Growth of International

Trade

1000-1500 CE

OBJECTIVES

Interconnectedness of global trade pre-1450 Trade links from Greenland to Western Europe

Western and Eastern Europe to Muslim World

Muslim world to Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia

East Africa to India to SE Asia to East Asia

Role of Central Asia in Trans-Eurasian trade

Global Trade did not begin with the European maritime empires

Cultural diffusion resulted from trade Facilitated rise of Europe before 1450

Spread civilization to periphery of established cultures

Spread religions and technology

Show influence of trade routes

TRADE MAP c. 100 C.E.

THE POST-CLASSICAL CENTER

Muslim World was the trade center Muslim countries linked all continents

The Hajj came to link all Muslims together

Trade became associated with the Hajj, Muslim cities

Quran is VERY favorable to merchants Required fair, honest business practices

Trusted merchants as Muhammad had been one

Exchanges not limited to goods Ideas including religion exchanged

Technology exchanged

Diseases exchanged

Populations exchanged

THE MUSLIM WORLD, 1500 CE

TRADE IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

ASIAN LAND

TRADE ROUTES

Established during Han Dynasty by Nomads

Chinese paid nomads tribute in silk, traded for horses

Nomads traded silk, horses for glass, iron in West

Silk Roads Across Central Asia

From Antioch (Syria) to Chang’an (China)

Shorter trunk lines to India, Russia, Africa

Products

Silks, teas and porcelain from Guangzhou,China

Woolen cloth, horses, and ivory from Central Asia

Rubies, silver, pepper, and ebony from India

Carpets, linen, brocade, ceramics, iron from Muslim world

Wine, perfume, glass, silk, slaves, olive oil from Byzantines

Furs, wood, amber, slaves, and grain from Kievan Russia

IMPORTANCE OF

LAND TRADE

Spread Religions

Islam to Central, Western Asia, China

Buddhism to China, Korea, Japan

Christianity to Russia, China, India

Technology diffused throughout Eurasia

Foodstuffs, germs, flora/fauna diffused

Mongolians kept trade routes open, working

Influenced European desire to get to China

Influence European desire to bypass Muslims

MAP OF THE SILK ROAD

AFRO-EURASIAN TRADE

c. 1400 C.E.

TRADE CONNECTIONS

TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE

The Camel

Made trade across desert possible

Could carry great loads to trade

From West Africa

Gold, ivory, slaves, exotic feathers, spices

Male slaves carried goods, then sold

From Muslim North Africa

Cloth, glass, metalwork, books

Merchants, missionaries, travelers visited

AFRICAN TRADE NETWORKS

Gold, Slaves, Ivory, Feathers

Finished Goods, Iron Weapons, Books, Horses, Spices

SIGNIFICANCE OF TRANS-SAHARAN

AND EAST AFRICAN TRADE

Spread Civilization and Rise of Powerful African States

Aided in the rise of West African Empires

Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Kanem-Bornu, Hausa people

Swahili Culture

Blends Islam and Bantu elements

Trading cities: Zanzibar, Pemba, Pate, Mogadishiu

Zimbabwe

Central African Bantu kingdom

Links Cultures to Wider World

Contact between Mediterranean and Sahel

Linked East Africa to S.W. Asia and India

Linked Forest West Africa to Sahel regions

Linked Central Africa to East Africa

Provided most of Eurasia’s pre-Columbian gold, Islam’s slaves

Spread Islam to West Africa

MARITIME TRADE ROUTES

Maritime Routes co-existed with land routes

Often safer than land because fewer stops

But seas could be very dangerous

Requirements to maintain

Secure governments, states with agreements

Merchant conventions for exchanges

Elimination of piracy

Good navigation technology, knowledge of the seasons

Items with high profit margins to exchange

Cities on coast with protected harbors link to land routes

Primary Geographic Areas

North Sea, Baltic Sea, English Channel

Mediterranean and its adjacent bodies of water

Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf

Bay of Bengal, Straits of Malucca, East China Sea

IMPORTANT OF MARITIME ROUTES

Established cross-cultural contacts

Exchanged ideas

Furthered development of new ideas

Opened interiors to trade with coast

Coasts often most developed

New ideas, products spread inland

Caused rise of trading cities

Port cities and entrepots grow into key cities

Many became their cultures leading cities

Spread religions

Spread diseases

Spread populations

TRANS-ATLANTIC TRADE

Danish-Norwegian Empire

Settled Faroes and Shetland Islands, Iceland, Greenland

Conquered parts Scotland, Ireland, England

Created new states in Normandy, S. Italy, S.W. Asia

Products

Furs, fish, and walrus ivory from Greenland

Iron, wood, glass, and grain from Norway

Wheat, wool, jewelry, leather from England, Ireland

Swedish state ruled Sweden, Finland

Products

Iron, copper, wood, fish, grain from Sweden

Wax, honey, skins, slaves, amber from Russia, Finland, Baltic

Established state in Russia

Spread Christianity to Periphery lands

Both later established ties to Hanseatic League

MAP OF THE VIKING WORLD

LONGSHIP

KNÓRR

EUROPEAN TRADE ROUTES

European Revival around 1000 CE

Cities began to rebuild, expand

Church was a major supporter of this revival, expansion

Many cities on pilgrimage routes

Manufacturing arose again as did guilds

Giant Fairs arose as merchants moved goods between cities

North Sea/Baltic Trade Routes

Hanseatic League: Northern German cities

Maintained factories, trading depots in neighboring lands

Cloth, wines, fish, timber, salt, iron, amber, copper

Flanders and Low Countries: Brugges, Ghent

Cities prospered under supportive nobles

Came to specialize in woolens, wines, fine manufactures

Both Hansa and Venice had trading agreements with Flanders

HANSEATIC TRADE ROUTES

COG

MEDITERRANEAN TRADE

Cities: Constantinople, Alexandria and Venice

Byzantine Empire

Major terminus on the Silk Roads until 1206

Stole technology to raise silk from Chinese

Provided a large market and stable currency for whole region

Venice

Fine glass, woolens, cloth, wines from Europe

Naval fleet (mude) was a middleman to transport goods

Spices, silks, and other Asian goods to Europe from Muslim regions

Egypt

The commercial centers between three continents

Linked Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian Ocean regions

Long distance trade handled by middlemen

Jews between Europe and Muslim world

Armenians, Nestorians between Muslim world and Asia

EUROPEAN & MEDITERRANEAN

TRADE ROUTES

INDIAN OCEAN NETWORK

Not a united network but a series of routes Parts

Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabia

Bay of Bengal to Straits of Malucca

Malucca to South China Sea

One ethnic group dominated each zone Arabs in Western

Indians in Central

Chinese in Eastern

The largest peaceful zone of exchange of period Groups had no formal agreements but cooperated

States kept piracy down to minimum

Groups met at key entrepot cities to exchange items

Linked to Mediterranean and Silk Road by land routes

INDIAN OCEAN

TRADE ROUTES

COFFEE

SLAVES

IVORY

HORSES

SILKS

GOLD

STEEL

CLOTH

YARN

SILKS

INDIGO

PEPPER

GEMS

ANIMALS

DRUGS

SILVER

LACQUER

SILK

PORCELAIN

SUGAR

LUXERIES

TEA

TRAVELERS COMPARED Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta

EAST ASIA

China was central to East Asia China was economically self-sufficient

During periods, trade in the nature of tribute Ambassadors brought goods to Emperor

Emperor sent out gifts

Trade arose with increased contacts Central Asian nomads demanded silk tribute

Chinese demanded horses as tribute

Nomads traded silk for finished goods in S. W. Asia

Buddhist missionaries to China from India traded

Spread of civilization to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, SE Asia

Religious artifacts, luxuries often largest part of trade

SONG CHINA

Greatest period of Chinese trade

Cities often based on trade

Great interest in Chinese goods

Coins, bank notes, banking

Merchants obtain great influence

Hangchow was built on trade

Chinese merchants active in Asia

Porcelain, lacquer, paper

Guns and gunpowder

Silk

MONGOL

EMPIRE

Mongol Empire united Central Eurasia

Most lands of the Silk Road within empire

Linked distant trading partners for first time

Shifted trade away from Middle East

Linked Europe across Russia to China

Mongols tolerated, trusted merchants

Used foreign merchants for official business

Used as emissaries

Often used to govern lands ruled by Mongols

Merchants protected by order of Khan

Merchants could travel freely with permission

Exchanges

Ideas

Diseases especially the Black Death

Technology especially gunpowder and fire arms

THE MONGOL EMPIRE

CHANGES & DISRUPTIONS

Challenges Mongol Empire destroyed existing states

Constant warfare turned friends into enemies

Newer technologies made war more disruptive

Black Death disrupted trading patterns Merchants spread disease, died first

Cities, the basis of trade threatened, weakened

Rise of Gunpowder states in 15th century Guns formed great power; ships very different

Destroyed nomads (Mongols), ended Silk Road

Ottoman Turks monopolize SW Asian trade

Portugal looks to end Venetian, Turk monopoly

TRADE ROUTES SPREADS

BLACK DEATH

MING CHINA

Ming Overthrew Mongols in China

Reestablished traditional belief systems

Neo-Confucianism becomes state philosophy

Merchants relegated to lower status

Trade

Is limited as China is economically autarkic

Foreign contacts distrusted

Ming reestablish tributary status

Tributary exchange of goods, gifts

Sends out navy to reestablish system, search

Foreign trade limited to one port: Guangzhou

MING CHINA

PORTUGUESE ATLANTIC

TRADE

Early Portuguese exploration Fostered, overseen by Prince Henry

Establishes navigation school, trains sailors

Seeks to break Muslim-Italian monopoly

Establishes colonies at Maderia, Azores, Canaries

Create sugar plantation systems Eliminates natives

Plants sugar

Uses African slaves – precursor to New World acquisitions

Begins switch of slaves to Middle East to slaves to Atlantic

Raids and contacts along West African coast Establishes contacts with Africans, trades for gold, slaves

Strengthens resolve for water route to Asia

Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut

THE PORTUGUESE WORLD