HIS3931 – Oceanic Imperialism 11/07/2007

07:30:00
Power is the main theme for today with a sprinkle of

movement

why did Europeans want to travel?

• curiosity, they wanted to know what was out there

• competition within the European powers

• desire for better access to Asian goods, especially

pepper

o spices, drugs, and aromatics were the most

profitable goods in the world. Weight per

revenue (extremely profitable)

• religious motivation

Trading-Post Empires

• until about 500 years ago most empires were

concerned with commanding land and people

 o the wanted power over the people where the

goods were produced

• there is now empires that control trade

o they control how goods move around the

world

o on land and sea

 land was more difficult than sea

o a stranglehold on the trade within a

geographic region

 you could take over ports

 control the routes of access

 able to patrol the routes of access and

intersect competitors

• there are some examples of the classical period of

trade empires, but they did not last very long

• the post empires of trade were much larger and

lasted much longer

 o the British empire has become the classic form

of imperialism

• dominant sea going empires were Spain and

Portugal

o 1490s – to mid 17th century

o the Americas and Spain became the dominant

power in the 3Americas

o they were not so much conquers as they were

traders

• The French, the Dutch, and the English then start

to become into trade countries

o The Dutch have just broken free from Spanish

rule

o England was not a major European power

 it was a small kingdom, not very powerful

 but they were able to establish global

power because of their increasing of their

navy
  England is taking over the United

Kingdom at this time

o the French was just coming out of the

reformation battles

o These countries are termed as the fiscal-

military states

 they were much better at collecting taxes

 fiscal

 and waging wars

 military side

• Differences between the land and sea empires

• (audio)

o indigenes

 natives, indigenous people

Technology

• gave Europeans a better advantage

• only at this point European ships were able to

compete with Asian ships

• by cracking the wind codes, they were able to

establish long trade routes

• Europeans now could travel to Asia by going pat

the African south

• 1490’s Breakthrough decade

o Columbus

o John Cabot

 discovered direct route across the north

Atlantic

o Vasco da Gama

 Asian oceans

• Military Technology

o They were able to make advances in ship

firepower

o Lighter guns, more mobile and could be put in

ships

o improvements in fortification
 o there were no other ships with mounted

artillery

The Indian Ocean

• the Portuguese seaborne empire

o direct trade with southern India

o establish a base in Goa

o establish a direct access with south east Asia

as well

o direct contact with Thailand and china

o and then Japan

o they took over Malacca in modern Malaysia

 they were after nutmeg, cloves, aromatics

o they also attacked the ships of their

competitors

o establish extensive bases all over Asia and

Africa

o Portuguese empire was feeble and shallow

  they are not coming in as empirical power

but as a pest

o the Portuguese were participating as shippers

and traders in the existing commerce of Asia,

not as dominators

o most of the Portuguese lived in places not

under their control and married native peoples

o they were welcomed into these areas

 because they enhanced the existing trade

routes, they did not pose a threat

o Francisco Vieira da Figueiredo

 A sense of an individual of somebody that

operated at this time

 a poor Portuguese soldier in the east

 turned to trade to make a living

 Cosmopolite

 somebody who could move easily

and readily throughout societies

 • some direct trade with Europe

• European participation in commerce was of

commerce within Asian commerce

• in the Indian ocean region the Portuguese had a bit

higher technology but the Asians had a better

arms so they traded on their terms

Portugal’s Rivals

• English East India Company (1600)

o Trade of spices and textiles

• United East India Company of the Netherlands

(1602)

• Portuguese were defeated and the English were

granted the new trading rights with India by the

Mughal Emperor (Jahangir)

• the Europeans were again working within the

Indian commerce system and not as powerful lords

The Age of Partnership

• the Europeans are trading on the terms of those

they are trading with

the Europeans are not longer taking over their land

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