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.