4.4 - Maritime Empires Established

Foundation of Maritime Empires

• European Explorations: The foundation of maritime empires was built on the explorations by European states, who claimed lands and established empires in newly explored areas.

Trading Posts in Africa and Asia

• Portuguese Exploration:

  • Prince Henry the Navigator: Sponsored expeditions along Africa’s Atlantic Coast and around the Cape of Good Hope, leading to the establishment of trading posts with local rulers' cooperation.

  • Impact on Africa:

    • Coastal governments gained military advantages through trading enslaved people for European gunpowder and cannons.

    • Kingdoms like Dahomey grew wealthy and powerful by raiding villages and selling enslaved people to European traders.

• African States:

  • Cultural Exchange: European influence was evident in the art of the Kongo and Benin kingdoms, integrating European elements.

  • Growth of Empires: States like the Asante Empire and the Kingdom of the Kongo expanded their influence through participation in maritime trade.

• Portuguese in East Africa:

  • Vasco da Gama’s Invasion: Took over Swahili city-states like Kilwa and Mombasa, disrupting the region’s trade and causing economic decline.

Japan’s Isolation

• Initial Tolerance: Early Portuguese and Dutch traders were welcomed, and thousands of Japanese converted to Christianity.

• Government Crackdown: In response to Christian destruction of Buddhist shrines, Japan banned Christian worship in 1587 and expelled most foreigners by the 1630s.

• Partial Isolation: Only a few Dutch traders were allowed to operate in Nagasaki, maintaining limited foreign interaction until the mid-19th century.

China’s Trade Restrictions

• Ming Dynasty Policies:

  • Limiting Foreign Influence: Restricted trade, destroyed dockyards, and limited shipbuilding to counter Mongol Yuan Dynasty influences.

  • Conservatism: Emphasized Confucianism and reinstated the traditional exam system.

  • Reversal of Policies: Eventually, trade restrictions were lifted, resuming China's significant role in global trade.

European Rivalries and Trade

• India:

  • Multiple Powers: British East India Company, Portuguese, and French controlled various trading posts.

  • Seven Years’ War: Britain’s victory in 1763 drove the French out of India, consolidating British power.

• British Expansion:

  • EIC’s Growth: Expanded influence through treaties and alliances with local rulers, using sepoy forces to control more territory.

  • Global Network: Trading posts in Africa and India facilitated the spread of goods and the creation of a global trade network.

Europeans in the Americas

• Collapse of Indigenous Empires: European diseases and military conquests led to the rapid downfall of the Aztec and Inca empires.

• Spanish Conquest:

  • New Spain: Cortés’s conquest of the Aztec Empire led to the establishment of New Spain, with Mexico City built on the ruins of Tenochtitlán.

  • Inca Empire: Pizarro’s conquest involved capturing and killing Atahualpa and establishing Spanish control over the Andes.

• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494):

  • Division of the Americas: Spain claimed lands west of the meridian, and Portugal claimed lands to the east, leading to Portuguese control of Brazil and Spanish control over the rest of the Americas.

• Further Spanish Exploration:

  • North America: Established settlements like St. Augustine in Florida, but faced competition from the French, British, and Dutch.

France Versus Britain

• North American Rivalries:

  • Iroquois Confederacy: Initially allied with the British against the French, but later signed the Great Peace of Montreal with the French.

  • French and Indian War: Britain’s victory led to the expulsion of France from Canada and further British territorial gains.

The Indian Ocean Slave Trade

• East African Trade: Enslaved East Africans were sold to buyers in northern Africa, the Middle East, and India, working in diverse roles from laborers to soldiers.

• Cultural Impact: African cultural influences persisted in regions involved in the Indian Ocean trade, enriching local traditions and practices.

Continuity and Change in Economic Systems

• Indian Ocean Trade Networks:

  • European Disruption: Portuguese arrival with superior naval forces altered traditional trading patterns, establishing armed trading posts.

  • Battle of Diu (1509): Portuguese defeated combined forces, securing dominance in the Indian Ocean trade.

• Spanish and Silver:

  • Encomienda System: Exploited indigenous labor for resource extraction.

  • Hacienda System: Landowners developed agriculture using coerced labor.

  • Silver Mining: Major silver discoveries in Mexico and Peru fueled Spanish wealth and global trade.

  • Mercantilism: Economic policies aimed at increasing national wealth through colonial exploitation and high tariffs.

Continuity and Change in Labor Systems

• Varied Labor Practices:

  • Slavery and Serfdom: Enslaved Africans and serfs in Europe and Asia provided agricultural and domestic labor.

  • Indentured Servitude: Europeans worked under contracts for a specified period in exchange for passage and living expenses.

  • Free Peasants and Guild Members: Owned or worked on their own land, with some rights and economic freedom.

• Rise of the Atlantic Slave Trade:

  • Demand for Labor: Europeans turned to Africa for enslaved labor after indigenous populations declined.

  • Middle Passage: Enslaved Africans endured horrific conditions during the transatlantic journey, with high mortality rates.

  • Demographic and Social Impact: The slave trade led to significant population declines in Africa and the development of racially based social hierarchies in the Americas.