Growth of International
Trade
1000-1500 CE
OBJECTIVES
Interconnectedness of global trade pre-1450
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Trade links from Greenland to Western Europe
Western and Eastern Europe to Muslim World
Muslim world to Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia
East Africa to India to SE Asia to East Asia
Role of Central Asia in Trans-Eurasian trade
Global Trade did not begin with the European maritime empires
Cultural diffusion resulted from trade
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Facilitated rise of Europe before 1450
Spread civilization to periphery of established cultures
Spread religions and technology
Show influence of trade routes
TRADE MAP c. 100 C.E.
THE POST-CLASSICAL CENTER
Muslim World was the trade center
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Muslim countries linked all continents
The Hajj came to link all Muslims together
Trade became associated with the Hajj, Muslim cities
Quran is VERY favorable to merchants
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Required fair, honest business practices
Trusted merchants as Muhammad had been one
Exchanges not limited to goods
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Ideas including religion exchanged
Technology exchanged
Diseases exchanged
Populations exchanged
THE MUSLIM WORLD, 1500 CE
TRADE IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
ASIAN LAND TRADE ROUTES
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Established during Han Dynasty by Nomads
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Silk Roads Across Central Asia
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Chinese paid nomads tribute in silk, traded for horses
Nomads traded silk, horses for glass, iron in West
Terminals: Antioch (Syria) and Chang’an (China)
Shorter trunk lines to India, Across Russia, to Africa
Products
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Silks, teas and porcelain from Guangzhou,China
Woolen cloth, horses, and ivory from Central Asia
Rubies, silver, pepper, and ebony from India
Carpets, linen, brocade, ceramics, iron from Muslim world
Wine, perfume, glass, silk, slaves, olive oil from Byzantines
Furs, wood, amber, slaves, and grain from Kievan Russia
IMPORTANCE OF LAND TRADE
Spread Religions
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Islam to Central, Western Asia, China
Buddhism to China, Korea, Japan
Christianity to Russia, China, India
Technology diffused throughout Eurasia
Foodstuffs, germs, flora/fauna diffused
Mongolians kept trade routes open, working
Influenced European desire to get to China
Influence European desire to bypass Muslims
MAP OF THE SILK ROAD
AFRO-EURASIAN TRADE
c. 1400 C.E.
TRADE CONNECTIONS
TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE
The Camel
Made trade across desert possible
 Could carry great loads to trade
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From West Africa
Gold, ivory, slaves, exotic feathers, spices
 Male slaves carried goods, then sold
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From Muslim North Africa
Cloth, glass, metalwork, books
 Merchants, missionaries, travelers visited
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AFRICAN TRADE NETWORKS
Finished Goods, Iron Weapons, Books, Horses, Spices
Gold, Slaves, Ivory, Feathers
SIGNIFICANCE OF TRANS-SAHARAN
AND EAST AFRICAN TRADE
Spread Civilization and Rise of Powerful African States
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Aided in the rise of West African Empires
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Swahili Culture blends Islam and Bantu elements
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Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Kanem-Bornu, Hausa people
Swahili trading cities: Zanzibar, Pemba, Pate, Mogadishiu
Zimbabwe
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Central African Bantu kingdom
Links Cultures to Wider World
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Contact between the Mediterranean and Sahel Africa
Linked East Africa to S.W. Asia and India
Linked Forest West Africa to Sahel regions
Linked Central Africa to East Africa
Provided most of Eurasia’s pre-Columbian gold, Islam’s slaves
Spread Islam to West Africa
MARITIME TRADE ROUTES
Maritime Routes co-existed with land routes
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Often safer than land because fewer stops
Seas nevertheless were not as forgiving as the land
Requirements to maintain
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Secure governments and states with agreements
Merchant conventions for exchanges
Elimination of piracy
Good navigation technology, knowledge of the seasons
Items with high profit margins to exchange
Cities on coast with protected harbors link to land routes
Primary Geographic Areas
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North Sea, Baltic Sea, English Channel
Mediterranean and its adjacent bodies of water
Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf
Bay of Bengal, Straits of Malucca, East China Sea
IMPORTANT OF MARITIME ROUTES
Established cross-cultural contacts
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Exchanged ideas
Furthered development of new ideas
Opened interiors to trade with coast
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Coasts often most developed
New ideas, products spread inland
Caused rise of trading cities
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Port cities and entrepots grow into key cities
Many became their cultures leading cities
Spread religions
Spread diseases
TRANS-ATLANTIC TRADE
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Danish-Norwegian Empire
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Settled Faroes and Shetland Islands,Iceland, Greenland
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Products
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Products
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Furs, fish, and walrus ivory from Greenland
Iron, wood, glass, and grain from Norway
Wheat, wool, jewelry, leather from England, Ireland
Swedish state ruled Sweden, Finland
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Conquered parts Scotland, Ireland, England
Created new states in Normandy, S. Italy, S.W. Asia
Iron, copper, wood, fish, grain from Sweden
Wax, honey, skins, slaves, amber from Russia, Finland, Baltic
Established state in Russia
Spread Christianity to Periphery lands
Both later established ties to Hanseatic League
MAP OF THE VIKING WORLD
LONGSHIP
KNÓRR
EUROPEAN TRADE ROUTES
European Revival around 1000 CE
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Cities began to rebuild, expand
Church was a major supporter of this revival, expansion
Many cities on pilgrimage routes
Manufacturing arose again as did guilds
Giant Fairs arose as merchants moved goods between cities
North Sea/Baltic Trade Routes
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Hanseatic League: Northern German cities
Maintained factories, trading depots in neighboring lands
Cloth, wines, fish, timber, salt, iron, amber, copper
Flanders and Low Countries: Brugges, Ghent
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Cities prospered under supportive nobles
Came to specialize in woolens, wines, fine manufactures
Both Hansa and Venice had trading agreements with Flanders
HANSEATIC TRADE ROUTES
COG
MEDITERRANEAN TRADE
Cities: Constantinople, Alexandria and Venice
Byzantine Empire
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Major terminus on the Silk Roads until 1206
Stole technology to raise silk from Chinese
Provided a large market and stable currency for whole region
Venice
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Fine glass, woolens, cloth, wines from Europe
Naval fleet (mude) was a middleman to transport goods
Spices, silks, and other Asian goods to Europe from Muslim regions
Egypt
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The commercial centers between three continents
Linked Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian Ocean regions
Long distance trade handled by middlemen
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Jews between Europe and Muslim world
Armenians, Nestorians between Muslim world and Asia
EUROPEAN & MEDITERRANEAN
TRADE ROUTES
INDIAN OCEAN NETWORK
Not a united network but a series of routes
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Parts
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Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabia
Bay of Bengal to Straits of Malucca
Malucca to South China Sea
One ethnic group dominated each zone
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Arabs in Western
Indians in Central
Chinese in Eastern
The largest peaceful zone of exchange of period
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Groups had no formal agreements but cooperated
States kept piracy down to minimum
Groups met at key entrepot cities to exchange items
Linked to Mediterranean and Silk Road by land routes
INDIAN OCEAN
TRADE ROUTES
COFFEE
SLAVES
IVORY
HORSES
SILKS
GOLD
STEEL
CLOTH
YARN
SILKS
INDIGO
PEPPER
GEMS
ANIMALS
DRUGS
SILVER
LACQUER
SILK
PORCELAIN
SUGAR
LUXERIES
TEA
TRAVELERS COMPARED
Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta
EAST ASIA
China was central to East Asia
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China was economically self-sufficient
During periods, trade in the nature of tribute
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Ambassadors brought goods to Emperor
Emperor sent out gifts
Trade arose with increased contacts
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Central Asian nomads demanded silk tribute
Chinese demanded horses as tribute
Nomads traded silk for finished goods in S. W. Asia
Buddhist missionaries to China from India traded
Spread of civilization to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, SE Asia
Religious artifacts, luxuries often largest part of trade
SONG CHINA
Greatest period of Chinese trade
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Cities often based on trade
Great interest in Chinese goods
Coins, bank notes, banking
Merchants obtain great influence
Hangchow was built on trade
Chinese merchants active in Asia
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Porcelain, lacquer, paper
Guns and gunpowder
Silk
MONGOL EMPIRE
Mongol Empire united Central Eurasia
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Most lands of the Silk Road within empire
Linked distant trading partners for first time in history
Mongols tolerated, trusted merchants
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Used foreign merchants for official business
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Used as emissaries
Often used to govern lands ruled by Mongols
Merchants protected by order of Khan
Merchants could travel freely with permission
Exchanges
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Ideas
Diseases especially the Black Death
Technology especially gunpowder and fire arms
THE MONGOL EMPIRE
CHANGES & DISRUPTIONS
Challenges
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Mongol Empire destroyed most existing states
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Constant warfare turned friends into enemies
Newer technologies made war more disruptive
Black Death disrupted trading patterns
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Merchants spread disease, died first
Cities, the basis of trade threatened, weakened
Rise of Gunpowder states in 15th century
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Guns formed great power; ships very different
Destroyed nomads (Mongols), ended Silk Road
Ottoman Turks monopolize SW Asian trade
Portugal looks to end Venetian, Turk monopoly
TRADE ROUTES SPREADS
BLACK DEATH
MING CHINA
Ming Overthrew Mongols in China
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Reestablished traditional belief systems
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Neo-Confucianism becomes state philosophy
Merchants relegated to lower status
Foreign contacts distrusted
Trade is limited as China is economically autarkic
Ming reestablish tributary status
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Tributary exchange of goods, gifts
Sends out navy to reestablish system, search
Foreign trade limited to one port: Guangzhou
MING CHINA
PORTUGUESE ATLANTIC
TRADE
Early Portuguese exploration
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Establishes navigation school, trains sailors
Seeks to break Muslim-Italian monopoly
Establishes colonies at Maderia, Azores, Canaries
Create sugar plantation systems
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Eliminates natives
Plants sugar
Uses African slaves – precursor to New World acquisitions
Begins switch of slaves to Middle East to slaves to Atlantic
Raids and contacts along West African coast
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Establishes contacts with Africans, trades for gold, slaves
Strengthens resolve for water route to Asia
Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut
THE PORTUGUESE WORLD