For more than a century, Baker Hughes . Q. Sugar fueled the Atlantic slave trade, and the Portuguese islands quickly became home to sugar plantations. What are the most important factors behind the success of Portuguese and Spanish overseas exploration and colonization? Seeing the value of this source of labor in growing the profitable crop of sugar on their Atlantic islands, the Portuguese soon began exporting African slaves along with African ivory and gold. extensive migration of people from the Western Hemisphere to Europe and Asia. Portuguese traders soon began to settle around the fort and established the town of Elmina. They also found a sea route to India. Along the way, they discovered plenty of ways to make a profit from their voyages, and pretty soon they were leaders in the gold and slave trades. Although Portugal opened the door to exploration of the Atlantic World, Spanish explorers quickly made inroads into the Americas. Notes FAQ Contact . Nearly everybody remembers that 'In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue,' and indeed, Christopher Columbus, sponsored by Spain, did make his first voyage in 1492 and bumped into a completely new continent on his way to the Far East. These lands comprised most of the Americas. AP European History: The Age of Expansion, The Market Economy in 17th Century Europe, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, The Age of Discovery and the Conquistadors, AP European History: Overview of the Renaissance, AP European History: Renaissance Philosophy, Art & Literature, AP European History: Reformation Roots & Teachings, AP European History: The Reformation's Effects Across Europe, The Old World and New World: Why Europeans Sailed to the Americas, Portuguese and Spanish Empires: Growth in the New World & Asia, The Columbian Exchange, Global Trade & Mercantilism, Triangular Trade: Route, System & Role in Slavery, The Commercial Revolution: Economic Impact of Exploration and Colonization on Europe, Spreading Religion in the Age of Exploration, AP European History: The Rise of Monarchical Nation States, AP European History: English History (1450-1700), AP European History: The Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, AP European History: The French Revolution, AP European History: The Napoleonic Empire, AP European History: 19th Century Revolutionary Movements, AP European History: The First Industrial Revolution, AP European History: Unifications of Nation States in the 19th Century, AP European History: Russia After World War I, AP European History: Integration: Europe after the Soviet Union, Developing and Writing Your AP Exam Essay, History 106: The Civil War and Reconstruction, AP European History: Homework Help Resource, ILTS Social Science - History (246): Test Practice and Study Guide, GED Social Studies: Civics & Government, US History, Economics, Geography & World, High School US History: Homework Help Resource, High School US History: Tutoring Solution, Roman God Pluto of the Underworld: Facts & Overview, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite's Mystical Theology, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Recognize the exploration of the Portuguese and Spanish Empires, Identify the African and Brazilian expansion by Portugal, Describe the Spanish conquerors and conquest of South and Central America. The Spanish explorers were in search of mineral wealth, looking for El Dorado (the City of Gold) and they aspired to spread Christianity. Spain and Portugal were considered to be the major exponents of 'The Age of Discovery', stretching from the early 15 th century to mid-17 th century. Missionaries like Motolinia had a legitimate desire to convert the natives and others like him, including the Dominican friar Bartolome de Las Casas, who wrote "A Brief Account of the Destruction of the West Indies" to draw attention to the atrocities committed against the natives by his fellow Spaniards. The natives quickly became the bulk of the workforce and were horribly abused despite Isabel's orders to the contrary. When Vasco de Gama found a new route to India, the Portuguese were able to trade spices and jewels. The Spanish explorers hoped to find cities of gold, so they made their discoveries sound as wonderful as possible in these letters to convince the Spanish crown to fund more voyages. Portugal discovered new lands, new sea routes and made better maps of the world. There were different reasons for the Spanish and Portuguese exploration, with the Portuguese establishing a trading post empire to protect their goods, and Spain focusing on empire-building. Elmina Castle on the west coast of Ghana was used as a holding pen for slaves before they were brought across the Atlantic and sold. After taking Cuba in 1511, the Spanish continued traveling further into the territory with the conquistador, Hernan Cortes, attacking the Aztec Empire in 1519, taking their capital of Tenochtitlan in 1521. Without her, Corts would not have been able to communicate, and without the language bridge, he surely would have been less successful in destabilizing the Aztec Empire. Prince Henry the Navigator | Biography, Influence & Facts, The Development of Monarchical Nation States: the Rise of Power, Bartolome de las Casas: Destruction of the Amerindians, Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire | Biography & Facts, Carolingian Art | Overview, Renaissance & Characteristics. The Portuguese also traded these slaves, introducing much-needed human capital to other European nations. Lutheranism History, Facts & Beliefs | What is Lutheranism? When these expeditions began, Europeans knew virtually nothing about the area past Cape Bojador on. Portugal's wealth increased due to its control of the spice trade with India. As many of those eventually sank, shipwrecks may represent a local source of mercury contamination in the marine environment. Portrait of Ferdinand Magellan. He also started a school Many ideas and methods of expansion were flowed along over time. Map of Columbus' first journey to the Americas. All lands to the east of the line would go to Portugal. What was the success of Spain and Portugal? 247 lessons While the Portuguese didnt rule over an immense landmass, their strategic holdings of islands and coastal ports gave them almost unrivaled control of nautical trade routes and a global empire of trading posts during the 1400s. They also found a sea route to India. Upon Columbuss return to Spain, the Spanish crown bestowed on him the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and named him governor and viceroy of the lands he had discovered. Indeed, the Renaissance world was looking outward. Henry the Navigator. Create your account. He received help from the neighboring cities terrorized by the Aztec empire, who periodically collected people from them to offer sacrifices to their gods in many elaborate rituals, outstripping nearby empires in their zeal. The motives for Spanish exploration was to find Northwest Passage, which they believed was a direct and efficient route to the Orient home of spices, silks and wealth. Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella promoted the acquisition of these new lands in order to strengthen and glorify their own empire. The magnetic compass was a compass that had a magnetized needle supporting a magnetic card. conquered Aztecs, killed emperor, collected gold Ferdinand Magellan This age of exploration and the subsequent creation of an Atlantic World marked the earliest phase of globalization, in which previously isolated groupsAfricans, Native Americans, and Europeansfirst came into contact with each other, sometimes with disastrous results. Most trades for Western Europe required overland travel, which only grew more difficult with Ottoman conquests in the East. Negative and Positive Impact of Portuguese Exploration by Seb. They understood that the Portuguese would soon reach Asia and, in this competitive race to reach the Far East, the Spanish rulers decided to act. So basically it helped explorers reach their destination. Spanish Exploration Birth of the USA American Constitution American Independence War Causes of the American Revolution Democratic Republican Party General Thomas Gage biography Intolerable Acts Loyalists Powers of the President Quebec Act Seven Years' War Stamp Act Tea Party Cold War Battle of Dien Bien Phu Brezhnev Doctrine Brezhnev Era The Spanish also brought the disease smallpox. Portugal discovered new lands, new sea routes and made better maps of the world. What is the effect of Spanish and Portuguese Exploration? This was especially true under the ecomienda system, whereby the Spanish built plantations for mining and farming and managed by Amerindian labor. Discover the motivations & goals of Spanish & Portuguese exploration of the New World & Asia. Cortes, for example, had friendly relationships with a number of natives, using them to assist in his conquest of the Aztecs, while other conquistadors focused only on subjugation and cruelty. Other explorers made their way up the California coast and across the American southeast. Columbus made a total of four voyages to the New World, but he honestly believed for the rest of his life that he had found the Far East. The explorers also gained new foods like corn and pineapple. Portuguese sailors continued to make important discoveries in this new arena as well. Probanzas de mritos featured glowing descriptions of lands of plenty. THE SPANISH GOLDEN AGE The exploits of European explorers had a profound impact both in the Americas and back in Europe. They explored the coasts of Africa and brought back gold and slaves. 5 What was Portugals role in the age of discovery? All lands to the west of the line, identified as the Line of Demarcation, would be Spains. The Spanish also brought smallpox into the valley of Mexico. All of these items are still traded across the Atlantic today to places all over the world. Portuguese explorers were able to discover and conquer new worlds. explored ante empire in Mexico. The Library of Congress. The story of North American exploration spans an entire millennium and involves a wide array of European powers and uniquely American characters. The motives that spur human beings to examine their environment are many. Gold became the biggest source of income for the Portuguese crown. Part of this Age of Discovery was the creation of a new occupation, that of conquistador. The Portuguese had the best and most up-to-date navigational tools as well. Spanish and Portuguese exploration brought a variety of Western ideas to the new world, including dress and leadership positions like that of the governor. Which country initiated the era of Atlantic exploration? Ushered in a new age of sustained global contact; world connected through networks of exchange. During the fifteenth century, Spain hoped to gain advantage over its rival, Portugal. Native Spaniards created equally enduring works. The results of the study allowed us to discover the characteristics of the contents which have an effect on informal learning, favoring the child's creativity and the development of abilities and. How did Portuguese and Spanish exploration effect the people in Africa? What was Portugals role in the age of discovery? Islamic states had dominated. Such problems only created possibilities for new solutions as European colonies and trade cropped up around the world. They also found a sea route to India. There is honey, and there are many kinds of birds, and a great variety of fruits. In the BFA programs, students receive practical training through the progression of hands-on projects that increase in complexity. In 1482, Portuguese traders built Elmina Castle (also called So Jorge da Mina, or Saint Georges of the Mine) in present-day Ghana, on the west coast of Africa ([link]). 3 What impact did Portuguese have on Africa? How to Market Your Business with Webinars. While the Portuguese built a maritime trading empire in Africa and Asia, the Spanish built a territorial empire in the Americas . Spain attracted innovative foreign painters such as El Greco, a Greek who had studied with Italian Renaissance masters like Titian and Michelangelo before moving to Toledo. The Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled a collection of territories including Austria, the Netherlands, Naples, Sicily, and Spain, encouraged and financed the work of painters, sculptors, musicians, architects, and writers, resulting in a blooming of Spanish Renaissance culture. flashcard sets. Instead, he encouraged exploration and directed many important expeditions. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. The Portuguese built an empire from 1420 onwards that was largely composed of trade centres dotted around the coasts of three continents. Christopher Columbus incorrectly believed he had found India when he landed at San Salvador in the Bahamas in 1492. However, they also brought disease and existing conflicts between European nations. What are the long lasting effects of Spanish Exploration today? a long period of peace and prosperity for the nations of western Europe. However, when Columbus in fact discovered America, the subsequent discoveries of indigenous peoples led the Catholic country to move beyond pure trade goals to establish lasting colonies that would add to Spain's greatness and spread Catholicism to the New World. An exchange of ideas, fueled and financed in part by New World commodities, began to connect European nations and, in turn, to touch the parts of the world that Europeans conquered. Key Explorers The key figure in early Portuguese exploration was Prince Henry, the son of King John I. Nicknamed "the Navigator," Henry was not an explorer himself. Why did the authors of probanzas de mritos choose to write in the way that they did? The main driving forces for these pressures include the growing population associated with rapid urbanization and human settlements along the coast, industrial growth, oil exploration, production and export and the associated tanker traffic, fishing, tourism, agriculture, aquaculture and sea water desalination. In addition to navigation, what purpose would such a map have served? The Spaniards moved north, too. Spanish relationships with the natives tended to vary depending on the person. In the 1540s, Francisco Vsquez de Coronado crossed the Rio Grande and traveled up the Colorado River. The Reconquista marked another step forward in the process of making Spain an imperial power, and Ferdinand and Isabella were now ready to look further afield. Thus the goals of the Spanish conquest were quite different from the Portuguese. Fighting on horseback gave the Spanish explorers an advantage over the Native American populations, who fought on foot. The increased flow of silver altered the worldwide global trading both socially and economically. At Elmina the main source was Ashanti gold, at trading points on the Guinea coast it was gold diverted to Portuguese traders from the caravan route from Timbuktu to Morocco. with an exploratory and descriptive study with a sample of five YouTube channels in Spanish and Portuguese aimed at early . Spanish . Smarting from their defeat at the hands of the Aztec, Corts slowly created alliances with native peoples who resented Aztec rule. Inspired by tales of rivers of gold and timid, malleable natives, later Spanish explorers were relentless in their quest for land and gold. There was plenty of room to spread out, interesting cultures and landscapes to explore, natives to Christianize, and even better, economic opportunities galore, including new sources of gold and silver. The Portuguese also traded these slaves, introducing much-needed human capital to other European nations. Cartographers developed new ways of mapping. SE. Spain and Portugal divided the New World by drawing a north-to-south line of demarcation in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 leagues (555 . In addition to forcing the native populations into slavery, the Spanish explorers forced them to convert to Christianity. However, these stories are based on the self-aggrandizing efforts of conquistadors to secure royal favor through the writing of probanzas de mritos (proofs of merit). His patronage allowed some of the most important Portuguese expeditions to take place. Columbus also discovered tobacco seeds and brought the seeds back to Europe. Gallery. Magellan and Joo Serro were the only Portuguese captains, with Magellan in charge of the largest ship, the Trinidad, and Serro at the helm of the Santiago. What were three outcomes of Spanish Exploration? What was the effect of Spanish and Portuguese exploration? Eli Whitney Inventions & Facts | What Did Eli Whitney Invent? Today they highlight the difficult task of historical work; while the letters are primary sources, historians need to understand the context and the culture in which the conquistadors, as the Spanish adventurers came to be called, wrote them and distinguish their bias and subjective nature. Great Explorers of Spain and Portugal: Aims & Discoveries, Radical Reformation Origins & Beliefs | Anabaptists & Antitrinitarians. What was the effect of Spanish and Portuguese exploration? Perhaps the key motivator behind exploration in this era was economic. Sources. Below are excerpts from Columbuss 1493 letter to Luis de Santngel, which illustrates how fantastic reports from European explorers gave rise to many myths surrounding the Spanish conquest and the New World. Columbus held erroneous views that shaped his thinking about what he would encounter as he sailed west. All rights reserved. B. Africans were enslaved and brought to the Americas. The Portuguese did not emphasize colonization in their new territories. The Portuguese expanded in wealth and founded the international slave trade, an institution whose ramifications would haunt Atlantic history until the nineteenth century. A desire for Asian spices and other Asian goods: European maritime expansion began with the goal of establishing new trade routes to African and Asian markets to buy ivory, pepper, cotton, and He presided as governor over the province of Nueva Galicia, where he heard rumors of wealth to the north: a golden city called Quivira. Although Europeans continued to trade with the east, especially the seagoing Venetians, the venture was expensive and unsanctioned by the Catholic Church, which forbade Christian trade with Muslim empires. She has taught college English and religious education classes and currently works as a freelance writer. The Spanish monarchs knew that Portuguese mariners had reached the southern tip of Africa and sailed the Indian Ocean. 1524. Believing he had landed in the East Indies, Columbus called the native Tanos he found there Indios, giving rise to the term Indian for any native people of the New World. Probanzas de mritos were reports and letters written by Spaniards in the New World to the Spanish crown, designed to win royal patronage. It was able to amplify the power of Undead army by several magnitudes. Amy has MA degrees in History, English, and Theology. As Spains empire expanded and riches flowed in from the Americas, the Spanish experienced a golden age of art and literature. This 1502 map, known as the Cantino World Map, depicts the cartographers interpretation of the world in light of recent discoveries. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. Test and improve your knowledge of The Age of Discovery & Exploration with fun multiple choice exams you can take online with Study.com. In the 1480s, Pope Sixtus IV had granted Portugal the right to all land south of the Cape Verde islands, leading the Portuguese king to claim that the lands discovered by Columbus belonged to Portugal, not Spain. Hernn Corts hoped to gain hereditary privilege for his family, tribute payments and labor from natives, and an annual pension for his service to the crown. The Portuguese destroyed the Arab trade routes in the Indian Ocean between Africa, Arabia and India. Their son, Martn, may have been the first mestizo (person of mixed indigenous American and European descent). They accomplished this through a combination of military strength and strategic alliances with native peoples. The Spanish established the first European settlements in the Americas, beginning in the Caribbean and, by 1600, extending throughout Central and South America. Europeans gained new materials like gold, silver, and jewels. For them, the dungeon of Elmina was their last sight of their home country. They also had different strategies that helped them make progress through their travels of the ocean.