchange for passage.
• Encomienda System: Forced labor system for indigenous peoples similar to feudal obligations.
• Hacienda System: Large estates focused on agriculture and economic output.

Development of Slavery

Continuity

• African slave trade existed before European Maritime Empires in Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.
• In the Islamic world, enslaved people often held domestic, military, or political roles.

Change

• Transatlantic Slave Trade: Much larger scale with over 12.5 million Africans sold during 350 years.
• Racial Component: Slavery in Americas identified with Blackness, justifying brutality and dehumanization by Europeans.

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