Lecture Notes: Opposition to the Expansion of Sea-Based Empires (1450-1750)

Introduction

• Expansion of European Maritime Empires led to centralization of power.
• Opposition arose both in home countries and colonized regions.
• Discussion of three key examples of resistance.

Examples of Resistance

1. The Fronde in France

• Context: Louis XIV and Absolutism
  • Monarchs consolidated power (Absolutism).
  • Louis XIV's expansionary wars required increased taxation.
• Resistance: The Fronde
  • Led by French nobility and peasants against increased taxes.
  • Resulted in spontaneous rebellions lasting for 6 years.
  • Ultimately crushed, leading to increased monarchical power.

2. Queen Anna Nzinga’s Resistance in Africa

• Context: Portuguese encroachment in West Africa.
• Resistance: Alliances and Warfare
  • Nzinga allied with the Dutch and the Kingdom of Kongo.
  • Successfully resisted Portuguese armies.

3. The Pueblo Revolt in North America

• Context: Spanish missionary abuses and forced labor.
  • Pueblo population decreased drastically due to disease and labor.
• Resistance: Rebellion of 1680
  • Led by a local leader, Pope.
  • Temporarily expelled Spanish, but Spanish regained control a decade later.

Resistance by Enslaved People

• Context: Agriculture focused on cash crops like sugar, rice, tobacco.
  • Enslaved Africans were essential to this economic model.

Maroon Societies

• Located mainly in the Caribbean and Brazil.
• Communities of free blacks formed by runaway enslaved Africans.
• British in Jamaica attempted to crush these societies.
  • Maroon societies were fortified by natural geography.
  • 1738 Treaty recognized their freedom.

The Stono Rebellion

• Occurred in 1739 in South Carolina.
• Enslaved individuals revolted by storming an armory and killing enslavers.
• Eventually crushed by local militia.
• Created fear among slaveholding colonies.

Conclusion

• Expansion of Empires met with significant resistance from various groups.
• Resistance was both successful and unsuccessful at different times.
• Important to recognize the agency of those who resisted imperial expansion.

Additional Resources

• Video note guides available for further study.
• Encouragement to continue reviewing to solidify understanding of the course content.