Although King Affonso I believed that creating a trading alliance with Portugal would economically benefit the Kongo ultimately it only further advanced Portugal’s economic standing. Portugal’s desire in participating in the Atlantic Slave Trade was the pursuit of profit because the slave trade was a major source of wealth. For example, “the Portuguese created in the Indian Ocean is commonly known as a “trading post empire,” for they aimed to control commerce, not large territories or populations, and to do so by force of arms rather than by economic competition” (Strayer, 673). Portugal’s desire to have complete control over commerce in their trading posts is emphasized in their relationship with the Kongo and in King Affonso’s Letters to King Jao of Portugal. The economic advantages the slave trade brought to the New World and Europe was also linked to the religious faith of Africans.
One common mission the British had when coming to the America was to spread religion. They introduced Christianity the most throughout the land. Sometimes the people weren’t as accepting of the new religion and which the British would then try to force it on them, although this called many disputes. Another influence the European’s had was, they influenced slavery. It was a way to not have to pay for people to do the work or pay little to nothing and keep the majority of the profits to yourself.
One specific example of this is the trade of the Ferghana horse, which he believed would be a great asset to his military when traded for highly coveted silk fabrics. (Source: Perez). This tangle of trade routes and connections between these empires and people is what began the evolution of cultural diffusion into something that we still experience today. It is an ongoing exchange across countries, lands and
One of the more important factors was understanding the economic power of china. China supplied for and consumed products of this trading network. They also provided technological innovations. Another factor was that there was a sudden rise of Islam and its spread across the Afro-Eurasia world. This creation of the Arab Empire brought together a political system in range of economies and cultural traditions thus providing a vast area for trade.
Europeans conquered and claimed the territories and greatly increased their prosperity and power, and Christianity spread to a whole new hemisphere. Portugal and Spain even presumed to divide the world in two by seeking the Pope's blessing on the Treaty of Tordesillas, which drew a line through north and south through the Atlantic, giving Portugal the lands east and Spain the lands west. Portugal actually lost in the long run because the lands that they "received" were already claimed by empires that did not recognize the Portuguese claims. The French and English did not arrive in the Americas until the 17th century, but when they did, they claimed much of North America in areas that the Spanish did not go. The trade routes that appeared during this era in the Atlantic Ocean were collectively known as the Great Circuit.
Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama who found sea route to India, Pedro Cabral who discovered Brazil, and Bartolomeu Dias who reached Africa all expanded Europeans land and all studied at the Institute of Sagres. The start of the late fifteenth century, explorers, conquerors, missionaries, merchants, and adventurers was seeking to claim new land to colonize or to live. It was only a matter of time before royal enemies fought over land possession and trade routes. This fighting over lands, settlements, trade, and exploration actually led to the growth of New World. The Europeans, technology allowed them to use their influence, negotiation, or military force to control the lands and as the trade routes grew an economic system of mercantilism was
Europe imperialism over Africa resulted in situations where people like King Leopold completely abused and mistreated entire African tribes. But what exactly drove Europe to imperialize Africa? Europeans extended their power over Africa for three reasons: The newly formed economic demand, competition between nations, and the belief in cultural superiority. The European economy was transformed by
In the region of Spain there was a mix of religions: Jewish, Muslim, and Christianity. These religions and their presence are some of what motivated the Reconquista and the Inquisition. Many traits of modern Spanish culture can be traced back to these events. The Spanish Inquisition and the Reconquista had many consequence and lasting influences that exist today in Spain, through religion, architecture, and language. The Reconquista started in 722 when the Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula and during this time period Christian kingdoms were spread out over the peninsula but did not have much power on the whole.
Why was trade so pervasive in the Islamic world prior to contact with the Portuguese? In what ways did the Portuguese change those economic networks? What did they not change? In the Islamic World currency was very important in the pervasiveness of trade. As long as tribute was paid, the rulers were allowed to do whatever they wanted.
Unlike today, there was no official separation between the church and state, “and politics and religion were very much mixed. When Columbus came to the Americas in search of land for his king, he also came to claim land for God” (Spreading Religion in the Age of Exploration). The Europeans spread Christianity, and it became very popular among the colonies of the New World. “Roman Catholicism was the official religion of Spain, so the Spanish conquistadors sought to spread Catholicism throughout their colonies, in addition to accumulating wealth and power” (Spreading Religion in the Age of Exploration). The Spanish missionaries worked very hard throughout the Americas and attempted to evangelize Native American groups.