Crash Course European History: The Age of Exploration

Ottoman Empire's Impact on Europe

• 1453: Ottoman capture of Constantinople altered trade routes.
• Ottoman navy controlled major seas, prompting European kingdoms to seek new trade routes.

Portugal's Exploration

• Economic Motivation: Portugal was poor, needed new trade routes.
• Prince Henry the Navigator: Encouraged exploration and navigation.
• African Exploration: Sought wealth in Africa (food, salt, gold, slaves).
  • Inspired by Malian King Monsa Musa's wealth.
  • Established trading posts and forts along the African coast.

Shift in Perspective

• Importance of local traders: African women traders were essential.
• Economic realities: Early Europe was not always richer than Africa.

Key Explorations

• Bartolomeu Dias (1488): Rounded Cape of Good Hope.
• Vasco da Gama (1498): Reached India, encountered developed trade networks.
• Portuguese Trade Empire: Trading posts with caravels patrolling.

Spanish Exploration and Colonization

• Christopher Columbus (1492): Sought new trade routes, reached Caribbean.
• Colonization Model: Focus on land control and wealth extraction.
  • Conversion to Christianity was a secondary goal.

Impact of Colonization

• Indigenous Perspective: Colonization led to loss of land, culture, and lives.
• European Perspective: Opportunity for wealth and expansion.

Global Exploration

• Ferdinand Magellan's Voyage (1519-1522): First circumnavigation of the globe.
• Hernan Cortes (1519): Conquered Aztec Empire with indigenous alliances.
• Francisco Pizarro: Conquered Inca Empire similarly.

Iberian Maritime Technology

• Navigation Tools: Caravels, triangular sails, astrolabes, compasses.
• Trading Knowledge: Relied on local knowledge and intermediaries like Malinche.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

• Papal Resolution: Divided new lands between Spain and Portugal.
• Impact of Disease: European diseases decimated indigenous populations (90%).

Economic Impact

• Spanish and Portuguese Wealth: Exploitation of the New World's resources, like Potosi's silver.
• Global Influence: Shaped European power dynamics and global trade routes.

Conclusion

• This era of exploration led to major shifts in global power and trade, with significant consequences for indigenous populations and European economies.