MMW 13 Lecture 11: lecture 11
19 May 2018
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Department
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Outline Lecture Eleven—The Portuguese Intrusion
Key Questions:
1) What geopolitical conditions allowed the Portuguese to become a key
player in the Indian Ocean network?
2) How did they maintain a tenuous hold in the 16th century? Why did they
ultimately fail?
I) Contingent Global Factors Behind Portuguese Expansion
- Interdependent mercantile states
a) Power vacuum in the Indian Ocean Network
i) Polycentric Swahili network
- Not political control but commercial interest
- Kilwa, mombasa re examples of this
- No one saw to monopolize the region
ii) 1435 last Ming expedition
- Retreat of the ming maritime expedition
- Ming had withdrew so the portuguese did not bump into them, if they
had, things would’ve been different
iii) Chinese vs. Portuguese “networks” or “presence”
- Chinese
- Seeking to expand tributary state system
-
Chinese fleets → web weavers (weaving together contacts, not
trying to be conquerors)
- Cultural assimilation - bringing different regions into realm of
chinese culture
- Religious indifference - didn’t care what religion you
worshipped, but if agreed to be part of tributary system, then it
was fine
- Sense of imperial self-satisfaction: china being ethnocentric
- Portuguese
- Only thought of expansion, and establishing colonies through
force
- Religious conversion through compulsion
- Establishing monopolies rather than trade
-
Had everything to prove to others → opposite of imperial self-
satisfaction: were an upstart power, always on the margins of
europe (one of the poorest states of europe, weakest in terms
of commercial and military power, so had something to prove)
b) The Lure of Africa
- Catalan map
i) Gold trade along the West African coastline
- Not suitable for pepper plantation, so gold was more prominent
ii) Potential for pepper cultivation in sub-Saharan Africa
- Thought they could develop land to establish pepper plantation
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
c) Ottoman Hegemony in the Eastern Mediterranean
i) Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in mid-15th century
- Impediment to trade
- Ottomans were hostile to christian european powers
-
Incentive to find another route for trade → maritime route
ii) Ottoman-Safavid conflict
II) Rogue Intervention at the “Crossroads of the World”?
a) Indian Ocean as the “crossroads” of 16th century world system
i) Intersection of many networks
- So much of world’s trade went through indian ocean network
-
Swahili: ivory, gold, gems, exotic animals → most of the goods came
out of this coast, and had to cross the Indian ocean
- Indian ocean was gateway to persian gulf: red sea, hormuz, egypt,
etc.
- Indian ocean was necessary channel to the spice islands
- Textile industry from india
- Silk and porcelain, tea from china
b) Why Portugal?
i) How could it contend to be a dominant player in the vast Indian Ocean
network?
- Unexpected power to rise up first
- Relatively poor state, mostly agricultural, based on fishing
- Small population, location was disadvantageous because Spain would
block them from the rest of Europe (through land)
- Major outlet was naval expedition, asserted themselves as a maritime
power
-
Was always isolated from Europe → not conducive to build up wealth
ii) Role of Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)
-
Studied navigational skills → important in pushing the effort for
Portugal’s ventures and expeditions
- Funded these expeditions
c) Vasco da Gama in 1498
- Cape of good hope
- First european to have direct contact with indian ocean network
i) Ominous beginnings
(1) From Mozambique to Calicut
- Artillery battle in mombasa - able to seize unarmed muslim
merchant ships, took everyone hostage and held ransom to
get what he wanted
- Not only wealth, but how to get to India
- Ransom he demanded was an experienced pilot -
someone who could show him the best way to India
- Able to bring back wealth from calicut
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Why did they ultimately fail: contingent global factors behind portuguese expansion. Interdependent mercantile states: power vacuum in the indian ocean network, polycentric swahili network. No one saw to monopolize the region: 1435 last ming expedition. Ming had withdrew so the portuguese did not bump into them, if they had, things would"ve been different: chinese vs. portuguese networks or presence . Chinese fleets web weavers (weaving together contacts, not trying to be conquerors) Cultural assimilation - bringing different regions into realm of chinese culture. Religious indifference - didn"t care what religion you worshipped, but if agreed to be part of tributary system, then it was fine. Sense of imperial self-satisfaction: china being ethnocentric. Only thought of expansion, and establishing colonies through force. Catalan map: gold trade along the west african coastline. Not suitable for pepper plantation, so gold was more prominent: potential for pepper cultivation in sub-saharan africa.
