02x02 - Islands & Oceans

HIS3931 – Islands & Oceans

10/07/2007 07:25:00

1492 was not the beginning of the Iberian Empire The Iberian Empire had a pattern of expeditions and discovering new lands

European Seamanship • technological barriers o limited by coastal voyages o no ocean going sea vessels that could handle the crossing of oceans o the understanding of currents and tides was limited o they could not risk going too far out o they could not come back if they left too far • challenges of the south Atlantic ocean o no continental shelf, could not be guided by it o no coast to follow o no winds or currents that could carry the ships back

o the Portuguese  Prince Henry the Navigator (1394 – 1460)  Traveled across the pillars of Hercules • as a young man he did that • raided the city of Cueta in Northern Africa  had an intense interest of Africa  in 1419 he establishes a school of seamanship and navigation  by 1460 when he died, he sponsored a third of all voyages of the south Atlantic  technological and scientific side of him  a religious and financial interest to find new lands and ways to travel to them by ship

 among the voyages that he sponsored one of them made their way to the Azores • used conventional means • relayed on the land  They had to use other maritime civilization tools to travel farther • The Compass o Brought by the Muslims from the Chinese • Cape Bojador o The southern limit of Atlantic mariners o Could not go lower than that because:  wind directions that were completely unfamiliar to mariners  very powerful ties  absence of charts  the traditional sail design was not working  they had to design the Caravel

 sponsored by Prince Henry the Navigator  able to zigzag and became crucial to navigate the south Atlantic • the Portuguese became the heirs of the Muslim technologies and knowledge • Jewish Cartographers o 14th – 15th century Iberia was Jewish friendly o with the help of the Jewish scientists they created the astrolabe • The Astrolabe o adapted from the Muslim o Helped navigators know their positions at sea o it used to be a nocturnal instrument  they turned to be used during the day time o this only tells the latitude  longitude took much longer

• Using that technology the finally crossed the Bojador (1470’s) • between 1425 and 1525 they finally could return from their voyages o a combination of the caravel o the compass, and the astrolabe and increased geographic knowledge • After the 1520’s Europeans could sail anywhere in the world Colonizing the Atlantic Islands • The first set of islands to witness this process is Madeira • Madeira o 600 miles off the coast of 5Portugal o setting off a colony here was not a way to get rich quick scheme o they could sell the timber

o farmers settle on the island and start growing wheat  undercut the price of corn o the first time the immergence of sugar cultivation  in the 1450’s they surrender the island to the Portuguese crown • The Azores o 1,000 miles out into the ocean o could not grow sugar (wet and cool) o they grow wheat (primary wheat supplier by mid 16th century) o weight station o re-supply station • The Canary Islands o wheat, sugar, wine o the island was already habited

o the first to come were the Italians and Castilians, Normans, Portuguese  the Portuguese and the Castilians fight for the islands and they became Spain property in 1479 • The Cape Verde Islands o cotton o weight station for ships on their way to India and brazil • Sao Tome o 2,000 miles east of Cape Verde Islands o inhabited, and become settled primarily by Jews running away from the inquisition o sugar and slave plantation • Summary of island groups o Iberian pioneered the technological and ideas for the future

o the idea of planting people somewhere and colonizing it o established particular crops that would become commodities, wheat, sugar, cotton o processed the technology to make sugar from sugarcane o the realization of labor needs and labor supplies, slaves o the involvement of various middle-men, low country merchants (Netherlands, Belgium)  financed and helped transport goods back to Europe o the first plantation complexes, first slave revolt o state rivalries that spilled into colonies Contemporary Spain

• Every year thousands of Africans travel 600 miles from Africa to the Canary Islands because once they get there, they are in Europe

10/07/2007 07:25:00

10/07/2007 07:25:00