...During the 15th and 16th centuries, Maritime trade transformed global networks of trade and power. Thanks to the efforts of Portugal and Spain, Europe had several advantages during this time of exploration which would greatly impact their sphere of influence in regards to trade and territory. These advantages Spain’s military might, knowledge of the current navigational routes, as well as their advances in technology. Spain was motivated to explore during the Maritime trade period for several reasons. Like Portugal, they also wished to find a route to East Asia by sea. This would allow them to circumvent the land trade routes which were controlled by the Muslims. Ferdinand and Isabella wanted to increase their territory, as well as spread the religious beliefs of Catholicism. These goals were made possible by the Conquistadors. “By 1492, when they expelled the Muslims from Granada in...
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...The 15th and 16th century global cultures impacted the development of humanity in three ways. Exploration, religion, and politics which were major aspects of the culture during the 15th and 16th centuries. Through exploration, the Europeans began taking many more slaves and bringing them back to North America. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses paved the way for secularism during the renaissance. In terms of politics, governments were shifting towards more progressive systems which eventually led to civilians being represented in choices made by their government. This emboldened the citizen to accomplish higher achievements. The Age of Exploration began in the end of the 15th century and ended in the 18th century. The Age of Exploration brought together...
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...From the mid-15th century until the mid-16th century a combination of factors prompted men to endeavor new routes; and it was new routes rather than new territories that occupied the imaginations of kings, commoners, scholars and seamen alike. During this time period mercantilism the economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances that promoted governmental regulation of a nation's economy for the purpose of augmenting state power at the expense of rival national powers. Europe’s balance of power was constantly changing due to the exploration across the world and a rivalry for power , the balance of power within Europe was constantly shifting throughout the Age of Exploration, which...
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...During the 16th Century the renaissance and the reformation both had a major impact on Europe, this was due to the liberties and new ideas that produced changes in the society. Source 1 concentrates more on the effect the renaissance had whereas Source 2 concentrate more on the reformation and its effects. These however are not the only factors that contributed the ‘new age’ which was being formed, for example other key turning points would be international relations in regards to commerce as well as overseas exploration. In Source 1 it states that there was a ‘regeneration of cultural values’ this helps to support that the renaissance did have a massive effect in Europe as it was down to those values mentioned in Source 1. It highlights that there was a mass movement in cultural ideas throughout Europe at the time as many people’s view on society and cultural was changing. The infusion of new ideas had the biggest effect on the people in the middle class as out of everyone they cared the most about what others thought of them and whether or not they were doing the ‘right’ thing for that time period. Examples of the new ideas presented where shown through architecture, art and fashion. The change is backed up by Source 1 further as Morris expresses the ideas of the rebirth of ‘standards that had lain dormant since the fall of Rome’ this implies that the so called ‘new’ ideologies that are being formed aren’t so new, that in fact they are the thoughts expressed during the Roman...
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...Due to major advances in technology in the 15th century, the expansion of European powers onto the Americas were in full rotation due to potential high profits. The major causes for the expansion of these countries were in pursuit of God, glory, and gold. The idea of exploring and discovering new areas in the name of God played a large factor in staying in compliance with the Church. By using the expansion of Christianity as an excuse to colonize the New World, the European powers gained immense power. Also, many expeditions were carried out in pursuit of gaining power, fame, and glory, reflecting upon feudalistic themes. Lastly and most importantly, what served as the basis for the expeditions into the New World was the potential of gaining large profits through colonization...
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...The Age of Exploration was a time period during the 15th and 16th centuries when Europeans searched for new trade routes to China and India. Instead, they discovered North and South America by the Europeans. This had both positive and negative impacts on Europe. The Age of Exploration brought together Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. There were to main types of exchange; Biological and Cultural. In the Biological exchange they traded plants, animals, and diseases. In the Cultural exchange they traded goods, technology, and ideas. The exchanges began to affect every continent. During the middle ages a few European missionaries traveled to China to introduce ideas about Christianity. During the Europrean's Age of Exploration they traveled to...
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...The Age of Exploration was a era from the early 15th century to the late 17th century, in which European explorers searched for better trade routes to support the growth of capitalism. During this time, countries were conquered by the English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and the Belgians (Main ones). The natives of these countries would suffer unimaginable atrocities against them. Conquerors would enslave them, kill children, kill them, and just generally be aggressive for dominance. The Age of Exploration had adverse effects on conquered lands such as destruction of culture and the mass genocide of natives. However, it pushed the development of modern civilizations and fueled the rise of capitalism. In 1492, Christopher Columbus found...
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...A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward (beating). Caravels were much used by the Portuguese for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries in the age of discovery Initially, up to the 15th century, Europeans were limited to coastal cabotage navigation using the barge (barca) or the balinger (barinel), ancient cargo vessels used in the Mediterranean of around 50 to 200 tons. These boats were fragile, with only one mast with a fixed square sails that could not overcome the navigational difficulties of Southward oceanic exploration, as the strong winds, shoals and strong ocean currents easily overwhelmed their abilities. The caravel was developed in about 1450, based on existing fishing boats under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal and soon became the preferred vessel for Portuguese explorers. Its name may derive from an ancient boat type known as carabus in Latin and καραβος in Greek, later Arabized to qārib, indicating some continuity of its carvel build through the ages.[2] They were agile and easier to navigate, with a tonnage of 50 to 160 tons and 1 to 3 masts, with lateen triangular sails allowing beating. Being smaller and having a shallow keel, the caravel could sail upriver in shallow coastal waters. With the lateen sails...
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...Africa was and is so highly appealing to outsiders is because it is amongst the world’s greatest water and mineral resources(381). The modern European colonization of Africa was begun by the Portuguese. They established trading stations on the coast in the 15th and 16th centuries. The interior of what Europeans called "the Dark Continent", however, was not explored or colonized until the 19th century. By the early 20th century nearly all of Africa had been subjected to European rule. During early explorations Europeans, the Portuguese to be specific, took immediate notice to the wealth of the African continent by building forts at coastal trading posts in Western Africa, where ships could be loaded with the local slaves, gold, ivory, and palm products in exchange for alcohol, guns, and sugar; the vast wealth of certain areas in the Western African coast were given nicknames such as, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, and Slave Coast for their chief products. Portuguese ships took gold from Eastern Africa to pay for the silks and spices of Asia(389). This world region has clear, mainly coastal, boundaries. In the colonial late 1800s and early 1900s, trade routes and connections moved away from the land crossing of the Sahara that connected northernmost Africa with the rest of the continent and toward the ocean routes linked with the expanding European global economy(380). Africa has a wealth of natural resources. Overall, however, Africa's potential mineral resources are underused, and the...
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...The Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. It marks the period between the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Modern Age. The Renaissance is usually considered to have begun in the 14th century in Italy and the 16th century in northern Europe. Renaissance is a French word that literally means rebirth. Rebirth is used in two ways. First, it means rediscovery of ancient classical texts and ideas and their use in the arts and sciences. Second, it means that the results of these intellectual activities created a revitalization of European culture. Most historians believe that the Renaissance of the 15th century in Italy, which spread through the rest of Europe, represented a reconnection of the west with classical antiquity, the absorption of knowledge—particularly mathematics—from Arabic world, the return of experimentalism, an explosion of the spread of knowledge brought on by printing and the creation of new techniques in art, poetry and architecture. This period shows Europe emerging from a long period as a backwater part of the world, and the rise of commerce and exploration. The Italian Renaissance is often labelled as the beginning of the "modern" age. The Renaissance has no set starting point or place. It happened gradually at different places at different times and there are no defined dates or places for when the...
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...The heavily armed carrack, first developed in Portugal for either trade or war in the Atlantic Ocean, was the precursor of the ship of the line. Other maritime European states quickly adopted it in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. These vessels were developed by fusing aspects of the cog of the North Sea and galley of the Mediterranean Sea. The cogs, which traded in the North Sea, in the Baltic Sea and along the Atlantic coasts, had an advantage over galleys in battle because they had raised platforms called "castles" at bow and stern that archers could occupy to fire down on enemy ships or even to drop heavy weights from. Over time these castles became higher and larger, and eventually were built into the structure of the ship, increasing overall strength. This aspect of the cog remained in the newer-stylecarrack designs and proved its worth in battles like that at Diu in 1509. The Mary Rose was an early 16th century English carrack or "great ship". She was heavily armed with 78 guns and 91 after an upgrade in the 1530s. Built in Portsmouth in 1510–1512, she was one of the earliest purpose-built men-of-war in the English navy. She was over 500 tons burthen, had a keel of over 32 m (106 ft) and a crew that consisted of 200 sailors, 185 soldiers, and 30 gunners. Although the pride of the English fleet, she accidentally sank during the battle of the Solent, 19 July 1545. Henri Grâce à Dieu (English: "Henry Grace of God"), nicknamed "Great Harry", was another early English...
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...Given the relative weakness of the 16th century Europe, how do we account for the fact that European nations came to dominate most of the world by the end of the 19th century? In the 16th century, majority of the population in Europe was living in poverty. Europe paled in comparison to the great empires of the Ming, Ottoman and Mughal. Though Portuguese and Spanish represented Europe civilization to set sail and explore new lands in search of new settlements and viable trade routes, the Chinese empire lead an expedition of a massive scale larger than ever known earlier than that time with a different motive. Such expeditions imply these major empires could be suitable candidates for world domination. However, they became insignificant in the world politics arena due to internal declines and isolation. Strong and impregnable as they seem, these great empires had their weaknesses and suffered downfalls due to inefficient government and inadequate resources. The Ottoman Empire has expanded beyond what its resources could sustain. Coupled with widespread corruption and incompetent leadership, the empire’s armies suffered and became vulnerable to its Christian and nomadic rivals. The Mughal empire leader Aurangzeb, expanded his empire in name of purifying Islam hence weakening alliances with Hindu princes and disrupted the already fragmented social order. With focused expansion of territory using obsolete armies and tactics, the empire was drained of its wealth and fell when civil...
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...From 1450 to 1525, Europeans began to explore more of the world around them. Some looked to gain riches for themselves and their countries, and find new ways around political opponents. Some were motivated by their religions. Others simply wanted glory for themselves and their country. All of these explorers were able to travel with help from new technology and techniques. After the black death wiped out a third of the European population, they recovered, and saw a population boost. This boost increased demand for products like spices, such as pepper, which could only be gotten in India. Expeditions that brought back spices earned huge profit margins, as these were the only things that could add variety to their diets. When sailors sailed west looking to go east, they landed in the Americas instead of far Eastern Asia. However, they did find value there, in gold and unconquered land. Between the allure of spices and pull of land to colonize, the Europeans had plenty of economic reasons to explore....
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...over the Caribbean, Mexico, and Peru. They also wanted to conquer the Americas. Most of the native people were forced into slavery or they were swept away by the smallpox. Colonies were made in North America. The Europeans were beginning to mix with the indigenous people, even though there were still social and sexual hierarchies. Silver became quite important, so laborers were sent to mine for silver. There were three different labor systems; one came right after the other. Until the free laborer system got set in place. Europeans began settling in Australia, even though there wasn’t much trade going on at the time. Many more people traveled to the Pacific after Magellan and Captain Cook. I. Colliding Worlds...
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...Origins of Modern Europe During the 14th and 15th centuries, Europe experienced a period of heightened intellectual and artistic activity. This rebirth of classical learning is called the Renaissance. The 15th century marked the beginning of the age of exploration. Christopher Columbus and other European seamen opened the way for increased world trade and great colonial empires. The cities on or near the Atlantic replaced those of Italy as the commercial centers of Europe. Rich merchants began to rival the nobles in wealth and power. A growing abundance of money permitted kings to hire officials and soldiers, gradually removing the need for feudal relationships. World known by Europeans in the 14th century This map shows how much of the world's lands and seas were known to Europeans by the A.D. 1300's. Areas that Europeans knew about included northern Africa, far northeastern North America, much of Asia, the Mediterranean Sea, and parts of the North Atlantic and Indian oceans. The 16th century brought the Reformation, when many Christians rejected the authority of the pope and the Protestant movement was begun. The 17th and 18th centuries formed a period of savage wars by which the various European monarchs sought to increase their territories. England became a limited monarchy and aspirations for political freedom appeared in other parts of Europe. Low Countries in the 16th century. The Low Countries, including most of present-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands...
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