A major role in the decomposition of feudalism and the genesis of capitalism was played by the geographical discoveries of the late 15th – mid-17th centuries, when Europeans began to actively explore “new” regions of the Earth. The discoveries of this period are usually called Great due to their exceptional significance for the destinies of Europe and the whole world.
The Age of Discovery is divided into two periods:
The Spanish-Portuguese period (late 15th century - mid-16th century), which included the discovery of America (Columbus's first expedition in 1492); Portuguese voyages to India and the shores of East Asia, starting with the expedition of Vasco de Gama; Spanish Pacific expeditions of the 16th century. from Magellan's first circumnavigation to the Villalovos expedition (1542–1543).
The period of Russian and Dutch discoveries (mid-16th – mid-17th centuries). It includes: the discovery by Russians of all of Northern Asia (from Ermak’s campaign to the voyage of Popov-Dezhnev in 1648); English and French discoveries in North America; Dutch Pacific expeditions and the discovery of Australia.
In the second half of the 15th century. feudalism in Western Europe was at the stage of decay. Grew up big cities, trade developed. Money became the universal means of exchange, the need for which increased sharply. In Europe, the demand for gold increased greatly, which increased the desire for “India - the birthplace of spices,” where, according to Europeans, there was a lot of gold, silver, gems and spices. But the route to India became inaccessible to Europeans as a result of Turkish conquests in Asia Minor and Syria. The monopoly of Italian merchants in the European trade in eastern goods pumped gold from Europe to the East. The shortage of precious metal hampered the development of trade and commodity production in Western European countries. Portugal was the first to begin searching for southern sea routes to India. Having won back their territory from the Arabs in the 13th century, continuing the wars with the Arabs in North Africa in the 14th–15th centuries, Portugal created a strong fleet. Already in the 20–30s of the 15th century. The Portuguese discovered the island of Madeira and the Azores and moved far south along the West Coast of Africa. The discovery of the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa in 1486 created a real opportunity to prepare an expedition to India.
One of the most important reasons that determined the activity of Portugal and then Spain in geographical discoveries was the crisis of the feudal economic system, expressed in the fragmentation of feudal estates and the ruin of feudal lords. The Portuguese and Spanish nobles, who disdained all activities except war, were left idle after the victory over the Moors and very soon found themselves in debt to moneylenders. They dreamed of land holdings overseas, but even more of gold and jewelry to pay off the moneylenders.
Another reason for overseas expansion was the interest of the strengthened royal power, which dreamed of increasing revenues for the treasury. The urban bourgeoisie and the church were no less interested in the new lands. The bourgeoisie sought to expand the sources of primitive accumulation; the church is to expand its influence into pagan countries. The desire for profit was covered up by religious fanaticism - a familiar and convenient mask under which the desire for power and personal gain was hidden.
Opportunities for long journeys were created by advances in science and technology, the development of shipbuilding and navigation. From the beginning of the 16th century. The compass comes into general use, which, in combination with the astrolabe, played an important role in the development of navigation. The ancient idea of the spherical shape of the earth was revived. In the 15th century a caravel designed for ocean navigation was created - a high-speed vessel with spacious holds. Great importance had improvements in firearms. Until the end of the 15th century. The Portuguese were ahead of other countries. The knowledge they acquired gave sailors from other countries new information about sea tides, currents, and wind direction. Mapping new lands pushed the development of cartography.
From the end of the 15th century. The Spaniards began searching for sea trade routes to India. In 1492, the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506) arrived at the court of the Spanish kings. Columbus proposed his project to the Spanish monarchs - to reach the shores of India, sailing west across the Atlantic. Before this, Columbus proposed his plan to the kings of other countries, but was refused. France and England did not have the necessary funds and fleets. The Portuguese by this time were already close to opening the route to India around Africa and did not need the services of others. In Spain, a more favorable situation developed for the implementation of Columbus's plans. After the conquest of Granada in 1492 and the end of the last war with the Arabs, the economic situation of the Spanish monarchy was very difficult. The treasury was empty, the crown no longer had free land to sell, and revenues from taxes on trade and industry were insignificant. A huge number of nobles were left without a livelihood. In addition, Spanish industry needed markets. All these circumstances turned out to be decisive for the Spanish court to accept Columbus’s project. The idea of an overseas expedition was supported by the top of the Catholic Church. An agreement was concluded between the Spanish king and Columbus, according to which the great navigator was appointed viceroy of the newly discovered lands, received the rank of admiral, the right to 1/10 of the income from new possessions and 1/8 of the profits from trade.
On August 3, 1492, a flotilla of three caravels sailed from Paloe harbor, heading southwest. On October 12, 1492, the ships approached the Bahamas. Later, the island of Cuba was discovered and its northern coast was explored. Mistaking Cuba for one of the islands off the coast of Japan, Columbus continued sailing west and discovered the island of Haiti, which had more gold than the already discovered islands. Off the coast of Haiti, Columbus lost his largest ship and was forced to leave part of the crew on the island. A fort was built here. The fortress of Navidad became the first Spanish settlement in the New World.
In 1493, Columbus returned to Spain, where he was received with great honor. Columbus's discoveries worried the Portuguese. In 1494, through the mediation of the Pope, an agreement was concluded under which Spain was given the right to own lands to the west of the Azores, and Portugal to the east.
Columbus made three more voyages to America, during which the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica were discovered, and the coast of Central America was explored. Columbus believed until the end of his days that he had found western path to India. In 1500, Columbus was accused of abuse of power and sent to Spain in shackles. However, the appearance of the famous navigator in chains in Spain caused outrage. Columbus was soon rehabilitated.
By 1502–1503 refers to Columbus's fourth voyage to the New World with the goal of finding a way out to the Indian Ocean and circumnavigating the world. During this last voyage, Columbus discovered the coast of the mainland south of Cuba and explored the southwestern shores of the Caribbean Sea.
Two weeks after Columbus returned, Queen Isabella, who patronized him, died. He lost support at court. Columbus died in 1506, forgotten by everyone in complete poverty.
The tragic fate of Columbus is largely explained by the successes of the Portuguese. In 1497, Vasco da Gama's expedition was sent to explore the sea route to India around Africa. Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope, the Portuguese sailors entered the Indian Ocean and in May 1498 reached the Indian port of Calicut. Having purchased a large cargo of spices, the expedition set off on the return journey.
The success of Vasco da Gama's expedition made a huge impression in Europe. The Portuguese had enormous opportunities for commercial exploitation of India. Thanks to their superiority in weapons and naval technology, they managed to oust Indian Ocean Arab merchants and take over all maritime trade with India, and then Malacca and Indonesia. Arab attempts to oust the Portuguese from the Indian Ocean were unsuccessful.
In India, the Portuguese did not capture vast territories, but sought to capture only strongholds on the coast. Gradually they captured all trade relations between individual areas of the Indian Ocean coast. This trade brought huge profits. Moving further east along the coast, they took possession of transit routes for the spice trade. Trade with India was declared a monopoly of the Portuguese king.
Having seized control of trade with India, the Portuguese persistently sought a western route to this country. At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. As part of the Spanish and Portuguese expeditions, Amerigo Vespucci traveled to the shores of America, who proved that Columbus discovered not the coast of India, but a new continent, later called America.
Ferdinand Magellan, a member of the Portuguese expeditions, suggested that India could be reached by moving west and skirting the newly discovered continent from the south. The Spanish government, which at that time did not receive much income from the newly discovered lands, was interested in Magellan's project. According to the agreement concluded by the Spanish king with Magellan, the navigator was supposed to sail to the southern tip of the American continent and open the western route to India. They complained to him about the titles of ruler and governor of the new lands and 1/20 of all income that would go to the treasury.
On September 20, 1519, a squadron of five ships headed west. A month later, the flotilla reached the southern tip of the American continent and for three weeks moved through the strait, which now bears the name of Magellan. On March 6, 1521, the sailors found themselves at three small islands from the Mariana group. Continuing his journey west, Magellan reached the Philippine Islands, where he died in a skirmish with the natives.
New discoveries led to an exacerbation of previous contradictions between Spain and Portugal. For a long time, experts from both countries could not accurately determine the boundaries of Spanish and Portuguese possessions due to the lack of accurate data on the longitude of the newly discovered islands. In 1529, under a new agreement, Spain renounced its claims to the Philippine Islands. However, for a long time no one dared to repeat Magellan’s journey, and the path across the Pacific Ocean to the shores of Asia was of no practical importance.
Since 1510, the conquest of America began - the colonization and development of the internal regions of the continent, the formation of a system of colonial exploitation.
In 1517–1518 The detachments of Hernan de Cordoba and Juan Grimalva encountered the most ancient civilization - the Mayan state. By the time the Spaniards arrived, the territory of Yucatan was divided between several city-states. Not only superior weaponry, but also internal struggles between city-states made it easier for the Spaniards to conquer the Mayans. The Spaniards learned from local residents that precious metals were brought from the country of the Aztecs. In 1519, a Spanish detachment led by Hernan Cortes set out to conquer these lands.
The Aztec state extended from the Gulf Coast to Pacific Ocean. A large agricultural population lived here; with the work of many generations, a perfect artificial irrigation system was created, and high yields of cotton, corn, and vegetables were grown. The economic basis was the neighboring community. The Mayans had a labor conscription system. The population was used by the state in the construction of palaces, temples, etc. Crafts had not yet been separated from agriculture; both artisans and farmers lived in the community. A layer of representatives of the nobility and leaders, the caciques, began to emerge, who had large tracts of land and used slave labor.
Unlike the Mayans, the Aztec state achieved significant centralization, gradually making the transition to the hereditary power of the supreme ruler. However, the lack of internal unity, the internecine struggle for power among representatives of the highest military nobility and the struggle of conquered tribes against the conquerors made the victory of the Spaniards easier. Mexico lived up to the hopes of its conquerors. Rich deposits of gold and silver were found here.
The second stream of colonization came from the Isthmus of Panama to the south of the Pacific coast of America. The conquerors were attracted by the fabulously rich country of Peru. Fertile, densely populated lands stretched here. The population was engaged in agriculture and raised herds of llamas. Since ancient times, the territory of Peru has been inhabited by Quechua Indians. In the XIV century. One of the Quechuan tribes, the Incas, was conquered by numerous Indian tribes. By the beginning of the 16th century. The Inca state included part of the territory of Chile and Argentina. From the tribe of conquerors a military nobility was formed. The center of the Incan power was the city of Cusco. The main unit of society among the Incas, as well as among the Mayans and Aztecs, was the neighboring community. From the communal lands, the fields of the nobility and elders, which were owned, were allocated. They had the right to transfer these lands by inheritance.
The conquest of Peru by the Spaniards lasted more than 40 years. If at the first stage the conquerors seized precious metals accumulated in previous times, then from 1530 the systematic exploitation of the richest mines began in Mexico and Peru. From this moment on, the nature of colonization changed. The conquerors abandoned the economic development of new lands. Everything necessary for the Spanish settlers began to be brought from Europe in exchange for gold and silver from the New World. The noble, feudal nature of colonization predetermined the fact that the gold and silver of America fell mainly into the hands of the nobility. All conquered lands became the property of the crown. Beginning in 1512, laws were passed prohibiting the enslavement of Indians. Formally, they were considered subjects of the Spanish king, paid a special tax and completed their labor service.
In the first half of the 16th century. In general terms, a system of governing the Spanish colonies in America was formed. Colonial trade was placed under the control of the Seville Chamber of Commerce (1503), which carried out customs inspection of all cargo, collected duties, and monitored emigration processes. The main economic sector in the Spanish colonies was mining.
The colonial system that developed in the Portuguese colonies differed from the Spanish one. Since 1500, the main object of colonization was Brazil, where there was no settled agricultural population, and small Indian tribes, who were at the stage of a tribal system, were pushed into the interior of the country. The lack of deposits of precious metals and significant human resources determined the commercial nature of the initial colonization of Brazil.
Since 1500, economic development of the coastal regions of Brazil began. The coast was divided into 13 captaincys, the owners of which had full power. But Portugal did not have a significant surplus population, so settlement of the colonies was slow. The absence of peasant migrants and the small number of indigenous people made the development of feudal forms of economy impossible. The areas where the plantation system arose, based on the exploitation of black slaves from Africa, developed most successfully. Starting from the second half of the 16th century. The importation of African slaves is growing rapidly. White settlers lived mainly in the coastal zone in closed groups, engaged in trade and craft.
In the second half of the 16th - early 17th centuries. Spanish navigators made a series of Pacific expeditions from Peru, during which the Solomon Islands, South Polynesia and Australia were discovered. However, Spain did not have the strength and means to develop new lands. Therefore, the Spanish government kept all information about the discovery secret for a whole century, fearing rivalry between other powers. Only in the middle of the 17th century. The Dutch began exploring the coast of Australia.
Consequences of the Great Geographical Discoveries. During the first period of discovery, when the main trade routes moved from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, trade was dominated by Portugal and Spain. However, the main producers of industrial goods were the Netherlands, England and France, which made it possible for the bourgeoisie of these countries to quickly get rich by pumping gold and silver from the Iberian countries in exchange for industrial goods. Gradually they ousted competitors from sea routes, and then from their overseas colonies. After the defeat of the Invincible Armada (1588), the Spanish-Portuguese power (in those years both Pyrenean powers constituted a single state) was damaged crushing blow. Particularly in Pacific research and south seas at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. the initiative passed to the Netherlands, and in the 40s of the 17th century. The bourgeois revolution in England brought this country into the arena of the struggle for markets, dominance of the seas, and colonial possessions.
One of the consequences of the Great Geographical Discoveries was the strengthening of new trends in the economic policy of European absolutism, which acquired a pronounced mercantilist character. The ruling dynasties in Spain, France, and England encouraged trade, industry, shipping, and colonial expansion in every possible way. Mercantilism was generated by developing capitalism, but it also met the interests of the nobility. National industry and trade provided the means to maintain the feudal state, and therefore to maintain the social dominance of the nobles.
The opening of new trade routes and previously unknown countries and continents, the establishment of stable connections between Europe and other parts of the world in a relatively short time allowed European countries to acquire enormous resources.
As a result of the Great Geographical Discoveries, a system of colonial domination and colonial exploitation emerged. Initially, the main method of exploitation of the colonies was open robbery. Subsequently, the tax system became widespread. But the main income from the exploitation of the colonies came from trade. The rise of Spain and Portugal as colonial powers was relatively short-lived. The wealth received from the colonies was spent unproductively by the feudal nobility, while the development of industry and trade was encouraged in England and France. The positions of England, France and the Netherlands in the colonial markets were strengthened. They were able to use more effectively geographical discoveries for the development of capitalism and the creation of their own colonial empires.
The most important consequence of the discovery and colonization of new lands was the “price revolution,” which gave a powerful impetus to the initial accumulation of capital in Europe and accelerated the formation of the capitalist structure in the economy. This “revolution” was expressed in an unusual rapid rise during the 16th century prices for agricultural and industrial goods. If before the 16th century. prices were basically stable, then for 70 years - from the 30s of the 16th century. and by the end of the century they increased 2–4 times. Contemporaries associated such price movements either with a large influx of precious metals into Europe or with their leakage. However, the real cause of the “price revolution” was the fall in the value of precious metals as a commodity. It contributed to the enrichment of the industrial bourgeoisie that was emerging in this era and the impoverishment of manufacturing workers. The standard of living of wage workers declined as rising prices for agricultural products and consumer goods led to a fall in real incomes. The “price revolution” contributed to the accelerated enrichment of the wealthy part of the peasantry and the formation of the rural bourgeoisie, since the real wages of agricultural workers decreased, and with the fall in the purchasing power of money, the real amounts of cash rent or rent collected by landowners decreased, while prices for agricultural products rose. At the same time, the feudal lords who received a fixed cash rent suffered seriously. The result of the “price revolution” was general deterioration the economic situation of feudal lords and hired workers and the strengthening of the positions of the bourgeoisie. Thus, it accelerated the formation of a capitalist economy and the fall of the feudal system.
Navigation made it possible to establish stable economic ties between the most remote parts of the world. Colonial possessions were used as the economic periphery of European capital and served as the basis for expansion foreign trade, which became global.
The great geographical discoveries created the basis for the emergence of the international division of labor, the world economy and the market. The volume and range of trade has increased. In the struggle to conquer new markets, trading companies began to form that regulated the trade of merchants with a certain region of the world. This turned out to be not enough for success in competition with other countries, and gradually merchant capital began to unite into trading corporations. The most powerful of the combined companies were the East India Companies in the Netherlands and England, which managed to monopolize the Indian market.
In the 16th century Commodity and stock exchanges emerged in Antwerp - centers of world trade in goods and securities. Italian cities fell into decay, new centers of world trade rose - Lisbon, Seville and especially Antwerp, which became a world trade and financial center.
Great geographical discoveries- an era in the history of the world that began in the 15th century and lasted until the 17th century.
During era of great geographical discoveries Europeans discovered new lands and sea routes to Africa, America, Asia and Oceania in search of new trading partners and sources of goods that were in great demand in Europe.
Historians generally associate the "Great Discovery" with the pioneering long sea voyages of Portuguese and Spanish explorers in search of alternative trade routes to the "Indies" for gold, silver and spices.
Sasha Mitrakhovich 22.12.2017 08:07
The main reasons for the Great Geographical Discoveries
- Depletion of precious metal resources in Europe; overpopulation of Mediterranean areas
- With the fall of Constantinople in the 15th century. The land routes along which eastern goods (spices, fabrics, jewelry) reached Europe were captured by the Ottoman Turks. They blocked the previous trade routes of Europeans with the East. This necessitated the search for a sea route to India.
- Scientific and technological progress in Europe (navigation, weapons, astronomy, printing, cartography, etc.)
- The desire for wealth and fame.
- In open lands, Europeans founded colonies, which became a source of enrichment for them.
Sasha Mitrakhovich 22.12.2017 08:07
Great geographical discoveries. Briefly
- 1492 - discovery of America by Columbus
- 1498 - Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India around Africa
- 1499-1502 - Spanish discoveries in the New World
- 1497 - John Cabot discovers Newfoundland and Labrador
- 1500 - discovery of the mouth of the Amazon by Vicente Pinzon
- 1519-1522 - Magellan's first circumnavigation of the world, discovery of the Strait of Magellan, Mariana, Philippine, Moluccas Islands
- 1513 - discovery of the Pacific Ocean by Vasco Nunez de Balboa
- 1513 - Discovery of Florida and the Gulf Stream
- 1519-1553 - discoveries and conquests in South America Cortes, Pizarro, Almagro, Orellana
- 1528-1543 - Spanish discoveries of the interior of North America
- 1596 - discovery of the island of Spitsbergen by Willem Barents
- 1526-1598 - Spanish discoveries of the Solomon, Caroline, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, New Guinea
- 1577-1580 - second voyage around the world by the Englishman F. Drake, discovery of the Drake Passage
- 1582 - Ermak’s campaign in Siberia
- 1576-1585 - English search for the northwest passage to India and discovery in the North Atlantic
- 1586-1629 - Russian campaigns in Siberia
- 1633-1649 - discovery by Russian explorers of the East Siberian rivers to the Kolyma
- 1638-1648 - discovery of Transbaikalia and Lake Baikal by Russian explorers
- 1639-1640 - exploration by Ivan Moskvin of the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk
- The last quarter of the 16th century - the first third of the 17th century - the development of the eastern shores of North America by the British and French
- 1603-1638 - French exploration of the interior of Canada, discovery of the Great Lakes
- 1606 - independent discovery of the northern coast of Australia by the Spaniard Quiros and the Dutchman Janson
- 1612-1632 - British discoveries of the northeastern coast of North America
- 1616 - discovery of Cape Horn by Schouten and Le Mer
- 1642 - Tasman's discovery of the island of Tasmania
- 1643 - Tasman discovers New Zealand
- 1648 - Dezhnev’s discovery of the strait between America and Asia (Bering Strait)
- 1648 - discovery of Kamchatka by Fedor Popov
Sasha Mitrakhovich 22.12.2017 08:07
In the photo: Portrait of Vasco Nunez de Balboa by an unknown artist.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Europeans continued to “discover” the Earth; Researchers attribute this time to the first period of the Age of Discovery. The main role was then played by the Spaniards and Portuguese, rushing to the unexplored lands of America, Africa and Asia.
In 1513, the Spaniards built their first settlements in America, steadily moving from east to west. They were attracted by stories about the mythical Eldorado, buried in gold and precious stones.
In September, the enterprising conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa, with 190 Spanish soldiers and many Indian guides, set out from the city of Santa Maria la Antigua, which he had founded three years earlier. He had been looking for success in America for about fifteen years, skillfully combining “carrot and stick” in his relationships with the local population. He could caress and give gifts, or he could, in anger, hunt down an Indian he disliked with dogs, which brought indescribable horror to the aborigines.
For more than three weeks, the detachment literally “struggled” through mountains covered with thickets of vines and ferns, suffering from fever in the swampy lowlands and repelling attacks from warlike local residents. Finally, having crossed the Isthmus of Panama, from the top of Mount Balboa he saw the vast expanse of the sea. Entering the water with a drawn sword in one hand and a Castilian banner in the other, the conquistador declared these lands the possessions of the Castilian crown.
Having received a pile of pearls and gold from the natives, Balboa was convinced that he had found the fairyland from the stories about El Dorado. He called the sea he reached “Southern”.
So Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean. continued.
By the way, when Balboa in 1510 persuaded the first Spanish colonists to follow him into the interior of the mainland, among the latter was the later famous Francisco Pizarro. Then Pizarro did not want to go with the future discoverer of the Pacific Ocean. Pizarro's finest hour came twenty years later. In 1532, he conquered Peru, the Inca Empire, becoming the owner of an unprecedented amount of gold.
Sasha Mitrakhovich 22.12.2017 08:14
Throughout modern history, the world familiar to Europeans (that is, for them in general, “the world”) became larger and larger. In 1642, this “world” was replenished with another territory - it was called New Zealand. This is where it ended.
New Zealand was discovered by Abel Tasman
Abel Tasman was a very inquisitive and purposeful person. How else can we explain the miraculous transformation of a child from a poor Dutch family into a real “sea wolf”, a famous navigator, a discoverer of new lands? Self-taught, born in 1603, at the age of thirty (that is, quite serious) he entered the Dutch service as a simple sailor. East India Company, and already in 1639 he commanded a ship sent to establish trade contacts with Japan.
Dutch merchants in those days dreamed of expanding their sphere of influence; this was the golden age of the Dutch bourgeoisie. There were rumors about mysterious land south of Australia, full of untold riches; it was called the Southern Continent. The Dutch East India Campaign sent Tasman to look for this continent. He did not find the mythical continent, but he discovered New Zealand. This often happened in that era - remember how Columbus accidentally discovered America.
The two ships left Batavia in August 1642. Having rounded Australia from the south and heading east, on November 24 Tasman discovered an island later named after him (Tasmania), and on December 13 - new land: This was the South Island of New Zealand. Dropping anchor in the bay, he met the aborigines. The meeting was not without tragedy - Maori warriors killed four Europeans, for which the bay received the gloomy nickname of Murder Bay from Tasman.
On the way back to Batavia, the lucky Dutchman also discovered the islands of Tonga and the islands of Fiji. The rank of commander he soon received was, of course, well-deserved. Since 1651, Tasman was engaged exclusively in trade. He - after so many adventures - could afford it.
The next European to visit New Zealand was the famous Captain James Cook. But this happened only in 1769.
Sasha Mitrakhovich 22.12.2017 08:14
Sasha Mitrakhovich 23.12.2017 07:55
The era of great geographical discoveries is of enormous importance in the history of mankind. Most of the usual goods and food products simply would not exist in our market today without these two centuries.
Background
The Age of Discovery is the period from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries AD. This term comes from active research and the expansions that took place over two hundred years. At this time, the countries of Western Europe and the Muscovite kingdom significantly expanded their possessions by including new territories.
Sometimes lands were bought, less often they were simply settled, more often they had to be conquered.
Today, scientists believe that the main reason that caused the surge in such expeditions was competition in finding a shortcut to India. At the end of the Middle Ages, the opinion spread in Western European countries that this was a very rich state.
After the Portuguese began to bring spices, gold, fabrics and jewelry from there, Castile, France and other countries began to look for alternative routes. Crusades no longer brought adequate financial satisfaction, so there was a need to open new markets.
Portuguese expeditions
As we said earlier, the Age of Discovery began with the first expeditions of the Portuguese. While exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa, they reached the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean. Thus the sea route to India was opened.
Before this, several important events occurred that led to such an expedition. In 1453, Constantinople fell. Muslims captured one of the most important Christian shrines. From now on, the path of European merchants to the east - to China and India - was blocked.
But without the ambitions of the Portuguese crown, perhaps the era of great geographical discoveries would never have begun. King Afonso V began searching for Christian states in southern Africa. At that time, there was an opinion that beyond the lands of the Muslims, beyond Morocco, the forgotten Christian peoples began.
This is how the Cape Verde islands were discovered in 1456, and a decade later they began to develop the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Today it is the Ivory Coast.
The year 1488 marked the beginning of the Age of Discovery. Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Storms (later renamed the Cape of Good Hope by the king) and dropped anchor on the Pacific coast.
Thus, a bypass route to India was opened. The only problem for the Portuguese was that the journey took a year. For the rest of the monarchs, the discovery became a thorn, since, according to the papal bull, it was Portugal that monopolized it.
Discovery of America
Many believe that the era of great geographical discoveries began with the discovery of America. However, this was already the second stage.
The fifteenth century was a rather difficult period for the two parts of modern Spain. Then these were separate kingdoms - Castile and Aragon. The first, in particular, was at that time the most powerful Mediterranean monarchy. It included the territories of southern France, southern Italy, several islands and part of the coast of North Africa.
However, the reconquista process and the war with the Arabs significantly distanced the country from geographical research. The main reason The fact that the Castilians began to finance Christopher Columbus was the beginning of a confrontation with Portugal. This country, due to the opening of the route to India, received a monopoly on maritime trade.
In addition, there was a skirmish over the Canary Islands.
By the time Columbus got tired of persuading the Portuguese to equip an expedition, Castile was ready for such an adventure.
Three caravels reached the Caribbean islands. During the first campaign, San Salvador, part of Haiti and Cuba were discovered. Later, several ships of workers and soldiers were transported. Initial plans for mountains of gold failed. Therefore, the systematic colonization of the population began. But we will talk about this later, when we talk about the conquistadors.
Indian Ocean
After the return of Columbus's first expedition, a diplomatic solution to the division of spheres of influence begins. To avoid conflict, the Pope issues a document defining Portuguese and Spanish possessions. But Juan II was dissatisfied with the decree. According to the bull, he was losing the newly discovered lands of Brazil, which were then considered the island of Vera Cruz.
Therefore, in 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between the Castilian and Portuguese crowns. The border was two hundred and seventy leagues from Cape Verde. Everything to the east went to Portugal, everything to the west went to Spain.
The era of great geographical discoveries continued with expeditions in the Indian Ocean. In May 1498, Vasco da Gama's ships reached the south west coast India. Today it is the state of Kerala.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka were discovered. The Portuguese gradually developed new markets.
Pacific Ocean
As we mentioned earlier, the era of great geographical discoveries began with the search for a sea route to India. However, after Vasco da Gama's ships reached its coast, European expansion into the countries of the Far East began.
Here, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese discovered the markets of the Philippines, China and Japan.
At the other end of the Pacific Ocean at this time, Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama and becomes the first Spaniard to see the “other sea.”
The next inevitable step was the exploration of new spaces, which led to the first circumnavigation of the Magellan expedition in 1519 - 1522.
Conquistadors
The navigators of the era of great geographical discoveries were not only engaged in the development of new lands. Often the pioneers were followed by waves of adventurers, entrepreneurs, and settlers in search of a better life.
After Christopher Columbus first set foot on the shores of one of the Caribbean islands, thousands of people crossed to the New World. The main reason was the misconception that they had reached India. But after expectations of treasures were not met, Europeans began to colonize the territories.
Juan de Leon, sailing from Costa Rica, discovered the coast of Florida in 1508. Hernan Cortes, on the orders of Velazquez, left Santiago de Cuba, where he was mayor, with a flotilla of eleven ships and five hundred soldiers. He needed to conquer the natives of Yucatan. There, as it turned out, there were two fairly powerful states - the Aztec and Mayan empires.
In August 1521, Cortés captured Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, and renamed it Mexico City. From now on, the empire became part of Spain.
New trade routes
The Age of Great Geographical Discovery gave Western Europe unexpected economic opportunities. New markets were opened, territories appeared from where treasures and slaves were imported for next to nothing.
Colonization of the western and eastern coasts of Africa, the Asian coast of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific territories allowed once small states to become world empires.
Japan, Philippines, China are open to European traders. The Portuguese even got their first colony there - Macau.
But the most important thing was that during the expansion to the west and east, expeditions began to meet. Ships sailing from modern Chile reached the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines.
Thus, it was finally proven that our planet has the shape of a ball.
Gradually, sailors mastered the movement of the trade winds, the Gulf Stream. New ship models appeared. As a result of colonization, plantation farms were formed where slave labor was used.
Australia
The era of great geographical discoveries was marked not only by the search for a route to India. In short, humanity has begun to become acquainted with the planet. Once most of the coasts were known, only one question remained. What lurks in the south so massive that the northern continents do not outweigh it?
According to Aristotle, there was a certain continent - incognita terra australis ("unknown southern land").
After several erroneous reports, the Dutchman Janszoon finally landed in modern Queensland in 1603.
And in the forties of the seventeenth century, Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania and New Zealand.
Conquest of Siberia
The era of great geographical discoveries was marked not only by the exploration of America, Africa and Australia. A table of trophies and a map of the surrounding area of Lake Baikal speak of important discoveries made by Russian Cossacks.
So, in 1577, Ataman Ermak, financed by the Stroganovs, went to the east of Siberia. During the campaign, he inflicts a heavy defeat on the Siberian Khan Kuchum, but ultimately dies in one of the battles.
However, his case was not forgotten. Since the seventeenth century, after the end of the Time of Troubles, the systematic colonization of these lands began.
The Yenisei is being explored. Lena, Angara. In 1632, Yakutsk was founded. Subsequently, it will become the most important transit point on the way to the east.
In 1639, Ivan Moskvitin's expedition reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Kamchatka began to be developed only in the eighteenth century.
Results of the era of great geographical discoveries
The significance of the Age of Great Geographical Discovery is difficult to overestimate.
First, there was a food revolution. Plants such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, pineapples and others came to Western Europe. A culture of drinking coffee and tea appears, and people take up smoking.
Precious metals from the New World quickly flooded the markets of “old Europe.” With the emergence of a large number of colonies comes the era of imperialism.
In Western European countries, some trading houses are declining and others are rising. The Netherlands owe its rise to the era of geographical discoveries. In the sixteenth century, Antwerp became the main transshipment port for goods from Asia and America to other European countries.
Thus, in this article we have dealt with the course of geographical discoveries over the course of two hundred years. We talked about different directions of expeditions, learned the names of famous navigators, as well as the time of discovery of some coasts and islands.
Good luck and new discoveries to you, dear readers!
Any modern man knows that there are six continents on Earth, this number includes North America, South America and Australia. They belong to the Great Geographical Discoveries. Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine life without such wonderful places as New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands. Now almost anyone has the opportunity to visit these parts of the planet for relatively little money. Has this always been the case? Of course not. There was a time when people did not even know about the existence of these places.
Periodization of the Great Geographical Discoveries
If we talk about defining the period of the Great Geographical Discoveries, they occurred at the end of the 15th – mid-17th centuries. Let's see why these discoveries are called “Great”. This name is due to the fact that they had special significance for the destinies of our world in general, and Europe in particular.
Great geographical discoveries were made at their own peril and risk, because travelers did not know what exactly awaited them. The only thing they clearly understood was the importance of their wanderings. There were enough reasons. Let's take a closer look at some of them.
The Age of Discovery is divided into two periods:
- Spanish-Portuguese period (late 15th – mid-16th century) The most famous and, of course, the most important discoveries during this period were: the discovery of America (the first expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1492); discovery of the sea route to India by Vasco da Gamma (1497–1498); F. Magellan's first circumnavigation of the world (1519–1522).
- The period of Russian and Dutch discoveries (mid-16th – mid-17th centuries). It usually includes: The discovery by Russians of all of Northern Asia (from Ermak’s campaign to the voyage of Popov-Dezhnev in 1648), the Dutch Pacific expeditions and the discovery of Australia.
Reasons and prerequisites for the Great Geographical Discoveries
There were only three main reasons for the Great Geographical Discoveries. One of their premises was primarily justified economic development Europe. Towards the end of the 15th century. European trade with the countries of the East was experiencing a great crisis. The crisis was caused by the fact that a new harsh state appeared in the vast expanses of Asia Minor - the Ottoman Empire.
Therefore, the trade routes of the Mediterranean were completely cut off, because previously they passed through the disappeared Byzantium. In the 15th century In the countries of Western Europe, people needed gold and silver as a means of circulation, and because of the crisis they felt an acute shortage. The impoverished nobility at that time was in search of both gold itself and new trade routes. This nobility made up the bulk of the conquerors, who were also called conquistadors. The state, realizing its precarious position, was forced to make concessions and allocate funds for sea expeditions.
Moreover, an important reason for the Great Geographical Discoveries was Europe's significant advances in science and technology. First of all, the development in the construction of improved ships and also the navigation technology itself. In the XIV–XV centuries. The first caravel was created - a fairly fast ship that had spacious holds.
The importance of the caravel was that it was intended for ocean navigation. From a scientific point of view, at the same time, the hypothesis was approved that the Earth has the shape of a ball, which helped in orientation. Geographic Maps were rewritten with new introductions, and the compass and astrolabe were greatly improved. All these discoveries took place along with, for example, the invention of clocks and chronology. For more details, see the article.
Great travelers and their geographical discoveries
Everyone knows that the great Spanish navigator H. Columbus in the 1490s discovered America, which was very important and necessary for Europe at that time. In total, he made four voyages to the “new land”. Moreover, his discoveries include: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, land from Dominica to the Virgin Islands, as well as Trinidad and the wonderful Bahamas. Columbus really wanted to discover India. Because for a long time in Europe, people believed that there was a lot of gold in fabulous India. By the way, these beliefs were started by the legendary Marco Polo.
But it so happened that Columbus discovered America.
And you will immediately ask: “Why then is America called “America” and not Colombia?! Where is the copyright!” I answer immediately: there are persistent rumors that a certain Amerigo Vespucci, one of the clerks of the house of Medici (who provided money for voyages across the oceans), discovered the continent of the New World a year and a half before Columbus. Everything seems to be ironclad, but unfortunately there is no evidence of this. If anyone knows, write in the comments, otherwise we haven’t figured it out with Newton yet 😉 But the country is named after Columbus - Colombia.
Other funny historical facts You can .
We also cannot forget about Ferdinand Magellan, who discovered the strait, which was later named after him. He became the first European to travel by sea from Atlantic Ocean in Quiet. But his most famous trip is around the world. The great Portuguese and Spanish navigator was awarded the title adelantado, translated as “pioneer,” whom the king himself directed to conquer new lands.
Vasco da Gama's journey to India through the south of the African continent
But not only the West participated in new discoveries, Russian expeditions were also quite important. The annexation of Siberia was of great importance at that time. It was started in 1581 by the campaign of a detachment of the well-known Cossack ataman Ermak Timofeevich. Ermak’s campaign, with the help of government approval, contributed to the annexation Western Siberia to the Russian state. Actually, starting from this time, Siberia and Far East became colonies of the Moscow kingdom. These Europeans sailed the seas, died of scurvy and hunger..., and the Russians “without bothering” found another way.
One of the most significant was the discovery in 1648 of the strait between America and Asia, which was made by Semyon Dezhnev together with Fedot Alekseev (Popov).
Russian ambassadors played a significant role in improving maps and routes. The most famous include I.D. Khokhlov and Anisim Gribov. They participated in the description and study of routes to Central Asia.
Consequences of the Great Geographical Discoveries
Geographical discoveries led to certain world changes. Firstly, there was a “price revolution”. The value plummeted due to the influx of gold and silver, which led to an immediate rise in prices. This caused new economic problems. Second, world trade expanded significantly and began to strengthen.
This happened thanks to new products such as tobacco, coffee, cocoa, tea, rice, sugar and potatoes, which Europeans had not heard of before. Due to their inclusion in trade, the volume of trade increased greatly. Thirdly, the development of new lands and travel across the ocean contributed to the strengthening and improvement of international relations. The only thing negative consequence this was the beginning of colonization; everything else, in principle, had a positive effect on the world order.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the progress of mankind depends on many reasons, but the most important is the desire to improve living conditions. Thanks to the Great Geographical Discoveries, new lands were developed in a relatively short time, relations between peoples were established, and trade turnover was improved. The era of VGO went down in history as one of major events in the life of humanity.
Other topics on World history, and in the video tutorials you will find in
© Alexander Chudinov
Editing by Andrey Puchkov
Not only professional historians, but also all history buffs are interested in knowing how great geographical discoveries took place.
From this article you will learn everything you need about this period in.
So, in front of you Great geographical discoveries.
Age of Great Geographical Discovery
Early 16th century in Western Europe is characterized by the development of internal and international relations, the creation of large centralized states (Portugal, Spain, etc.).
By this time, great successes had been achieved in the field of production, metal processing, shipbuilding and military affairs.
The search by Western Europeans for routes to the countries of South and East Asia, from which spices (pepper, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon) and expensive silk fabrics came, is associated era of great geographical discoveries.
The Great Discovery is a period in human history, beginning in the 15th century and lasting until the 17th century, during which Europeans discovered new lands and sea routes to Africa, America, Asia and Oceania in search of new trading partners and sources of goods that were in great demand. in Europe.
Causes of the Great Geographical Discoveries
Time from the second half of the 15th century. until the middle of the 17th century. went down in history as the era of great geographical discoveries. Europeans discovered previously unknown seas and oceans, islands and continents, and made the first trips around the world. All this completely changed the idea of.
Geographical discoveries, later called “Great” ones, were made during the search for routes to the countries of the East, especially to India.
The growth of manufacturing and trade in Europe created a need for . Gold and silver were needed to mint coins. In Europe itself, the extraction of precious metals could no longer satisfy the sharply increased need for them.
They were believed to be in abundance in the East. “Thirst for gold” was the main reason that forced Europeans to embark on increasingly distant sea travel.
It was sea travel that was caused by the fact that the long-used route to the East (by Mediterranean Sea and further overland) was blocked by the mid-15th century by the Turkish conquest of the Balkan Peninsula, the Middle East, and then almost all of North Africa.
The next reason for searching for new ways was the desire of European merchants to get rid of trade intermediaries (Arab, Indian, Chinese, etc.) and establish direct connections with eastern markets.
The prerequisites for the discoveries were as follows. In Spain and Portugal, after the Reconquista (Spanish: reconquistar - to conquer; expulsion of the Arabs in the 13th-15th centuries), many nobles were left “unemployed”.
They had military experience and in order to get rich, they were ready to swim, jump or go to the ends of the world in the literal sense of the word. The fact that the countries of the Iberian Peninsula were the first to organize long-distance voyages was also explained by their unique geographical location.
New inventions were of great importance for the development of navigation. The creation of new, more reliable types of ships, the development of cartography, the improvement of the compass (invented in China) and the device for determining the latitude of a ship - the sextant - gave seafarers reliable means of navigation.
Finally, it should be borne in mind that in the 16th century. The idea of a spherical shape of the Earth was recognized by scientists in a number of countries.
Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was the son of a poor Italian weaver. Having become a sailor, he sailed a lot and mastered the art of navigation well. As an adult, Columbus settled in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, as an employee of an Italian trading company.
Columbus developed the project of sailing to the eastern shores of Asia by the western route (along the Atlantic Ocean) based on the doctrine of the sphericity of the Earth.
Christopher Columbus is a Spanish navigator who discovered America in 1492. His idea of the small extent of the Atlantic Ocean was the "greatest mistake" that led to the "greatest discovery." Columbus failed to agree on funds for the expedition with the Portuguese King João II, and in 1485 he moved to Spain, which had recently become a unified kingdom.
Its monarchs were interested in strengthening their power. But here, too, several years passed before Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand accepted Columbus's plan.
The rich also gave money for the expedition - the financier Santangel and the merchant Sanchez - people of a new time, a new type of thinking.
On August 3, 1492, the flotilla under the command of Columbus (caravels Santa Maria, Pinta and Ni-nya) left the port of Paloe.
On the night of October 12, the lights of fires and a narrow strip of shore were seen. At dawn the ships approached a low island covered with tropical vegetation. It was one of the islands of the Bahamas, which Columbus named San Salvador ("Holy Savior").
On his first voyage, Columbus discovered a number of islands and was sure that they were located off the eastern coast of Asia.
Columbus announces open land property of the Spanish king. Illustration from 1893Returning to Spain, Columbus organized three more voyages, during which he discovered new islands, the northern coast of South America and eastern Central America.
Everyone was sure that this was “India”. However, there were also those who doubted this. The Italian historian Peter Martyr wrote already in 1493 that Columbus discovered not the shores of Asia, but the “New World”.
Amerigo Vespucci and Columbus
Columbus's mistake was soon corrected, but the continent discovered by him was named after another Spanish navigator - Amerigo Vespucci - America.
Amerigo Vespucci - Florentine traveler, after whom America was named In modern South America there is a state whose name immortalizes the name of Columbus - Colombia. However, Columbus's misconception was preserved in the name of the indigenous people of America - Indians, under which they entered world history.
Then it was found that their ancestors moved to America from Asia across the isthmus, where the Bering Strait is now located. This happened about 20-30 thousand years ago.
Conquest of Mexico and Peru
In 1516-1518 The Spaniards reached the places where the Mayans lived (the Yucatan Peninsula), and learned from them that there was a country nearby from which they received gold.
Rumors about the “Golden Empire” completely deprived the Spaniards of peace. In 1519, an expedition led by Hernando Cortes, a poor young nobleman, headed to the shores of the Aztec state (Mexico).
He had 500 soldiers (including 16 on horseback) and 13 cannons. Having secured the support of the tribes conquered by the Aztecs, Cortez moved to the capital of the country - the city of Tenochtitlan.
He captured the ruler Montezuma and took possession of his enormous treasures. An uprising broke out and the Spaniards had to flee.
Two years later they again captured the capital, exterminating almost the entire male population. Within a few years, the Aztec state was conquered, and the Spaniards got a lot of gold and silver.
Meeting of Hernando Cortez and Montezuma II Spanish conquest of the Inca country in 1531-1532. made easier by the fragility of their military alliance. At the head of the campaign to the country of Biru (hence Peru) was the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, a shepherd in his youth.
He had 600 warriors and 37 horses. Having met with a 15,000-strong Inca army, the Spaniards treacherously captured their king Atagualpa.
After this, the Inca army was defeated. The king paid a huge sum for the promise of liberation, but was killed on the orders of Pizarro. The Spaniards captured the capital of Peru, Cusco. Peru far surpassed Mexico in its wealth.
The conquest of Mexico and Peru served as the basis for Spain to create its own colonies in America, which, along with conquests in other parts of the world, formed the huge colonial empire of the Spanish monarchy.
Colonies of Portugal
The Portuguese were the first to enter the ocean in search of a route to the distant countries of the East. Slowly moving along the western coast of Africa, they during the 15th century. We reached the Cape of Good Hope, went around it and went out into the Indian Ocean.
To complete the search for a sea route to India, the Portuguese king Manoel sent an expedition led by one of his courtiers, Vasco da Gama.
In the summer of 1497, four ships under his command left Lisbon and, rounding, sailed along its eastern coast to the rich Arab city of Malindi, which traded with India.
Vasco da Gama entered into an alliance with the Sultan of Malindi, and he allowed him to take with him the famous in those parts, Ahmed ibn Majid, as a navigator. Under his leadership, the Portuguese completed their voyage.
On May 20, 1498, the ships dropped anchor at the Indian port of Calicut - another great geographical discovery was made, as a sea route to India appeared.
In the autumn of 1499, after a difficult expedition, with a half-reduced crew, Vasco da Gama's ships returned to Lisbon. Their return with a cargo of spices from India was solemnly celebrated.
The opening of the sea route to India allowed Portugal to begin to master maritime trade in South and East Asia. Having captured the Moluccas, the Portuguese entered the Pacific Ocean, established trade with the South, and reached there, establishing the first European trading post there.
Vasco da Gama is a Portuguese navigator from the Age of Discovery. Commander of the expedition, which was the first in history to travel by sea from Europe to India. As they advanced first along the western and then eastern coasts of Africa, the Portuguese founded their colonies there: Angola (in the west) and Mozambique (in the east).
Thus, not only was the sea route from Western Europe to India opened and East Asia, but also created a vast colonial empire of Portugal.
Magellan's voyage around the world
The Spaniards, creating their colonial empire in America, reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The taffy of the strait connecting it to the Atlantic began.
In Europe, some geographers were so sure of the existence of this that they had not yet open strait, that they put it on maps in advance.
A new plan for an expedition with the goal of opening the strait and reaching Asia by the western route was proposed to the Spanish king by Fernando Magellan (1480-1521), a Portuguese sailor from the poor nobles who lived in Spain.
When proposing his project, Magellan believed in the existence of the strait, and also had a very optimistic idea of the distances that he would have to overcome.
Did you like the post? Press any button:
Loading...