The Age of Exploration and Renaissance

The Age of Exploration

• Motivations: Curiosity, expansion of trade routes, political influence, religious conversion, and desire for wealth and resources
• Risks: Supply depletion, hostile encounters, diseases, and harsh weather
• Rewards: Access to new resources, expansion of territory, and establishing new trade routes
• Important Figures and Events:
  • Vasco da Gama: First to establish a sea route to Asia (Portugal)
  • Christopher Columbus: First to sail to the Caribbean Islands (Spain)
  • Ferdinand Magellan: First to circumnavigate the globe (Spain)
  • Pedro Álvares Cabral: First to sail to the east coast of South America (Portugal)
• Territorial Expansion (Portugal): By 1600, Portugal controlled or claimed territory in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America
• Timeline: Vasco da Gama's voyage (15th century)

Renaissance and Reformation

• Renaissance Ideas: Focus on Greek and Roman classics (humanism), intellectual breakthroughs in art, math, science, and cultural exchange, trade and finance as factors of economic growth
• Printing Press: Invented by Johannes Gutenberg, spread of Protestant Reformation ideas, increased literacy rates, wider dissemination of scientific discoveries
• Reformation Thinkers: Martin Luther (criticized indulgences, emphasized faith alone for salvation), John Calvin (introduced predestination), Henry VIII (broke from the Catholic Church to establish the Anglican Church)
• Renaissance Beginnings: Started in Italy due to wealthy city-states and classical heritage, trade routes linked Europe and Asia

Absolutism

• Key Concepts: Rule by divine right, centralized power in the monarchy, control of military, religion, and social hierarchy
• Notable Leaders:
  • Louis XIV (France): Built the Palace of Versailles, controlled the nobility, impacted the economy due to lavish spending
  • Peter the Great (Russia): Consolidated power by creating a professional military, weakened hereditary nobility

Ming, Qing, and Tokugawa Eras

• Ming Dynasty: Great Wall built for defense, goods like silk and porcelain highly valued, silver from Spanish colonies entered Chinese markets
• Tokugawa Japan: End of violence after the Shimabara Rebellion, widespread commercialization in the Kinki region, sankin kōtai system improved transportation and communication

Age of Reason and Enlightenment

• Philosophical Developments: John Locke advocated a social contract where people join societies to preserve life, liberty, and property
• Key Ideas: Natural rights (life, liberty, property), division of powers in government (influenced later democratic systems), challenges to divine right and absolute monarchy
• Influence on History: Magna Carta, Glorious Revolution, and the English Bill of Rights contributed to the evolution of parliamentary democracy, and ideas influenced documents like the Declaration of Independence

Key Questions to Reflect On

• Main motivations for European exploration
• Renaissance's contribution to cultural and intellectual growth
• Causes and effects of the Protestant Reformation
• How absolutist leaders consolidated and maintained power
• Role of trade and commerce in Ming and Tokugawa periods
• How Enlightenment thinkers challenged traditional ideas about government

Explore the motivations, risks, and rewards of the Age of Exploration, including key figures like Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus. Dive into the Renaissance period, highlighting its emphasis on humanism and classic literature. Understand how these historical events shaped the modern world.