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

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

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