The Renaissance and the
Age of Exploration
(1400-1600AD)
NOTE THE POLITICAL,
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND
OTHER EXAMPLES OF
GLOBALIZATION AS YOU GO!
SECOND PHASE OF
GLOBALIZATION :
EXCHANGE OF LUXURY GOODS,
MASS PRODUCED GOODS
(MERCANTILISM), IDEAS –
POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND
CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Ottoman Empire
 began to emerge in 1300
 its growth prevented much of the trade from the east
from getting to Europe
 forced Europeans to find other routes to the east –
Portugal went around Africa
 made its goal the conquest of Europe
 conquered Constantinople in 1453 ending the Byzantine
Empire
 conquered Hungary, North Africa, and what is now Iraq
before 1550
 constant threat to Europe
Europe
 1479 – Castile and Aragon unite to become Spain
 1480 – Spanish Inquisition begins work
 1492 – last foothold of Islam driven from Spain
 Russia (Muscovy) begins to emerge as a result of
the Ivan III (“the Terrible”)
 Eliminates the last of the Khanates (Golden Horde) and
begins spread east
Silk Road
The silk road was a
trading route that extended
from Southern Europe
through the middle East as
far west as China.
Valuable items such as
spices, silk and glassware
were brought from Asia to
Europe.
Ideas and religion were
also exchanged along the
route, which also brought
change to Europe. The
route was a very
dangerous place as traders
were often robbed or
charged a fee to pass
through certain areas.
Map of the Silk Road
Renaissance
 Rapid change in European society as a result of
increased stability and the resurfacing of classical
works shipped to Rome from Byzantium (1453) to
save it from the Ottoman Empire.
 Leonardo Da Vinci – Renaissance Man – painter (Mona
Lisa & Last Supper), sculptor, architect, physicist,
anatomist, inventor (Tank, Helicopter, Subs, Turbines,
Augers)
 Michelangelo – Sistine Chapel
 Rembrandt
Da Vinci
Michelangelo
Rembrandt
 Increased scientific inquiry, philosophical
resurgence, and classical works
 Humanism – shift from God-centered to humancentered, and corporatism to individualism
 Movable type makes its way to Europe –
Gutenberg Bible
 Sudden availability of printed books lead to
questioning of the Catholic Church
 Reformation a direct result of the Renaissance
 1517 - Martin Luther – emphasized the importance
of the Bible and rejected the Catholic adherence to
the saints, sale of indulgences, pilgrimages, and
veneration of relics
 Split Europe in two (Catholic and Lutheran) and
then many followed
 John Calvin – more militant Protestantism (Calvinism)
 St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre – worst atrocity of the
French Wars of Religion when Catholics slaughtered
Protestants (Huguenots) in retaliation (20 000 killed in
France)
 1534 - Henry VIII – after desiring to divorce his
first wife and being refused by the Pope declares
himself head of the English Church (“Catholic
light”)
 Six wives – 2 divorces, 1 out lives, 2 executed, 1 dies
 Three children – Mary, Elizabeth, Edward
 Edward VI becomes king and dies young, “Bloody” Mary
I (RC) becomes tries to make England Catholic again,
Elizabeth I – defeats the Spanish Armada w/ Drake
(beginning of British dominance), supports Shakespeare,
dies unmarried, James I (VI - Scotland)
 Lead to civil wars and social upheaval (esp. in Holy
Roman Empire)
Edward/Mary
Elizabeth
Calendars and Globalization
 1582 Gregorian Calendar introduced by Pope
Gregory XIII to adjust for leap years – dropped ten
days from the calendar to adjust for the lost days
since the Council of Nicaea in 325AD
 Protestants refused to change for a couple of years because
he was Catholic.
 Eastern Orthodox Church refuses to adjust their calendars
until the 20th century which is why their New Year and
Christmas are different
 The Gregorian calendar was adopted by the Republic of
China effective January 1, 1912 for official business, but
the general populace continued to use the traditional
calendar. Communist China officially adopted it in 1949.
Age of Exploration
 An attempt to find new routes to the eastern spices
due to Ottomans
 Emergence of Banks help finance voyages
 Vikings discovered Newfoundland in 1000 CE but
after a few years of colonization pull out and never
return
 Chinese actually discovered America in 1433 but
did not colonize due to isolationist policies
 1488 – Portuguese circumnavigated Africa and
exploited local trade routes in India, Indonesian
islands, and China
 1492 – Columbus (S) discovers Central America
 Start of “historical globalization”
 1497 – John Cabot (E) rediscovers Newfoundland
 1500 – Cabral (P) sights Brazil
 1507 – Amerigo Vespucci maps and names America
 1522 – Magellan’s (P) expedition circumnavigates
the globe
 1534 – Cartier (F) explores St. Lawrence and
Montreal
 1610 – Hudson (E) explores Hudson’s Bay and is
set adrift with his son
 1738 – James Cook (E) explores the south Pacific
 Lead in the exploration of the world shifted the
balance of power in Europe’s direction
 Most colonies only for trade/supply outposts (Spain
the exception)
Globalization Lessons: