Spain And Portugal Analysis

The sixteenth century was a time of economic growth for Portugal and Spain because of their various voyages to places, such as China and Brazil. Spain and Portugal were competing for land, resources, trade posts, and profit in the New World and Asia as seen in the making of the Treaty of Tordesillas and Treaty of Saragossa in 1494 and 1529, respectively. The Treaty of Tordesillas created a demarcation in the Atlanta Ocean for the future empires of the Spanish and Portuguese. The Treaty of Saragossa added another demarcation, but the demarcation was in the Pacific Ocean. Economic prosperity was not immediate and there were plenty of obstacles to overcome in these new lands. Spain and Portugal’s culture, people, and environment differed

from China and Brazil. Nevertheless, the Spanish and Portuguese were ultimately able to make a hefty profit from trade in China through the means of religion, and the Portuguese were able to produce sugarcane through the exploitation the land and natives of Brazil. In China, the Spanish and Portuguese built their economic success from the established silk industry in China while in Brazil, the Portuguese had to build up their economic success from nothing. The economy of China was going through a silver turmoil at the beginning of the sixteenth century, but the involvement of the Spanish and Portuguese helped them in numerous ways.
China’s economy in the sixteenth century was impacted by the economic policies of previous Ming emperors. Silver production decreased after the 1430s due to mismanagement and infertility of the mines; the amount of silver in China increased again until after the 1520s. The increase in silver was due to trade with the Spanish and Japanese. The Japanese did not use silver as their main currency, so they were willing to buy Chinese silk by paying in silver. The Spanish discovered various sources of silver in the Americas and so, they paid in silver for Chinese silk. Japan is close to China, so it makes sense why they had trading relations. On the other hand, the Spanish were in a different continent. The Spanish hunger for world expansion led the Spanish into exploring the Pacific Ocean in the sixteenth century. However, the Portuguese were already present in China and India.
The Portuguese were in Asia by 1510 and there was conflict between the Crown and the captains and nobles in what they wanted to do in Asia. The Portuguese Crown wanted to operate a “monopoly over Cape Route trade,” while the captains and nobles “saw the Indian Ocean as a place… [to] combine raiding and private trading.” The Spanish also wanted to create routes that facilitated trading, which led to conflict over land and the Treaty of Saragossa. The Treaty of Saragossa was signed in 1529, which later led to Spanish control over the Moluccas/Philippines and Portuguese control over India. Afonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese governor of the Eastern Portuguese kingdom, was able to conquer Goa and other important trading posts in order to control sea trade. Since the Portuguese had possession of Goa (i.e., Western India), they were ultimately able to progress into China even after Dom Jaime, Duke of Bragança, suggested in 1529 that the Portuguese should focus their efforts in North Africa. The Portuguese were involved in trade between the Chinese and Japanese in the 1540s and beyond , and funded Macau in the late 1550s. The Spanish conquest of the Philippines in 1565 was crucial in future trade with the Chinese, because they were able to have a trading post nearby China. In order for the Spanish and Portuguese to flourish in China, they had to use religion in order to gain the trust of the Chinese.
In order for the Jesuits to influence and convert the Chinese, they had to learn the language. Additionally, the Chinese were questioning and mocking the motives of the Jesuits and so, the Jesuits had to learn the language in order to set a foundation of trust. Chinese is a difficult language to learn because of its several characters, which makes the accomplishments of the Jesuits quite impressive, because they were determined to teach their religion and trade despite the hostile environment of China. However, there were uncontrollable situations that affected trade with the Chinese. Shipwreck was detrimental to the economy of Spain and Portugal, since they were not able to make money in trading. The ships were also under the pressure of Mother Nature, because ships were only able to sail during certain months when winds and monsoons were beneficial. If the weather turned turbulent, then the ship’s profit was gone. Japanese pirates caused problems too, which decreased the profits for the Portuguese in the 1550s and 1560s; the Chinese stopped trading with Japan and thus, the Portuguese were not able to act as middlemen. To add to the dilemma, the Ming government banned trading with the Japanese because of the Japanese raids. The Portuguese middlemen became crucial in Chinese-Japanese trade and many of the middlemen were Jesuits.
In general, the Jesuits were immersed in trade between China and Japan because of the large profits that funded their missionary work.

Missions were expensive and the Jesuits could not own any land in China, which made trading the only possible solution to their lack of money. The middleman work of the Jesuits was extremely profitable. For example, they bought Chinese silk for about 4,500 ducats and then sold it to the Japanese for 7,000 ducats, and made a profit of about 1,600 ducats. Nevertheless, the Jesuits were not allowed to partake in trading. The Council of Trent, which took place in the mid-sixteenth century, decided that trading was unacceptable and that partaking in trading would result in suspension or excommunication. But, the Jesuits still continued with the trade and made excuses as to why they were not truly doing trade. For instance, some argued that they were not trading because trading meant “literally touch[ing] the silk” and “set[ting] foot in a Chinese market.” The Jesuits, along with other Europeans, obtained some or much success in China. Not all European encounters were like those in China, because the Europeans encountered undiscovered lands and people who were not nearly as advanced as them. The discovery of the New World was a different scenario for the Europeans, because they were easily able to exploit the land and its people. One of the main discoveries in the sixteenth century was Brazil, which ended being bittersweet for the

Portuguese.
The Portuguese were already enjoying success in West Africa and India in the early sixteenth century, but the Portuguese still wanted to expand their kingdom, especially in terms of money. The Treaty of Tordesillas designated eastern Brazil to Portugal. The Portuguese were ecstatic and thought they got the better half of the negotiation, but their early sixteenth century experiences proved otherwise. Explorer Pedro Álvarez Carbral and his crew set foot in Brazil in 1500. Friendly Indians approached Cabral and his crew, but the relationship quickly spoiled on their seventh day, because the Indians ate some of the crew. Cabral was disappointed with the land and people, and did not see an economic future in Brazil. In addition, because Portuguese trade was booming in India, Brazil was a faint thought in the minds of the Portuguese. The Portuguese attitude in Brazil was completely different in China. As mentioned earlier, the Portuguese were successful in China during the sixteenth century, especially because the Chinese were interested in trading and already had an established silk industry. On the other hand, the Portuguese had to start a settlement from no established economy or trade in Brazil. The natives of Brazil were backwards and did not have technology, which made it difficult for the Portuguese to settle and make progress on the land. Another major difference between China and Brazil was that the Portuguese did not have intentions of taking over China and only wanted to expand trade. However, in Brazil, the Portuguese were meaning to exploit the land. Even though there was not much hope in Brazil, Cabral discovered brazilwood, which was gave a small boost to the economy of Brazil.
Brazilwood gave some hope, because it could be used as a dye in the European textile industry.

Brazilwood was not nearly as profitable as the silk and spices in India, which made the Portuguese disregard Brazil until 1533. Yet, there were some settlers spread out throughout the land who tried to profit from brazilwood. It was until after 1533 when the Portuguese started to permanently settle in Brazil; the Portuguese had a sudden interest in Brazil because of French and Spanish invaders, and because of the economic downfall that was taking place

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