What motivated Europeans to explore the world with dangerous overseas voyages?
In this case study you will analyze the external and internal motives that drove Europeans in the Age of Exploration.
Discovery?
American history textbooks often begin in the Age of Discovery and Exploration as a preliminary to the study of United States history.
As a result, we are much more aware of the effect of the Discovery of the New World, as the Europeans conceived it, upon the Americas, than the effect that the opening up of new lands had upon Europe. |
Marco Polo
Reading: For this case study you are to analyze Chapter 14 World Contacts before Columbus (Pgs. 390 - 395) and review the sources provided below. You are expected to be able to answer the guiding question in full depth with specific historical evidence and supporting details.
Reading: For this case study you are to analyze Chapter 14 World Contacts before Columbus (Pgs. 390 - 395) and review the sources provided below. You are expected to be able to answer the guiding question in full depth with specific historical evidence and supporting details.
"When a man is riding through this desert by night and for some reason -falling asleep or anything else -he gets separated from his companions and wants to rejoin them, he hears spirit voices talking to him as if they were his companions, sometimes even calling him by name. Often these voices lure him away from the path and he never finds it again, and many travelers have got lost and died because of this. ....Even by daylight men hear these spirit voices, and often you fancy you are listening to the strains of many instruments, especially drums, and the clash of arms. For this reason bands of travelers make a point of keeping very close together. Before they go to sleep they set up a sign pointing in the direction in which they have to travel...
---- Marco Polo, Travels |
The Book, Life in Venice, and Controversies
Three years after Marco returned to Venice, he commanded a galley in a war against the rival city of Genoa. He was captured during the flighting and spent a year in a Genoese prison - where one of his fellow-prisoners was a writer of romances named Rustichello of Pisa. It was only when prompted by Rustichello that Marco Polo dictated the story of his travels, known in his time as The Description of the World or The Travels of Marco Polo. His account of the wealth of Cathay (China), the might of the Mongol empire, and the exotic customs of India and Africa made his book the bestseller soon after. The book became one of the most popular books in medieval Europe and the impact of his book on the contemporary Europe was tremendous. It was known as Il Milione, The Million Lies and Marco earned the nickname of Marco Milione because few believed that his stories were true and most Europeans dismissed the book as mere fable.
In the summer of 1299 a peace was concluded between Venice and Genoa, and after a year of captivity, Marco Polo was released from the prison and returned to Venice. He was married to Donata Badoer and had three daughters. He remained in Venice until his death in 1324, aged 70. At his deathbed, he left the famous epitaph for the world: "I have only told the half of what I saw!" On Marco's will, he left his wife and three daughters substantial amount of money, though not an enormous fortune as Marco boasted.
Many people took his accounts with a grain of salt and some skeptics question the authenticity of his account. Many of his stories have been considered as fairytales: the strange oil in Baku and the monstrous birds which dropped elephants from a height and devoured their broken carcasses. His Travels made no mention about the Great Wall. While traveled extensively in China, Marco Polo never learned the Chinese language nor mentioned a number of articles which are part of everyday life, such as women's foot-binding, calligraphy, or tea. In addition, Marco Polo's name was never occurred in the Annals of the Empire (Yuan Shih), which recorded the names of foreign visitors far less important and illustrious than the three Venetians. So did Marco Polo ever go to China?
Three years after Marco returned to Venice, he commanded a galley in a war against the rival city of Genoa. He was captured during the flighting and spent a year in a Genoese prison - where one of his fellow-prisoners was a writer of romances named Rustichello of Pisa. It was only when prompted by Rustichello that Marco Polo dictated the story of his travels, known in his time as The Description of the World or The Travels of Marco Polo. His account of the wealth of Cathay (China), the might of the Mongol empire, and the exotic customs of India and Africa made his book the bestseller soon after. The book became one of the most popular books in medieval Europe and the impact of his book on the contemporary Europe was tremendous. It was known as Il Milione, The Million Lies and Marco earned the nickname of Marco Milione because few believed that his stories were true and most Europeans dismissed the book as mere fable.
In the summer of 1299 a peace was concluded between Venice and Genoa, and after a year of captivity, Marco Polo was released from the prison and returned to Venice. He was married to Donata Badoer and had three daughters. He remained in Venice until his death in 1324, aged 70. At his deathbed, he left the famous epitaph for the world: "I have only told the half of what I saw!" On Marco's will, he left his wife and three daughters substantial amount of money, though not an enormous fortune as Marco boasted.
Many people took his accounts with a grain of salt and some skeptics question the authenticity of his account. Many of his stories have been considered as fairytales: the strange oil in Baku and the monstrous birds which dropped elephants from a height and devoured their broken carcasses. His Travels made no mention about the Great Wall. While traveled extensively in China, Marco Polo never learned the Chinese language nor mentioned a number of articles which are part of everyday life, such as women's foot-binding, calligraphy, or tea. In addition, Marco Polo's name was never occurred in the Annals of the Empire (Yuan Shih), which recorded the names of foreign visitors far less important and illustrious than the three Venetians. So did Marco Polo ever go to China?
Key Concept:
- European nations were driven by commercial and religious motives to explore overseas territories and establish colonies.
- European states sought direct access to gold, spices, and luxury goods as a means to enhance personal wealth and state power.
- The rise of mercantilism gave the state a new role in promoting commercial development and the acquisition of colonies overseas.
- Christianity was a stimulus for exploration as governments and religious authorities sought to spread the faith, and for some it served as a justification for the subjugation of indigenous civilizations.
Guiding Question - Skill: Causation
- Why did Europeans undertake the dangerous, uncharted and unknown voyages across the ocean?
Sources
Source 1: Burzurg Sets his Sights on the Seven Seas.
Burzurg ibn Shahriyar was a tenth-century shipmaster from Siraf, a prosperous and bustling port city on the Persian Gulf coast. He probably sailed frequently to Arabia and India, and he may have ventured also to Malaya, the islands of Southeast Asia, China, and east Africa. Like all sailors, he heard stories about the distant lands that mariners had visited, the different customs they observed, and the adventures that befell them during their travels. About 952 C.E. he compiled 136 such stories in his book of the Wonders of India.
Burzurg ibn Shahriyar was a tenth-century shipmaster from Siraf, a prosperous and bustling port city on the Persian Gulf coast. He probably sailed frequently to Arabia and India, and he may have ventured also to Malaya, the islands of Southeast Asia, China, and east Africa. Like all sailors, he heard stories about the distant lands that mariners had visited, the different customs they observed, and the adventures that befell them during their travels. About 952 C.E. he compiled 136 such stories in his book of the Wonders of India.
Buzurg's collection included a generous proportion of tall tales. He told of a giant lobster that seized a ship's anchor and dragged the vessel through the water, of mermaids and sea dragons, of creatures born from human fathers and fish mothers who lived in human society but had flippers that enabled them to swim through the water like fish, or serpents that ate cattle and elephants, of birds so large that they crushed houses, of a monkey that seduced a sailor, and of talking lizard, Yet alongside the tall tales, many of Buzurg's stories accurately reflected the condition of his time. One recounted the story of a king from northern India who converted d to Islam and requested translations of Islamic law. Others reported on Hindu customs, shipwrecks, encounters with pirates and slave trading.
Several of Buzurg's stories tempted readers with visions of vast wealth attainable through maritime trade. Buzurg mentioned fine diamonds from Kashmir, pearls from Ceylon, and a Jewish merchant who left Persia penniless and retuned from India and China with a shipload of priceless merchandise. Despite their embellishments and exaggerations, his stories faithfully reflected the trade networks that linked the lands surrounding the Indian Ocean in the tenth century. Although Buzurg clearly thought of India as a distinct land with its own customs, he also recognized a larger world of trade and communication that extended from east Africa to Southeast Asia and beyond to China.
Several of Buzurg's stories tempted readers with visions of vast wealth attainable through maritime trade. Buzurg mentioned fine diamonds from Kashmir, pearls from Ceylon, and a Jewish merchant who left Persia penniless and retuned from India and China with a shipload of priceless merchandise. Despite their embellishments and exaggerations, his stories faithfully reflected the trade networks that linked the lands surrounding the Indian Ocean in the tenth century. Although Buzurg clearly thought of India as a distinct land with its own customs, he also recognized a larger world of trade and communication that extended from east Africa to Southeast Asia and beyond to China.
Source 2: The Voyages of Zheng He
This inscription was carved in 1431 on a new temple (for the Celestial Goddess) in the Fujian province (the southeastern coast of China--the mainland opposite Taiwan).
This inscription was carved in 1431 on a new temple (for the Celestial Goddess) in the Fujian province (the southeastern coast of China--the mainland opposite Taiwan).
The countries beyond the horizon and from the ends of the earth have all become subjects and to the most western of the western or the most northern of the northern countries, however far they may be, the distance and the routes may be calculated. Thus the barbarians from beyond the seas, though their countries are truly distant, "with double translation" have come to audience bearing precious objects and presents. The Emperor, approving of their loyalty and sincerity, has ordered us (Zheng) He and others at the head of several tens of thousands of officers and flag-troops to ascend more than one hundred large ships to go and confer presents on them in order to make manifest the transforming power of the (imperial) virtue and to treat distant people with kindness.…
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Activity
Directions: As you can see from the chapter reading, long before Columbus ever sailed to find a short cut to the east, their had existed ancient and extensive trade networks connecting the East and the West. So if products were already available for European markets why did Europeans undertake the dangerous, uncharted and unknown voyages across the ocean?
Review the motivations for European exploration listed below. In your notes rank the motivations from 1 to 10 (1 being the most important and 10 being the least). After ranking the motivations can you detect a pattern or theme to what motivated Europeans to explore the oceans?
Review the motivations for European exploration listed below. In your notes rank the motivations from 1 to 10 (1 being the most important and 10 being the least). After ranking the motivations can you detect a pattern or theme to what motivated Europeans to explore the oceans?
Renaissance & Individualism –
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With the Renaissance, individual men sought fame and glory through political appointments, artistic pursuits, and new inventions. Individuals like Leonardo da Vinci acquired notoriety throughout Europe with his knowledge of science and the arts.
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Fall of Mongols & the End of the Silk Road –
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In order for the Silk Road to be operational, it relied on a strong empire to provide economic stability and safe travel. During the Mongolian rule in China, the Silk Road prospered; however, with the fall of the Mongolian Empire in 1368, Europeans and Asians lost access to a major trade route. They no longer were able to trade silk, gold, ostrich feathers, etc.
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The Fall of Feudalism & the Rise of
Nation-States – |
With the fall of feudalism, new nation-states emerged with strong central governments. In England, the Tudor monarchs, such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth, attempted to establish their power throughout all of Europe. In Spain, Isabella and Ferdinand as well as Charles V and Philip II attempted to establish their power on the seas by improving the Spanish Armada (navy). Each monarch desired power and prestige.
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Marco Polo & Other Journals –
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With the publication of Marco Polo’s Journal throughout Europe, many Europeans became curious about other cultures. The Mongols seemed so advanced with their postal system and military technology. Other explorers were also read like:
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Scientific Revolution, Technologies,
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With the start of the scientific revolution, new ideas about space and the human body challenged previously accepted beliefs. More importantly, the scientific revolution allowed for improvements to the spyglass as well as led to invention like the astrolabe.
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End of the Crusades & Constantinople –
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In 1453, the Christians forces stopped their attempts to retake the Holy Land. The Muslims in the Ottoman Empire had successful defended the Middle East during the Crusades. In addition, the Muslims conquered some Christian lands like Constantinople.
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Counter Reformation & the Jesuits –
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As new religions emerged at the turn of the 16th century, the pope turned to reform orders to create religious zeal and spread the Catholic faith. The Jesuits, under the leadership of Ignatius of Loyola, sought to expand the faith through education and conversion of non-believers.
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Rise of the Middle Class –
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In the 1400s, the middle class emerged as a major social group. This emerging merchant class was wealthy and used that wealth to impact political decisions. These individual were successful in business and sought more wealth and power.
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Reconquista & the Removal of the Muslims –
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In 1492, the Spanish monarchy successful removed the Muslim presence from Spain. Since the tenth century, the Moors (Ottoman Empire) had occupied southern Spain and established Granada as their capital. In 1492, the Spanish ended the Moorish occupation and made Spain a Catholic only state, which led to the inquisition/persecution of Jews.
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Increase in Literacy –
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With the rise of the middle class, many more people had access to literature. In addition, with events like the Crusades and Renaissance, many individuals had access to non-European sources and classical literature. They read tales such as:
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