The Age of Exploration, or sometimes known as the Age of discovery, began in the 1400s and continued throughout the 1700s. These expeditions took a great deal of man power, money, and technology. Many ships were only able to cover about one hundred miles a day, making the duration of these voyages long, taking years to complete. During this period Europeans began to explore various parts of the world via sea. Most of the men did not join these voyages willingly, they were forced into service and worked around the clock minding the ships they were on. The typical diet of a sailor consisted of wine or hard liquor, pork or beef which sometimes they used fat to mix with flour when meat portions were low, biscuits, peas, and rice. Due to …show more content…
He was interested in rare items such as: exotic specimens, jewels, mineral substances, and many other goods as well. To successfully complete seven voyages, the Chinese had many different methods as to how they would tackle each voyage. The Chinese had a lot of power in the ocean, they gained this power because piracy was sponsored so heavily. Chinese were led by enlightened despot. They believed that each place should be under china as mandated by heaven. The Chinese were in favor of those who supported the idea and those who did not agree face consequences. The Ming navy consisted of 3,500 ships which exceeded any navy in the world. Their ships came equipped with an overwhelming amount of gunpower which symbolized military power. China also aimed to achieve a greater structure within their government. They were also interested in the Treaty of Tordesillas which was done by the pope. The treaty was put in place to help Spain and Portugal resolve their conflicts over newly discovered lands and goods. The Chinese became mongols in trade so much so that their foreign trade became a state monopoly. Although they were successful in trade and known for being so powerful these voyages had consequences. China ended up with a large expense for going into the Indian ocean. Their expenses came from having about 28,000 soldiers to tend to and feed in order their ships be manned. Even though China monopolized trading by having ports in various areas,
there have been many changes in commerce. One change in commerce over the years was who dominated Trade in The Indian Ocean. Over the course of this time period the Indian ocean trade was dominated by the Indians, the Chinese the Arabs and even the distant European powers. Their were also changes in what goods were traded. Some trade goods like the exotic animals taken from Africa to China that weren’t traded for longer then a few decades. The reason Ming China had imported animals was because they were in an age of exploration at the time and wanted to have some animals for their exotic royal zoo. Also sending great explorers like Zheng He showed their ability to travel to distant lands and take what they please. Another change was how things were traded. Over the course of the 1,100 years described many changes occurred in the world of sailing. China had many of these inventions with in it’s walls before this time period. China was so Ethnocentric .that they did not spread their inventions till generations after they were made, and even then it was often by accident The compass were great improvements on how sailors navigated to their destinations. The ships them selves also changed throughout this period. The Chinese Junks were incredible ships, vastly larger then the ones Columbus used, They were equipped with cannons to defend them selves from pirates and were, in their time the most impressive ships on the water. There are changes in commerce in the Indian
In terms of the Chinese tribute system we examined in class, the leaders of China’s voyages dealt with leaders of countries they visited by treating them based on the tribute gifts they received. Under Confucian civilization, China often received tribute from the foreign states they visited and gave them Chinese products and recognition of their authority and sovereignty in return. There were several tribute states to China including neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo, Indonesia, South Asia and Central Asia. However when countries stopped paying tribute to China, there were often tensions. During the Zheng He expeditions many goods were carried to build tribute relationships between the Ming Dynasty and newly discovered kingdoms. An example of the a tribute gift given was an eyeglass given to Zhu Di by Parameswara of Malaca. “Of all the tributes Zhu Di received that summer from the many envoys
While differing ecomically and politically in their responses to western penetration, Japan and China had similarities in the way of geography. China only allowed Europeans to trade with it in a limited number of ports and cities, which limited the amount of goods Europeans were allowed to transfer overseas. Japan isolated itself as a whole from trade for an entire decade, and when it did open it was cautious towards westerners. Additionally, both were bordered by the ocean at least to a certain extent – Japan was surrounded entirely, being an island, by water, and a large percentage of China’s borders was water. It is because of this that the third similarity arose – both did trade by ocean. China with Britain, simply because it was the easiest, cheapest, and most efficient form of travel between the two, and Japan because there was obviously no choice considering Japan is an island. These geographical similarities arose purely from the coincidence that both were bordered by the ocean, which created the necessity for boats and by the time the opportunity for trade
The most well-known expeditions are those of European explorers such as Christopher Columbus, but there are many lesser known voyages from history, including the voyages of Chinese Muslim diplomat Zheng He. After driving out the Mongol leaders who controlled China, the Chinese fell under the power of the Ming Dynasty in 1368. In 1405, Yongle, the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty, appointed Zheng He to lead the first of seven voyages of exploration of the outside world.
Furthermore, this experience led to the discovery that the key to success is control over regions that produced valuable goods, since control over trade routes ultimately leads to their change.1 China with its warfare and seafaring technology never claimed to take control over the sea even after Zheng He’s voyages, since they had enough, if not more resources than everyone else, unlike Europe. The conclusive thought is that Europeans were poor, and in order for them to succeed in an otherwise rich world, force was the only option. The bias is therefore in the fact that Europeans had no
Emperor Yongle intended to awe the rulers of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean into sending tribute to China (Dreyer, p. 27). Zheng He and his fleets needed to establish Chinese presence and influences in those countries in order to enforce the tributary system. Although China had no interest in imperial expansion through oceanic exploration like the Europeans did, navy power was traditionally associated with the strength of a nation. Therefore, the gigantic treasure ships, the significant scale of Zheng He’s crew as well as the Chinese goods he brought to the foreign countries all served the political needs to display wealth and power of the Middle Kingdom.
Many European countries such as Germany, France, and Great Britain, as well as Russia, Japan and the United States wanted to gain control of the Chinese market and dominate the trade and goods of that country. The result of
Europeans were actually amazed on how well-organized China and Japan government was. They were so impressed that they called them both Empires even though neither of them had a nation ruled over the people. What the Europeans really wanted for trading privileges. The Chinese had many goods like Silk, precious stones, porcelains that the Europeans wanted to exchange for. The Chinese became a victim to the European imperialist.
In the 19th Century British planned to invade China for economic reasons. It had no motives to conquer the state rather entice it to accept a free trade. The country was rich in tea which was in high demand not only in Britain but all over the world. China also had porcelain and silk which the Britons envied. The intruders did not have enough silver to buy the commodities thus opted for a barter system. Consequently, a war between the two states occurred. It was fought between 1848 and 1852 with China becoming unsuccessful due advanced military competence of Britons. The signing of an agreement between them then followed, and British was additionally awarded extraterritorial rights by China. However, the imperialism in China was a positive thing to the natives because it introduced trade and much education in the region which opened up opportunities.
China, like the Ottoman Empire, was a nation overcome with age old ideas and philosophies which was no match for a modern and militarily advanced European army. The ruling dynasty in China was almost overcome simply from an internal revolt, the Taiping Uprising, a rebellion led by Chinese Christians which gave way to death, carnage, and showed a lack of real leadership that could not hold the nation together. The Chinese attempted to use their examination system to recruit up and coming men who could serve their country against the West, but ultimately the technological and military gap proved too much for the Chinese. The Europeans created unfair trade clauses and invaded the Chinese with Opium in order to fully gain the materials that China had to offer, such as tea. The Opium Wars led to internal revolts as many of the Chinese citizens had become addicted to the drug and did not want to give it up.
In the early eighteen hundreds, Britain and other European countries demanded more and more Chinese commodities, especially tea and silk. However, only the port in Canton was opened to foreign countries, and Chinese would not take any other form of payments besides silver. The desire to make China into a free market that foreigners have more access to and the increasing, though illegal, European opium import to China eventually created tension between the European countries, especially Britain, and the Chinese government (Allingham Par. 1-2). The two battles fought and won by European powers were known as the Opium Wars. China’s politics, economy, and intellects were both positively and negatively
Both traded along the Indian Ocean using maritime trade. As the Ming traded along the Indian Ocean, they attained luxuries, for example silver, in exchange for Chinese exports such as cotton, silk and porcelain. The Ming Emperor, Zheng He, also sailed across the Indian Ocean. He is best known for the 7 sailing expeditions, which navigated across the Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asian archipelago. Zheng He's ships carried export goods; silks and porcelains, and he also brought back foreign luxuries such as spices and tropical woods. As for the Ottoman Empire, they also traded along the Indian Ocean; however, with items they had already attained. Armenians and Jews would often go to the port of Izmir, along the Ottoman Empire, and bring wool, beeswax, cotton and silk, causing great traffic. The Ottomans then traded these items in exchange for other luxurious items. Another similarity between the Ottoman and the Ming was why they traded along the Indian Ocean. Both traded along the Indian Ocean due to geography. The Ottomans were located closely to the Indian Ocean; they also had the right technology to trade along it, including ships and compasses. The Ming also traded along the Indian Ocean due to their geography. They were located nearest to the Indian Ocean, which then caused them to trade along it; also Zheng He had also laid out the groundwork for the Chinese to start trading
During the 15th and 16th century, exploration became the new norm of society. Each individual country had their own motives, reasons and goals regarding voyages across land and sea. For instance, Christopher Columbus, in the name of Spain, voyaged out to find an alternative route to Asia. The Portuguese, tried to increase their knowledge about trading. Moreover, while some traveled to increase their powers, Zheng He, of China, traveled to discover raw resources and generate more capital into China’s economy. If we compare the maritime policies of the kingdom of Spain and Portugal on the one hand and the Ming Empire on the other the differences in motives clearly outweigh the similarities between these two societies. For example, the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal traveled to spread Christianity, to gain land, to rule over new subjects and to spread their power throughout the different continents, while as the Ming Dynasty was only interested in capital and new/raw resources.
The desire to explore the unknown has been a driving force in human history since the dawn of time. From the earliest documented accounts, ancient civilizations have explored the world around them. Early adventures were motivated by religious beliefs, a desire for conquest, the need for trade, and an unsatisfying hunger for gold. The great Age of Exploration, beginning in the late 1400s, was an important era in the discovery and development of lands yet unknown to the Europeans. During this period, Europe sought new sea routes to Asia in pursuit of economic gain, increased glory, and opportunities to spread Christianity. Although these were motivations for explorers, the impact from the discoveries resulted in significant changes and
During the late 1400s, many technological innovations has increased the development of navigation and sailing. These innovations opened the doors to the Age of Exploration, an era that started in the 15th century, where it’s effects are still seen in the world today. It began as few mere explorations to numerous expeditions. An age where Europeans would go explore, expand, and colonize new found land. It was also known as a race between the European countries for fame, wealth, and power. Due to these explorations, the trade network has significantly expanded, which improved the European economy and has increased the geographic knowledge of the world. The cause of these explorations arose due to the appealing demand for fame, wealth, and knowledge as well as to increase the faith of Christianity.