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Rise of European Maritime Empires

Apr 24, 2025

Establishment of Maritime Empires

Overview

  • European states began establishing maritime empires for wealth, religious spread, and global dominance (Gold, God, and Glory).
  • Various European powers competed for control over global trade and territories.

Key European Powers and Their Strategies

Portuguese

  • Established the first trading post empire around Africa and the Indian Ocean.
  • Armed their ships heavily to dominate trade rather than participate peacefully.

Spanish

  • Set up base in the Philippines and established full-blown colonies.
  • Used tribute systems, taxation, and coerced labor, similar to their American colonies.

Dutch

  • Entered Indian Ocean trade with advanced ships, quickly overtaking the Portuguese.
  • Used methods similar to the Portuguese to establish dominance.

British

  • Initially struggled to establish control in India due to military limitations.
  • Set up trading posts, later transitioning to colonial rule in the 18th century.

Asian Resistance and Continuity

Tokugawa Japan

  • Initially open to trade, but expelled Christian missionaries to prevent cultural fracturing.

Ming China

  • Attempted to dominate maritime trade but moved towards isolationist policies.
  • Expelled Portuguese after discovering underhanded trading tactics.

Continuity in Trade Practices

  • Asian merchants continued using the Indian Ocean trade network.
  • Profits increased for both Europeans and local merchants.

Impact on African States

Assante Empire

  • Became a key trading partner with Portugal and later Britain.
  • Economic partnerships increased wealth and military power.

Kingdom of the Congo

  • Established strong ties with Portuguese traders.
  • Conversion to Christianity among the elite to facilitate trade.

European Colonization in the Americas

Colonial Economies

  • Focused primarily on agriculture.
  • Utilized existing and new labor systems.

Labor Systems

  1. Mita System

    • Adapted from the Inca, used for silver mining.
  2. Race-Based Chattel Slavery

    • Enslaved Africans worked on plantations, slavery became hereditary.
  3. Indentured Servitude

    • Europeans worked under a contract for passage to the colonies.
  4. Encomienda System

    • Indigenous people provided labor in exchange for food and protection.
  5. Hacienda System

    • Large estates focused on exporting crops, differing from encomienda by economic focus.

Development of Slavery

  • African slave trade existed prior to maritime empires, continued into the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean regions.
  • Enslaved individuals played significant roles in Islamic culture.
  • Transatlantic slave trade focused on male labor, altered African demographics.
  • Atlantic slave trade was massive, and slavery became associated with blackness.

Conclusion

  • European powers aggressively expanded maritime empires for economic gain, religious conversion, and global standing.
  • The period saw significant change and continuity in trade and labor systems, impacting global demographics and economies.