SS as ad re * nuclear family eorer ony teas Co ee ue rte Peter See ed os ONE EUROPEAN’S STORY | Prince Henry of Portugal, often called “Henry the Navigator,” refused to let superstition interfere with his quest to discover what lands existed along the western coast of Africa. Beginning in the 1420s, he dispatched expedition after expedition down the African coast, but for a decade none ventured farther than the cliffs of Cape Bojador on the continent's northern Atlantic coast. His able mariners were halted there by fear—a fear fueled by legends that nothing good lay beyond this point. Finally, in 1434, a Portuguese ship rounded the cape and launched the age of European exploration. Many factors sparked Prince Henry's interest in promoting overseas discovery—including finding new wealth. However, according to the Prince's biographer, Gomes Eanes de Zurara, his driving motivation was the need to know. wi A PERSONAL VOICE fly) ‘The noble spirit of this Prince... was ever urging him both to begin and! ‘to carry out very great deeds. For which reason . . . he had also a wish to i) i know the land that lay beyond the ises of Canary and that Cape called ] Bojador, for that up to his time, neither by writings, nor by the memory | of man, was known with any certainty the nature ofthe land beyond } that Cape.....it seemed to him that if he or some other lord did not endeavor to gain that knowledge, no mariners or merchants would ever dare to attempt it GOMES EANES DE ZURARA, he Conic ofthe Dory and Congest of Guns Prince Henry's curiosity was typical of the “noble spirit” of the Renaissance, @ period when Europeans began to challenge old assumptions about the world. In the 1300s and 1400s, changes in European society, politics, and the economy Prince Henry led to a renewed interest in trade and learning. These interests drove bold seafarers, ambitious the Navigator rulers, and risk-taking merchants to seek opportunities beyond Europe's borders. The result was the exciting era of European expansion. The European Social Order Inthe late 1400s, the changes that led the Portuguese to venture out to sea were well underway. However, they affected different parts of western Europe—a patchwork of many peoples, languages, and political units—at different times. For the majority of Europeans, change came slowly. Most Europeans, like most Native Americans and most Africans, lived in small villages, bound to the land and to rhythms of life that had been in place for centuries, R European societies were hierarchical—arranged by order of rank or class. Monarchs and nobles, the land-owning elite, held most ‘of the wealth and power at the top ofthe hierarchy. At the bottom labored the | | peasants, who constituted the large majority of the people. A system of loyalties and responsibilities bound the two groups together. The nobility offered their peasants land and protection, In retum, the peasants supplied nobles with live | stock or crops—and sometimes with service in time of war. || 20 Curren 1Within the social structure, few individuals moved beyond the position they ‘were born into. Europeans generally accepted this fact and viewed their lot as part of a larger order ordained by God and reflected in the natural world, | Writing in the late 1500s, William Shakespeare expressed the value of this nat- | ural order in one of his plays. A PERSONAL VOICE ‘The heavens themselves, the planets, and this center {earth} Observe degree, priority, and place Take but degree away, untune that string, ‘And hark! what discord follows. .. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, rom Toit and Cressida A group that did experience mobility was the growing number of artisans and merchants, the people ‘who crafted and sold goods for money. Although this ‘group was relatively small in the 1400s, the profit they eared from trade would eventually make them a valuable source of tax revenue to monarchs seeking to finance costly overseas exploration and expansion. THE FAMILY IN SOCIETY While Europeans recog- nized and respected kinship ties, the extended family did not play as important a role for them as it did Native American and African societies at this time Instead, life centered around the nuclear family, the household made up of a mother and father and their children. As in other societies, gender determined the division of labor. Among peasant families, for example, men generally did most of the field labor and herded livestock. Women did help in the fields, but they also handled child care and household tasks, such as preparing and preserving the family’s food. Men dominated all areas of life in Europe. The husband ruled the household, and when he died, any property generally went to a male heir, usially the tldest son, Men also held political power and authority in the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the custom, women throughout society found ways to exert their influence, However, most Europeans be ieved that outright female author- ity contradicted God!s natural order, and even powerful women, such as Queen Elizabeth I of England, carefully courted the male-dominated upper classes. ‘The Roman Catholic Church was the dominant institution in westem Europe. The leader of the church—the pope—and his bishops had great political as well as spiritual authority. In the spiritual realm, church leaders determined most matters of faith, It was the role of parish priests to convey the accepted inter- pretation of God's word to the people. Ther message encouraged people to endure the drudgery and suffering of life on earth with the promise of eternal life in heaven for those who believed. Bishops and priests also administered important rituals called the sacraments—such as baptism and communion—that assured salvation, Hand in hand with the belief in salvatior. was the call to convert people of other faiths. The Bible encouraged Christians, “Go into all the world and preach the word to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved io} ° Peasants tend to their field in the month of June, outside the walls of 8 lavish caste. This prayer book made for 2 French nobleman. The book rays scenes from dally life throughout the year. Three Worlds Meet 21but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This missionary call KEY PLAYER © spurred Europe to reach out beyond its borders frst to defend, and = then to spread, the faith CRUSADING CHRISTIANITY The emergence of Islam in the world in the 600s was to cause European Christians centuries of worry. Within 100 years after the birth of Islam, Muslim armies had taken control of a huge region stretching from the banks of the Indus River to the sands of Morocco, and they were knocking on Europe's door. By 732, Muslims had conquered most of the Therian Peninsula, where Spain and Portugal st. To regain this territory, Spanish Christians waged a campaign called the reconquista, or reconquest. By 1492, the force of the com- bined kingdoms of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of “KING ISABELLA™ Aragon, who married in 1469, finally drove the Muslims from the 1451-1504 peninsula, ending more than seven centuries of religious warfare | Queen Isabella, who played 3 there. A united Spain stood ready to make its presence felt on the a world scene and to spread Christianity around the globe. CeArabade Worenes eo Meanwhile, Christian armies from all over westem Europe ‘Americas, made her metk onthe responded to the church's call to force the Muslims out of the Holy Old World as well As co-rulerof Land around Jerusalem. From 1096 to 1270, Europeans launched a ‘Spain, lsabella actively participated series of military expeditions to the Middle East under the banner of inher countrys religious and the Christian cross. In the end, these bloody Crusades failed to “res- a et Shaki cue” the Holy Land, but the urge to turn back the Muslim challenge Catholicism the queen ofen fought remained strong. ‘openly withthe pope to make sure The Crusades had two consequences that would help push that her candidates were appointed — European society toward exploration and expansion. First, they {eposions inthe Spanishchurch. sparked an increase in trade, as Europeans brought back with them a ANTE eRTReT oes ae new taste for products from Asia. Second, the Crusades weakened the in power of European nobles, many of whose lives or fortunes were lost } either male o female, The qu rode among her troopsin fll armer, in the wars. Monarchs eventually took advantage of the nobles’ weak- personally commanding them in. ened ranks to consolidate their own power. Later, to increase their Ferdinand’ absence. Whenaver f Isabella appeared astride atop a horse, her troops shouted: “Castle, DECLINE IN CHURCH AUTHORITY The Crusades had a third long- Castile, for our King Isabella!” term consequence: the decline of the power of the pope. The ultimate failure of these campaigns helped reduce the prestige of the papacy | (the office of the pope), which had led the quest. Power struggles inthe 1300s | and 1400s between the church and European kings further reduced pa ! authority and tipped the balance of power to the monarchies. | _ Differences over church authority, as well as corrupt practices among the clergy, made many in the church eager for reforms. In the early 1500s, the desire for change led to a movement called the Reformation, which divided a CCaistianity in western Europe into Catholicism and Protestantism. This split Eyacts ease would deepen the rivalries hetween European nations during the period of eliious changes ‘wealth and power, monarehs sponsored exploration to new lands ‘cru HsTORE | Amer 5 e hundred years later and send newly formed in£urope help | American colonization one hundred years later and send newly formed yi sletaton Protestant sects to seek religious freedom across the Atlantic fnew lands? Changes Come to Europe Problems in the chureh were but one concern for Europeans in the 1400s. As the century began, European societies were slowly recovering from a series of disasters in the 1300s, From 1314 to 1316, catastrophe struck in the form of heavy rain and disease. Crops rotted in flooded fields, while anthrax, a cattle dis- ease, wiped out whole herds, Thousands of peasants died of starvation. Then, beginning in the 1340s, an epidemic of plagues known as the Black Death swept 22 Cuyerer 1through the continent. The plague ultimately caused the deaths of some 20 mil- lion people, or as much as a fourth of Europe’ population. While the plague terrorized Europe, long wars also raged ‘on the continent, including the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. However, amid this turmoil, modern Europe began to take shape. As it rebounded from the Black Death, Europe experienced vigorous growth and change. The expansion of Europe resulted from several processes that blos- somed in the 1400s, including the growth of commerce, population growth and the rise of towns, the rise of nations, and the emergence of the Renaissance spirit. At the dawn of the Age of Exploration, these forces pushed Europeans to look to other lands THE GROWTH OF COMMERCE The Crusades had opened up Asian trade routes and whetted the European appetite for the laxuries of lands to the east—silk and porcelain from China, tea from India, rugs from Persia, and more. | Europeans especially valued spices from Asia, such as cinnamon, cloves, m meg, and pepper. In those days European farmers slaughtered most of their pigs and cattle in late autumn and, in the absence of refrigeration, preserved the meat by packing it between layers of salt. Spices helped disguise the spoiled and salty taste of the meat. Merchants in Italian city-states such as Venice and Florence were the first | GEOGRAPHY to profit from trade with Asia, They traded with the Muslim merchants who | Swieueeek controlled the flow of goods through much of the Middle East. The goods | Wetroutes might exchanged in this trade included tin from Comwall, pearls from Ceylon, cop- | goods have traveled from Asia othe cy of Vienna? LOCATION How were Venice, E ena and urbon 4 well situated for ade? Itefenie AE 2" Mediterranean S03 Major ase roves Three Worlds Meet 23SKILLBUILOER. INTERPRETING CHARTS, What role do you think the printing press played in the growth of Renaissance ideas? How ‘might the growth of ‘commerce in Europe have Spurred overseas ‘exploration? per from Poland, saffron from India, lead from Sardinia, and dried apricots from Persia Two modem business institutions also emerged in Italy at ths time: inter national banking houses and corporations. International banks could transfer money and credit among business operations in different cities. Corporations emerged at this time as joint-stock companies, which permitted numerous, investors to pool their wealth. The development of joint-stock companies was particularly important because they would finance many of the colonial expedi- tions to the Americas. POPULATION GROWTH During the 1400s, Europe's population grew rapidly and by the end of the century the population had rebounded from the devasta- ity, tion of the Black Death. This increase, in turn, stimulated a rise in prosp the expansion of commerce, and the growth of towns. Trade opportunit increased, which led to interest in exploring new markets, discovering new products, and opening new trade routes. Population pressures would also lead Europeans to settle in the Americas once colonies had been established. THE RISE OF NATIONS The Crusades weakened the nobles and strengthened monarchs. This provided western European monarchs with the opportunity to seize more direct control over their lands. Ambitious kings and queens extended their reach by collecting new taxes, raising professional armies, and forming stronger central governments. Among the new allies of the monarchs ‘were merchants, who willingly spent a portion of their new-found wealth on taxes in exchange for the protection or expansion of trade. By the late 1400s, four major nations were taking shape in westem Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, and England, Monarchs increased their power by investing some of the tax revenues in new weapons, which they used to limit the power of the independent nobles. Beginning in the 1300s, large forces armed with longbows overpowered knights in armor, and cannon fire crumbled their castle walls. These new weapons, along with hand-held firearms that were developed in the 1400s, would also ‘outmatch the weapons of the Africans and Native Americans. Cy ‘With the growth ‘A population oe \ niece ion hy = a ‘rom the feudal manor and tovms, Merchants expa borrowing from banks, oF forming needed money and the support joint-stock companies. This activity of the middle class. This led to [aid the foundation for a new ical pow economic systom—capitalism— higher ents and ess open land townspeople, who ‘based on investment and proft. 24 Cuarren 1 their businesses by reinvesting profits, ‘and building now national forced more peasants to look for and served the crown, work in towns and cites.vasory ‘Syrthesizing What changes yeccuring in society tee 14s? Europe Enters a New Age of Expansion = ““**. Only the king or queen of a unified nation had sufficient power and the ‘means to finance averseas exploration. The monarchs had a powerful motive to encourage the search for new land and.t'ading routes: money to maintain a standing army and a large bureaucracy. By the mid-1400s, Europe's gold and si ver mines were running low. So, the monarchs of Portugal, Spain, France, and England began looking overseas for wealth, ‘THE RENAISSANCE SPIRIT “Thank God it has been permitted to us to be bom im this new age, so full of hope and promise,” exclaimed Matteo Palmic scholar in 15th-century Italy. Palmieri’ optimism captured the enthusiastic spirit of the Renaissance, a term meaning the “rebirth.” Started in Italy, a region st ulated by commercial contact with Asia and Africa, the Renaissance soon spread to the rest of Europe. European scholars rediscovered the texts of ancient philosophers, mathematicians, geographers, and scientists. They also investigated Arab scholarly works carried home from the Crusades 7 The spread of the Renaissance was greatly propelled by Johannes Gutenberg’ introduction of printing from movable type in the 1450s STAGE This development made books easier and cheaper to produce, which GHINESE EXPLORATION allowed larger numbers of people to own and read books. The fist gy etme poruguese supe oot book to be mass-produced was Gutenbergsedition ofthe Bible. Other eyutousy dou ne west nereey works soon followed, and among the most popular items were travel stores such those told by Marco Poo, In 177, ust over 20 yen sald leon tha hors By after the first Bible had been printed, Polo’ book became a bestseller, 2 Chinese explorer Zheng The Renaissance encouraged people to regard themselves as indi. He had lad a let of ships—the largest of which stretched 40 fet viduals, to have confidence in what they might achieve, and to look for- jbagur imoveton ge heats a ‘ward to the fame their achievements might bring, This attitude prompted Ocean. He and his erew reached ‘many to seek glory through adventure, discovery, and conquest. port in Indochina, Indonesia, and southivest india, and they would eventually reach the east coast of Zheng He sid for nether The European interest in overseas expansion probably began in the wealth nar fame. Instead, the 1200s with the journey of Marco Polo to China, In his account, the geen eee eae Venetian merchant praised the wares of Asi: previous stone, pearls, Znuyereveck.downarval sis, and objects of gold and siher. Europeans knew about such —fetsameunore ntowac eye items from the Crusades. But with the publication of Polo's vivid— had also hoped to and sometimes exaggerated—account, the lands that produced display any unusual these items came alive in their minds, The appearance of the objects that first printed version in 1477 caused renewed interest in the ie ast. If Europeans could not force out the Muslims who con- Serie trolled the trade rontes to Asia, they would find some way to get his journeys around them, Polo, like other European merchants, traveled to Asia by over- AChinese land routes. Merchants who traveled these routes faced a long and dan- (waricwr’s compans. serous journey: Each local ruler taxed the gcods that passed through his realm, | TRG chinese are thought At any time, the goods or the profits might fall into the hands of bandits. The | magnetic compass expense and peril involved in such routes led Europeans to seek alternative routes. European merchants and explorers reexamined the maps drawn by ancient geographers, such as the second-certury scholar Ptolemy, and listened to the reports of travelers who had journeyed through Asia and Africa In the 1400s, Europeans used the work of Ptolemy and Arab and Jewish scholars to revive the art of cartography, or mapmaking, Although imperfect the maps inspired Europeans to start exploring alternative water routes to Asia SAILING TECHNOLOGY Europeans, however, needed more than maps to guide | them into uncharted waters. Out on the open seas, winds easily blew ships off Three Worlds Meet 25SUC ‘The caravel, the SKILLBULDER INTERPRETING CHARTS How did the lateen sail differ from earlier sails? How was this a major ‘advantage? © The wiangutarlatoon sails, a ‘wind than could a qu © The shatow drat made the exploration close to shore Q Te large hi was capable of course. With only the sun, moon, and stars to guide them, few sailors willingly ‘ventured beyond the sight of land. To overcome their fears, European ship cap- tains in the 1400s experimented with the compass and the astrolabe, navigating tools that helped sailors plot direction at sea. They also took advantage of i vations in sailing ships that allowed them to sail against the wind. PORTUGAL TAKES THE LEAD The leader in developing and employing these innovations was Portugal, led by Prince Henry the Navigator. Himself only an armchair navigator, he eared his nickname by establishing a state-of-the-art sail- ing school to train mariners and by sponsoring the earliest voyages. ovation ‘borrowed from Muslim sailors, allowed the to sail efficiently against the wind, Rigged with ateens, the ship could tack (sail, ‘ona zigzag course) more directly nto the rigged {@ The sternpost rudder made the ca ‘considerable cargo noaded fr long voyages For almost 40 years, Prince Henry sent his captains sailing south along the west cous of Afica, Portuguese explorations continned after Prince Henry died. Moswes at Bartolomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa in 1488. Vasco da Gama as Portugals reached India ten years later, Now Portuguese traders could sail directly to east- Swooning the em Asia via the Indian Ocean. As a result, their costs fell and their profits rose, Alneen cows? For six decades, the Portuguese stood alone in their search fora sea route to Asia. Then, while cartographers redrew their maps to show the route around: ‘Africa, an Italian sca captain named Christopher Columbus traveled from nation to nation with his own collection of maps and figures. Columbus believed there ‘was an even shorter route to Asia—one that headed west across the Atlantic. When he asked for financing, Portugal's King John turned him down flatly, but a more willing audience awaited Columbus in Spain. There an adviser of Queen Isabella pointed out to Her Majesty that support ofthe proposed venture ‘would cost less than a week’ entertainment of a foreign official. It was a cheap price to show up her Portuguese neighbors, thought Isabella. So she summoned Columbus to appear before the Spanish court. 1. TERMS & NAMES 2. SUMMARIZING Recroatethe 3. ANALYZING Which European 4. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS. eae web below on your paper. Filit” event the lato 1400s and early Why do you tink aher European ee ay in with evens and forces that, 1800s do you think hadthe mast nations lagged behind Portugal Bey ilustrte the changes that farreaching impact? Explain and inthe race fr overseas & iuelear family spurred the Age of Exploration suppor your answer exploration? Support your ecu in western Europe, Tc ABOUT reasons with detail fromthe tex. + Reformation E + the importance of religion THINK ABOUT sioinestock = he rle of adventurers and + the geography of Portugal company explorers + the power of monarchs in + the ise in prosperity the 100s + the economic and political situation of European nations during this time 26 Cuarren 1