Please read the requirement and write the essay
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Lect9f19AgeofExploration.pptxLecture 9 Age of Exploration
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Topics
Age of Exploration: beginning of modern era; effects on Europe and rest of world; why Europe and not China?
Portuguese Empire
Dutch Golden Age
1. Portuguese Empire
Landes, Chap 6; Henry the Navigator (died 1460) encouraged astronomy, collection of technical information on currents and winds in Atlantic; voyages down African coast; commercial motivation
1488 reached Cape of Good Hope
1492 Columbus; 1498 Vasco da Gama to India; list of questions for next expedition
1. Portuguese Empire
Portuguese ships had cannon, could outsail Asian ships
Trading-post empire; highly profitable trade, esp in spices
Superior navigation in 1450? Landes says yes
No military superiority on land; better naval guns and fortifications (trace italienne)
1. Portuguese Empire
Trade routes: Egypt and Red Sea became dominant route for Asian trade after fall of Baghdad in 1258; Mamluks profited from this trade until 1517; then Ottomans; Red Sea route dwindled after 1600 with arrival of Dutch and English
Portugal’s license system for Asian traders; only partially enforced
1. Portuguese Empire
Why not China? See Landes on Zheng He voyages, p 93 on
He says the Chinese lacked curiosity, were not motivated by greed and passion…
Institutions versus culture
What would have happened if the Chinese were still in the Indian Ocean in 1500? Landes says the Europeans by then had better guns..
1. Portuguese Empire
Dutch started taking over around 1590
Portuguese internal weaknesses: Inquisition arrived 1540; loss of intellectual contact with rest of Europe
Good astronomers were suspected of being Jewish converts
Why did Portuguese lose out to the Dutch?
Practice 6 Age of Exploration
