Chapter 12: The European Empires
- 16th century was an age of exploration
- Knowledge from the past caused curiosity about the present
- Technological advancements allowed for long sea voyages
- Demands of commerce provided incentives
- The expansion of the Ottoman threatened to cut the access Europe had to Eastern goods
- At all levels of society eastern goods and spices were in high demand
- Financial crisis in Western Europe emerged
- Initial Portuguese expansion into Africa brought forth conflict and Muslim enemies
- Portuguese were in control of trade along both coasts of India, Africa, and the Spice Islands by the 16th century
- Portuguese began to struggle when it came to funding and supporting their outposts
- Spain gained the power to rival the Portuguese in terms of exploration
- Marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand gave them the power to unify Spain and expel the Muslims
- Isabella was responsible for sponsoring Christopher Columbus to find a short route for trade
- Columbus’ travels caused the Spanish and Portuguese to be in direct competition with each other
- Spain explored for three primary reasons
- The Conquistadores were characterized by their greed and ruthlessness
- The Americas were discovered due to Columbus’s expedition
- Native populations were destroyed
- There were wars over conquest of land
- Diseases such as smallpox, typhoid, and measles spread
- Native population diminished in numbers (25 million to 2 million)
- A need for African slaves became prominent
- Spanish immigration rates rose
- The new world and Europe were intermixed together in one singular marketplace
- Focus of European finance moved from the Italians to the Dutch
- Africa supplied slaves and gold
- South America supplied silver
- Europe had over 500 independent principalities in 1500
- Eastern Europe
- Mongols conquered central and southern Russia
- Created political unites (Khanates)
- Ottoman Empire was in control of all of Byzantine, Greece and the Balkan Peninsula
- Northern Europe
- Scandinavian countries ruled by a single king in the 15th century
- Denmark was the wealth center of trade
- Land was less fertile than the west, climate was more severe
- Low population
- Central Europe
- Holy Roman Empire (largest population in all of Europe)
- Independent principalities (church lands & free towns)
- Church held the Holy Roman Empire together
- Italy
- Good mineral deposits
- Large forests
- Good land for agriculture
- Largest market in Europe
- Important to early European industrial production
- Western Europe
- Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain)
- France (second largest population in Europe)
- Richest agricultural lands in Europe
- Good climate
- The unification of the independent principalities faced many challenges
- Transportation
- Slow communication
- Various languages
- Popular Assemblies resisting monarchical power
- Ivan IV “The Terrible” allowed Crimean Tatars to sack and burn Moscow
- All effective local government systems were destroyed
- Serfdom was implemented
- There weren’t any threats of foreign invasion in the 16th century
- House of Tudor won control of the crown at the Battle of Bosworth Field
- Henry VII
- First Tudor King
- Wanted to control the nobility
- Needed enough money to rule
- Centralized the management of royal lands and custom taxes to increase the revenues
- Seized church lands and sold them
- Many challenges occurring in France concerned the overly strong nobility with the reign of Louis XIV being culminated
- Louis XI
- “Spider King”
- Gained control of New Orleans through the marriage of his son
- Began the process of centralization of government administration
- Broad foundation of taxes on the common people removed King’s reliance on nobility
- Spain
- Conquered by the Moors
- Had a large Moorish presence
- Ferdinand and Isabella got married in 16th century
- Created political unity
- Cultural divide remained
- Reconquista (expulsion of Moors from Iberian Peninsula)
- Created sense of national unity
- Spanish Inquisition (drove Jews and non-Christians out of Spain)
- Terror was used to coerce confessions, public humiliations, and burning at the stake
- Crippled Spanish economy
- Led to Golden Age of Spain
- Failed to tie nation together completely
- 16th century was a time of constant warfare
- War made bloodier by technology
- War was connected to dynastic policies
- Monarchs wanted war and had the capability and money to make war
- Italian Wars
- Holy Roman Empire allied with Henry VIII and crushed France
- Treaty of Madrid
- France established new allies
- France was unable to push Germans out of Italy
- Some considered the dynastic wars at the beginning of the 16th century as the start of a balance of power international security concept
- Resources of the New World were used by European monarchies to go to war against each other
- Battlefield technology developed
- Further helped in the conquest of the New World
- Increased the emphasis on national identity
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