Trade routes between Europe and Asia had a long

history, but in the 14th and 15th centuries, Europeans

were in fierce competition for trade routes to the East
that would give them access to valuable spices.
 •SPICES – Spices flavored
and preserved foods prior
to refrigerators. They were
also huge status symbols of
wealth.
•Spices like cinnamon,
cloves, nutmeg, mace,
pepper, cardamom were
Spices from markets in East India cure alls for diseases and
are pictured above. were literally worth their
weight in gold.
•In the 1300’s , copies of
Marco Polo’s book inspired
explorers. Money and glory
could be theirs as well…
•The Printing Press - Copies
of World Maps were printed
as well in 1489,1507, and
1570. New maps encouraged
explorers to acquire glory and
wealth for their king, and
themselves.
Marco Polo ensured that Italy had
an exclusive trade agreement or
monopoly with Kublai Khan of
China. Italian merchants became
very wealthy.
 •Italian merchants served
as “Middle-men.”
•They paid for spices
from the East, then
added a fee for their
services.
•They then sold the
expensive spices to
European markets,
Map of the Trade Routes –
making themselves very
15th Century
rich in the process.
•1453-Ottoman Turks captured
Constantinople. The Byzantine
Empire had now fallen into the
hands of Muslim Turks.
•The Ottoman Empire was a
“gunpowder kingdom” that
replaced archers on horseback
with musket carrying soldiers.
They were the 1st to use cannons
and this was the key to
destroying the Byzantine walls
of defense.
Above – In red= the Silk Roads, in blue=the Spice routes
The Ottoman Turks now blocked these routes that traded with the
•Western European
nations did not want to be
dependant on the Ottoman
Turks, who were
expensive, expansionist,
and Muslim.
•This prompted European
nations to look for all-
water routes to the East
Indies and India.
 Western European nations now tried for an all-water route
because the Ottoman Empire was squarely in the middle of their
spice trade routes.
•Prince Henry of
Portugal assembled a
“dream team” of
navigators, map-makers,
and scientists in order to
navigate an all water
route to the east.
•Lateen sails – made it
possible to catch the wind
at different angles.
•The Caravel – Sturdy,
light and fast, this was the
most effective ship of this
era. Its sails could be
quickly changed to match
the various winds.
•1405 – 1430 – Ming Emperor –
Yongle sponsored Zheng He who
built a naval fleet
•He commanded 7 voyages to
trade and show off the wealth and
power of the Chinese Ming
Dynasty and collect tribute from
barbarians.
•Merchants brought silks,
porcelain, spices, jewels and
tropical woods to sell and trade.
•When Emperor Yongle died, his
successors abandoned exploration,
and returned China to
isolationism.
•They burned the fleet of ships
built by Zheng He.
•Why? Confucius taught that
trade, money and wealth were not
necessarily honorable goals.
•This allowed Portugal and Spain
to lead in naval supremacy and
exploration.
•Dias kept the coastline of
Africa in his sights. He got as
far as the Cape of Good
Hope, before turning back.
•One negative side effect of
his trip was that he picked up
Africans and sold them as
slaves.
•He successfully
navigated an all-water
route to the east.
•He brought back boats
loaded with riches from
the east.
•The Portuguese now
had a monopoly on a
water route to the east.
•Backed by King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella of Spain.
•He believed by sailing west,
he would find an all-water
route to the east.
•His maps and diary will help
other explorers follow in his
steps.
•This was the first recorded landing of a
European in the New World.
•Columbus THOUGHT he landed in the West Indies
south of China and Japan. However, on later trips, he
explored Cuba, San Salvador, Santo Domingo and
Jamaica.
•His titles and honors were
stripped from him. (Admiral of the
Seas).
•Columbus died a poor and broken
man.
•His contributions: maps that other
explorers followed, thereby
opening up the New World to
Europe.
•Amerigo Vespucci, a
map-maker 1st suspected
that Columbus had bumped
in to a New World.
•Map-makers labeled it
“Amerigo’s World” and the
name America stuck.
1. Which of the explorers sailed to the southern tip
of Africa? De Gama Columbus Dias
2. Which man built and commanded a naval fleet for
the Ming Emperor in China?
3. Which explorer sailed around Africa and made it
to India, securing an all-water route for Portugal?
4. Which explorer sailed West in an effort to reach
the Eastern spice trade?
5. Who first figured out that Columbus may have
stumbled onto a “New World?”
 “Before the Columbian
Exchange, there were no
oranges in Florida, no bananas
in Ecuador, no tomatoes in
Italy, no potatoes in Ireland,
no coffee in Colombia, no
pineapples in Hawaii, no cattle
in Texas, no donkeys in
Mexico and no chocolate in
Switzerland.” – The
Columbian Exchange, a
Wikipedia article.
Portuguese trading animals in
Japan. (1570 – 1616).
Columbian Exchange - A hemispheric swap of plants,
animals, and deadly diseases that occurred after
Columbus’ voyages.
1. Diseases-small pox,
measles. 50-90% of
the Native
populations will be
killed by these. OLD WORLD
2. Horse, cow, sheep,
chickens. 1. Corn, Sweet potato,
tomato, chocolate, vanilla.
NEW WORLD
2. Potato, tobacco

Columbian Exchange - A hemispheric swap of plants,

animals, and deadly diseases that occurred after
Columbus’ voyages.
•The Ming Dynasty was stimulated by
trade and Christian missionaries from
Spain, and Portugal.
•China imported silver, corn and
sweet potatoes, (as a part of the
Columbian Exchange) in exchange
for silk and porcelain.
•The Ming changed their currency to
silver from copper and paper
banknotes.
•This will later damage the Ming
economy.
 •In Europe, there was a high
demand for sugar.
•Sugar plantations were started
in the West Indies (Caribbean).
•10 million Africans were
enslaved and forced to work on
sugar plantations.
 •Most slaves were
sent to Brazil and
the West Indies.
•3.5 million slaves
sent to Brazil.
•Sugar plantations
were worth
Sugar cane plantation millions.
Ships loaded with African slaves crossed
what became known as “The Middle
Passage.”
•1500’s – 1800’s – people from
Central and West Africa were sold
into slavery.
•This African Holocaust or
Holocaust of Enslavement was 1
part of a 3-part economic cycle that
included:
•The Triangular Trade
•The Middle Passage
•The forced servitude or deaths
of roughly 12 million Africans
on 4 continents, over 400 years.
Poster, slave auction -left
1. What product was directly connected with the
increase of slavery?
2. What was the Middle Passage?
3. What was the Triangle Trade?
4. How long did this last for Africans?
5. How many continents were involved in the
trafficking of slaves?
 Painting of Magellan, above.

From 1519 -1522, he and his crew were the

1st to circumnavigate the globe. (Sail around
the world).
•Spain knows the earth
is round.
•They are 1st to know
that Columbus has
discovered a New
World.
•They will be the 1st to
colonize the Americas.
•There was
a rush to
settle the
New World
of the
Americas.
 •Conquistadors will hurry
to settle the Americas.
•The 3 G’s – God, Glory
and Gold are key
motivations.
•They believed the could
spread the faith, and make a
fortune for themselves and
Image of Conquistador
their king.
Hernan Cortes