Maritime Revolution
Maritime Expansion before 1450
► Navigation
difficult
 Ships had to be sturdy
 Required adequate propulsion
Despite challenges, humans ventured into the
world’s oceans and seas for travel
 Develop improved ship design and navigation
technologies
Atlantic Ocean
► Vikings
dominated Atlantic Ocean travel
 W/o use of navigation devices
► Motivated
by economics to travel great distances by water
► Trans-Atlantic
exploration
 770-Iceland
 982-Greenland
 Around 1000- Leif Ericsson, settlement in Newfoundland
(Canada)
 However, Vikings soon abandoned their settlements in
North America
http://www.greenland-guide.dk/leif2000/image/overmap.gif
Indian Ocean
► Used
for trade since ancient times
 Monsoon winds help with travel
► Muslims
dominated Indian Ocean trade in
the Medieval Period
 Dhow: Muslim trading ship
 Cities in Middle East increased demand for
luxury items from east
►Chinese
Silks, Spices from Southeast Asia
Indian Ocean
► China
enjoyed brief expansion in Indian
Ocean
► Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
http://www.columbia.edu/~amm20
09/3956/mapMing.jpeg
Chinese Role In Indian Ocean
► 1405-1433:
Ming sent shipping expeditions
throughout Indian Ocean
 Junks: Chinese ships
►Over
300 ft. long, large sturdy ships
►Junks returned loaded down with tribute, commercial
goods, and exotic animals for the emperor
Chinese Role in the Indian Ocean
► Zheng
he (Jung huh) commander of the
Chinese expeditions
 Muslim Eunuch from western China
Although China briefly controlled the Indian
Ocean, they quickly ended the
expeditions
 China began to once again isolate itself
Model of Zheng he ship
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevortext/66122999/
Europe Comes Onto the Scene
► In
the 1400’s, Western Europe began an
Age of Exploration
► Discussion
Question:
 What factors led to an increased interest in
maritime trade among the Europeans?
Factors contributing to European
interest in maritime exploration
► Europe
1400
was undergoing slow change by
 Increase in trade (mostly among Italian
merchants)
 Urbanization
 Curiosity about rest of the world
►Crusades
exposed Eu. to new ideas and technologies
from the east
Factors contributing to European
interest in maritime exploration
► During
Mongol rule, much of the trade occurred
along land routes
 After decline of Mongol rule, land routes were upset
► Tension
between Christians and Muslims
 Muslims served as “Middle Men” for trade between East
and West
► Europeans
decided to cut out the middle men and go straight to
the source (silks, spices, etc.)
 Religious wars brought Christians in contact with
Muslim-controlled trading centers
 Christians had to compete with the Muslims for trade in
the Med.
► Began
to look for alternative routes to access goods from east
Early European Exploration
► Portugal
and Spain took lead in maritime
travel
► Portuguese Voyages:
►Experiment
with oceanic routes that would take them
around Africa and into the Indian Ocean
►Direct access to trade with east
Portuguese Voyages
► Henry
the Navigator (Prince of Portugal)
 Founded an institute to research and gather information
on travel
► Improved
upon navigation instruments
 Compass (Chinese invention), Astrolabe (Muslim invention)
► Developed
ships better suited for open ocean travel
 Mediterranean Galleys were unsuited for rough ocean waters
 Caravel: small, strong, fast ship with lateen (triangular) sails.
Easy to maneuver, armed with cannons
 Prince Henry sponsored numerous Portuguese
expeditions along the coast of Africa
Portuguese Voyages
► By
1460, Portuguese explorers had
navigated 1500 miles of Africa’s west coast
► 1488: Bartolomeu Dias rounded the tip of
Africa
► 1498: Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa
and reached India by sea
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/images/exploration.jpg
Spanish Voyages
► Portugal
got a faster start on exploration
than did Spain
►1469:
Spain unified with marriage of Isabella and
Ferdinand
► United
the kingdoms of Castille and Aragon
► Spain then began to develop into the most powerful
state in Europe
Spanish Voyages
► Spain
sponsored voyages of Christopher
Columbus
►Belief
that could reach Indies by traveling west
 1492-1502: Columbus embarked on voyages to
west
►Landed
in Caribbean islands
►Incorrectly referred to native peoples as “Indians”
 Did not believe he had discovered a “New World”
► Discovery of the “New World” was confirmed by
Amerigo Vespucci
Spain or Portugal?
Who explores where???
► Confusion
arose over which country would
have rights to explore which parts of the
world
 1494: Treaty of Tordesillas
►Imaginary
Line of demarcation drawn in Atlantic
Ocean, Church decree
 Spain given rights to explore areas west of the line
 Portugal given rights to areas east of the line
► Brazil
Impact of Early European
Exploration
► Spain
and Portugal continued their exploration
 Spain began widespread conquest of the Americas
► Europeans
Ocean
became more active in the Indian
 Piracy became more common
► Eventually,
other European nations began their
own exploration
► Europe increases in power
 Become very wealthy through mercantilism
 Once powerful regions such as India and China began
to lose much of their influence