The First Global Age: Europe The First Global Age: Europe and Asiaand Asia

1415-1796

The Search for SpicesThe Search for SpicesEuropeans Explore the Seas• The Crusades introduced Europeans to many luxury goods from

Asia.• When the Mongol empire united much of Asia, Asian goods flowed

to Europe along overland trade routes. • The Black Death and the breakup of the Mongol empire destroyed

trade. • The most valued items were spices, such as cinnamon, cloves,

nutmeg, and pepper. • Spices were used to preserve food, add flavor to dried or salted

foods, and make medicines and perfumes.

The Search for New Trade RoutesThe Search for New Trade Routes

• In the 1400s, Muslim and Italian merchants controlled most trade between Asia and Europe.

• To gain direct access to the riches of Asia, Portugal and Spain, sought a route to Asia that bypassed the Mediterranean.

• Improvements in technology helped Europeans conquer the vast oceans of the world.

Portugal Starts ExplorationPortugal Starts ExplorationPortugal Sails Eastward• Portugal led the way in exploration. • Henry the Navigator gathered many sea experts for an exploration

of the western coast of Africa.• After Henry died, Bartholomeu Dias continued Henry’s journey and

rounded the southern tip of Africa. • The tip became known as the Cape of Good Hope, it opened the

way for a sea route to Asia.• In 1497, Vasco da Gama led four ships that reached the great spice

port of Calicut on the west coast of India. • As a result, the Portuguese seized key ports around the Indian

Ocean to create a vast trading empire.

Columbus

Columbus Sails to the West• In 1492, Columbus sailed west with three

ships: the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria.

• Columbus found a route to continents previously unknown to them.

Treaty of Tordesillas Treaty of Tordesillas

• Spain and Portugal pressed rival claims to the land Columbus explored.

• Pope Alexander IV created the Line of Demarcation, dividing the non-European world into two zones (Eastern and Western)

The Search ContinuesThe Search Continues

• Ferdinand Magellan charted a passage known as the Strait of Magellan.

• He renamed the Balboa’s South Sea, the Pacific Ocean.

• The Spanish hailed Magellan’s crew the first people to sail around the world when they reached Seville.

The Beginning of ColonizationThe Beginning of Colonization

• The European Age of Exploration set off a period of growing global interdependence that still continues today.

• As trade increased, conflicts between Europe and other civilizations would become more pronounced.

• Many conflicts emerged in Asia.

Chapter 15, Section 1 Ques.Chapter 15, Section 1 Ques.

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Diverse Traditions of Southeast Diverse Traditions of Southeast AsiaAsia

Geography of Southeast Asia• Separated from the rest of Asia by mountains and high plateaus.• Island Southeast Asia is a seaborne trade between China and India.• Monsoons, shaped trading patterns in the southern seas.• Southeast Asian ports became important centers of trade and culture. • International trade network linked India, Southeast Asia, and China to East

Africa and the Middle East.

Impact of European ExplorationImpact of European ExplorationImpact of India• Trade brought prosperity as merchants exchanged products.• Indians carried a third religion after Hinduism and Buddhism, that

Asians were introduced to, that was Islam.• Traders spread Islamic beliefs and Muslim civilization throughout

the islands of Indonesia and as far east as the Philippines.• The prevalence of Islam in lands surrounding the Indian Ocean

contributed to the growth of a stable, thriving trade network.

Rise of the DutchRise of the Dutch• The Dutch were the first Europeans to challenge

Portuguese domination in Asia. • The Dutch used their sea power to set up

colonies and trading posts around the world.• In 1602, a group of wealthy Dutch merchants

formed the Dutch East India Company.

Spain in the PhilippinesSpain in the Philippines

Spain Seizes the Philippines• While the Portuguese and Dutch set up

bases on the fringes of Asia, Spain took over the Philippines.

• Within about 50 years, Spain had conquered and colonized the islands.

• The Philippines became a key link in Spain’s overseas trading empire.

Mughal India and European TradersMughal India and European Traders

• Besides producing spices, India was the world leader in textile manufacturing.

• It exposed large quantities of silk and cotton cloth.• The Mughal empire was larger, richer, and more powerful than any kingdom

in Europe. • Both the English and French East India Companies made alliances with

local officials and independent rajahs.• By the mid-1700s, the British and the French had become locked in a bitter

struggle for global power. • In 1756, war between Britain and France erupted in Europe.• The fighting soon spread, involving both nations’ lands in Asia and the

Americas.

Japan and Foreign TradersJapan and Foreign Traders

• In 1543, the Portuguese reached Japan.• A growing number of Japanese adopted Christianity.• By 1638, the Tokugawas had barred all western merchants and

forbidden Japanese to travel abroad. • Japan maintained its policy of strict isolation for more than 200

years. • Isolation had a profound effect on Japan. • Without outside influence, Japanese culture turned inward.• In 1853, Japan was forced to reopen contacts with the western

world.• Renewed relations unleashed an extraordinary period of change

that helped Japan emerged as a major world power.