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The Age of ReconnaissanceSettled areas of early modern AfricaThe Aztec Empire

The Inca Empire

*Reconnaisance:

*Only discovery from the west

*Reconnaissance = re-knowing

*Europe explores again, and for new reasons

*Political/economic power/competition

*Serious curiosity

*Religious passion

*The Wheatley question:

*Why is there no apparent connection between the Cross and good behavior?

*learning to be neighbors?

A World under Reconnaissance

*The Iberian century (1480-1580) : Portugal

*built on its ocean experience

*Problem: low population

*Trading in west and east Africa

*Conquest in E. Africa

*Ports from Hormuz to Macao

*Vasco Da Gama: late 15th century

*To the Indian Ocean

*Swahili coast

*Long loved culture; Bantu & Arabic

*Not an effective take

*Then the west coast of India

*The Kongo a tragic episode

*A Confederation of groups, headed by a supreme ruler, the manikongo

*Contact by the Portuguese; early 16th C

*peaceful interaction, conversion of the heir to the throne Alfonso

*great opportunity

*A Lesson in Negative Statesmanship

*opposition by both natives and traders

*the regimento (1512) of King Manuel

*loss of Alfonsos cooperation

*demands of the settlers of Sao Tome*reduction to slaving, conflict

*Spread south to Angola

*Cabral: who headed to the Americas

*Landed at Brazil

*First of many

*Portugal took the coast

*Then back to the Indian Ocean

Sofala, one of many economic bases

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Kilwa

Mombasa

Hormuz

Diu

Goa

Calicut

Macao in China

*The Iberian century (cont)*Columbus

*Spain encountered the New World

*Took over large islands: Cuba & Hispaniola

*Followed by adventurers/explorers

*De Vaca, Balboa, de Leon, Coronado

*The American holocaust (?)

*then by the conquistadores

*End of Aztec and Inca empires

*Concentrated wealth the quinto

*Then attempts to discover or mine more, especially silver

*Ferdinand Magellan:

*Whose expedition spanned the globe

*He did not make it

*Too intent on evangelism

*The Death of Magellan

*Sorta.

*Do you believe this?

Hernan Cortes & Francisco Pizarro

*Results: large land areas claimed

*A very traditional European society*Landed estates, with a small network

*establishment of Catholic churches and schools

*Wealth for the Spanish crown

*Conflict with other European powers

The World under Reconnaissance

*Two Final matters:

*Get the contrast between Portugal and Spain

*Portugal trading areas

*Spain conquest of land

*Both are using force to accomplish goals

*Can we ask again why Europeans cannot come in peace?