Atlantic Exploration and Conquest

Overview

This lecture covers the early era of Atlantic globalization, focusing on how Portuguese exploration and Spanish conquest shaped the Atlantic World between 1492 and 1650.

Portuguese Exploration

• Portugal built a maritime empire based on trade and overseas strategic trading posts.
• Prince Henry the Navigator established a navigation school, pioneering European overseas exploration.
• Portuguese trading posts began in West Africa, dealing in slaves, ivory, and gold.
• Almina Castle served as a major port for the slave and goods trade with Africa.
• Sugar cultivation fueled the use of African slaves in the New World.
• Portugal expanded trade to India, Southeast Asia, and beyond.

Spanish Conquest

• Spain formed a land-based empire by conquering territories in the Americas.
• Ferdinand and Isabella unified Spain and promoted Catholicism.
• Motivations for Spanish exploration included spreading Catholicism and gaining wealth.
• Christopher Columbus, sponsored by Spain, sailed west seeking Asia but landed in the Caribbean in 1492.
• Columbus believed he had reached Asia; he called the indigenous people "Indians."
• Columbus’s subsequent voyages shifted Spanish focus to wealth from the New World, especially in gold and slaves.
• Conquistadors sought royal patronage and wrote "proofs of merit" to secure funding and authority.

Rivalry and Treaty

• The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), brokered by the Pope, divided new lands between Spain (west) and Portugal (east).
• The treaty led Brazil to become Portuguese while the rest of South America became Spanish.

Major Conquests

• Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire using native allies and the impact of smallpox.
• Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, was captured and killed; Tenochtitlán became Mexico City.
• Malinche, a native woman, aided Cortés as translator; their offspring were among the first mestizos (mixed ancestry).
• Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire after capturing Atahualpa; smallpox had already weakened the Incas.
• Spanish explorers like de Soto (southeastern US) and Coronado (southwestern US) sought new empires but found none like the Aztec or Inca.

The Spanish Golden Age

• Spain’s wealth from American silver and gold funded a cultural Renaissance, producing works like Don Quixote.
• The Habsburg dynasty ruled Spain, becoming one of Europe’s most powerful families.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Atlantic World — Interactions and connections between Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans after 1492.
• Maritime Empire — An empire based on overseas trade and naval power (example: Portugal).
• Land Empire — An empire based on territorial conquest (example: Spain).
• Conquistador — Spanish conqueror of the Americas.
• Mestizo — Person of mixed European (often Spanish) and Native American ancestry.
• Treaty of Tordesillas — 1494 agreement splitting new lands between Portugal and Spain.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review the main differences between Spanish and Portuguese exploration models.
• Read more about the Aztec and Inca conquests and their impact on indigenous populations.