What Could Trading Have Anything To Do With Military Engagements Abroad?

Trade Networks Between Africa and Eurasia from 300 CE to 1450 CE “No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;

One reason that trade was different across regions of the world was different goods being traded. The map on Document A shows goods found in the Mayan trade network are cacao, cotton, feathers, honey, jade, obsidian and salt, (Document A). The map on Document F shows goods found on the Silk Road and on the trade routes connected to it are frankincense, cotton, compass, gems, silk, glassware, spices, horses, gunpowder and paper, (Document F). These pieces of evidence show exports in the Mayan Trade Network differ from exports on the Silk Road. This shows that different trade routes distribute

ships had to be unloaded so the freight could be carried overland, towns sprang up where the cargo could be stored and protected, and slipways were constructed so that the ships could be drug over land, so there was no way enemy ships or navies could attack.

Although key elements of the trade between Africa and Eurasia changed during the era of 300-1450, a few factors stayed the same. In 300 C.E., trade routes were primarily between Europe and North Africa. The way that they changed by the time of 1450 was that they expanded southward and westward. By 1450, these trade routes went through West Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Indian Ocean. One factor that stayed the same during this time period was that the northern coast of Africa was always involved in the trade between Africa and the rest of Eurasia.

Whats the significance Silk Roads - The Silk Roads were a network of trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty of China, which linked the regions of the ancient world in commerce. Black Death - Was a widespread epidemic of the Plague that passed from Asia and through Europe

Maritime Technology’s Aid in the Age of Exploration The innovation of maritime technology has revolutionized travel throughout history. Prior to ships and sea travel, humans were separated by vast oceans and confined to their homeland for life. Because of these large boundaries, discoveries and inventions were only shared within land masses and trade as a whole was very limited. This uncharted, inaccessible territory caused a major separation of mankind. However, these oceans sparked curiosity and desire for explorers to venture beyond their native land. This curiosity was the driving force to the invention of naval travel, a highly important and massive step for all growing communities during the Age of Exploration. Maritime technology’s advancements through history greatly aided in the Age of Exploration, allowing provinces to break their land boundaries and make monumental steps towards the advanced world humans populate today.

During the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, piracy was rampant in the Atlantic, specifically in the West Indies. Piracy has existed since the earliest days of ocean travel, for a range of personal and economic reasons. However, one of the major reasons why piracy was wide spread and rampant in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries was Great Britain’s endorsement and usage of piracy as an asset; in wars fought in the New World. Great Britain with its expanding power and conflicts with other nations would make piracy a lifestyle and lay down the foundation for the Golden Age of Piracy and eventually bring what it created to a screeching halt.

Economic changes occurred partly due to the newly formed nation-states of Spain, Portugal, France, and England. Trade at that time was limited and expensive, so the Europeans began looking for new trade routes to Asia. What they found was an altogether new place that opened up many new opportunities for food sources, money, and slave labor. A motivator for exploration was “defined primarily in terms of silver and gold and secondarily in terms of raw materials.” Another factor to consider was the population explosion that came about after the Black Plague wiped out around 30 million Europeans producing “economic disruption.” Spain was seeking gold to finance further expeditions abroad and their own war with the Muslims on the home front. Britain was seeking new trade markets for their wool with the collapse of their wool market at home. Another mitigating economic factor was the rising prices created by the flood of American silver into the European market. This caused rates to double on many goods, which benefited the farmers and the merchants, but the majority of people suffered because their wages did not rise proportionately. This increased the number of people living on the fringes of society and “thus built up pressure to immigrate to the Americas.”

reciprocity, this caused trade between two different countries instead of just one. This brought in more

having a French empire in America. At this point in time With New Orleans and Florida included in the Louisiana Purchase gave the Americans many different ports for trading. This also helped the United States Navy, with all these

A lot of trading went on during these times, trading was just beginning. Although navigation was still an imprecise science, sailors were able to go farther than they had before. This was important because as the economy of the Renaissance continued to

Trade between the English and the Powhatan could have made them dependent on each other, showing that conflict between them wasn’t inevitable. The English had resources that the Powhatan wanted such as axes for cutting

The Indian Martime System The business between merchants occurred in three different regions, the South China Sea, The east side of India and the Southeast Asia islands, and the west side of India to the Persian Gulf and the east coast of Africa. Around 2000 B.C.E. sources show that commerce occurred occasionally with Mesopotamia, Islands of the Persian Gulf, Oman, and the Indus Valley. The request for items were so high it encouraged the sailors to keep traveling in the ocean.

Europeans were motivated to conquest to gain money, and trade was one of the channels where they found it. However, during

From 120 BCE to the 16th century, trade was a remarkable part of the Eastern Hemisphere. It played a vital role in the kingdoms and city-states that made up all of what the 21st century calls Europe, Asia, and Africa. Trade was critically important in this time period because of