1. How Did Geography Contribute To The Age Of European Exploration

Read 103-112 P.113 RRR #1-3

1) Briefly describe the world as imagined by Europeans prior to the fifthteenth century.

The Europeans had believed in Ptolemy’s guide of the world; Ptolemy depicted the world as a globe, made up of three continents(Asia, Africa, and Europe), and two oceans(the Indian Ocean and the Western Ocean), with a 3:1 ratio of land to water.

2) How did geography contribute to the age of European exploration?

The Atlantic Ocean’s wind systems provided European sailing ships with a highway to the Americas and eventually to the far East.

3) Describe the relationship between European powers and the Ottoman Turks during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

-Trade was limited between European powers and the Ottoman Turks during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries

because of the duties imposed by the Ottoman and the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
-Rapid expansion of the Islamic empire made the Europeans feel at unease and sponsor voyages
-Allies in cases of mutual interest.

From pages 113-118, make a point-form chart outlining the relations between
European powers and the Inca, Aztec, China, Japan, and Africa. In your notes,
address the following:
Europe and the Aztecs
-The conquistadors married Aztec women
-The priests were pleased by the Indians’ adoption of Christianity
-Optimization about the creation of a new world culture that would surpass the old
-Eventually prejudice took over, and the Spaniards, led by Heman Cortes, poured into Mexico with the intent of exploiting Indian labour, as well as, taking Indian land.
Europe and the Incas
-During the first encounter, Francisco Pizarro and his Spanish forces conquered the Inca, and executed their leader, Atawallpa (c. 1533).
Europe and China
-Due to the establishment of the Manchu dynasty(1644-1911), China limited its contact with foreigners. Therefore, there was little interaction between Europe and China.
Europe and Japan
-During the first encounter, the Japanese were friendly, civilized, and eager to acquire European knowledge about firearms and ships.
-The Japanese paid generous amounts of silver for Portuguese clothes, guns, silks, and other luxury goods.
-Alvares successfully converted many Japanese to Christianity (c. 1549).
-Following the Battle of Sekigahara (c. 1600), the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu expelled foreigners, and crucified Christian converts. This was the start of Japan’s seclusion policy.
Europe and Africa
-Europeans started buying African criminals as slaves, claiming the slaves should be grateful for slavery because it will lead them to Jesus.

-The Spanish and the Portuguese dominated the African slave trade in the Sixteenth Century.

-In the Seventeenth century the Dutch dominated the African slave trade

-In the Eighteenth century Britain and Denmark also began participating

-By the nineteenth century, slavery gradually abolished.

i) Why were the Europeans able to topple the MesoAmerican empires so easily,

yet have no luck at all when trying to dominate the far eastern empires?

The Europeans were able to topple the Meso American empires so easily because of the diseases that the Europeans brought along with them. The Europeans had already built an immunity to these diseases over thousands of years, but it was the Meso Americans first time encounter with these major epidemics. However, the far eastern empires were in states of isolationism, not giving the Europeans a chance to establish within the country; thus, not allowing Europeans to use disease to aid in the takeover.

ii) Explain the African slave trade – how and why it happened, and how it

affected both Europe and

Africa.
The practice of slavery started in Africa in 1518, long before the Europeans arrived. Slaves sourced from criminals who were sold as punishment, individuals sold by families in time of poverty and famish, prisoners of war, and those kidnapped by bands of merchants. Arabs tribes from North Africa had slaves, and would sell them for gold. When Europeans finally made it to Africa, they liked what they saw. Europeans would actually encourage civil wars between African kingdoms so they could claim slaves as “prisoners of war”, thus, the slave trade increased the amount of violence throughout the African continent. European slavers saw nothing wrong with what they were doing, as they believed it was actually helping the slaves live a religious life. As the need for slaves grew, so did the maritime trade in human beings. In 1626, France joined the slave trade and built the fort of Saint Louis to supply their sugar islands with labour. England had a similar desire, and joined the slave trade to supply the Barbados with workers. The Spanish and the Portuguese dominated the African slave trade in the Sixteenth Century. However, in the Seventeenth century the Dutch monopolized the African slave trade. By the nineteenth century, slavery gradually abolished.