Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Spain and the 'New World', c1490-1555 PDF

# Revise Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Spain and the 'New World', c1490-1555 ## Contents **Subject Content** * Spain reaches the 'New World', c1490-1512 * Spanish exploration * Spain, c1490 * Columbus's first voyage, 1492 * Columbus and sponsorship * Columbus and...

# Revise Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Spain and the 'New World', c1490-1555 ## Contents **Subject Content** * Spain reaches the 'New World', c1490-1512 * Spanish exploration * Spain, c1490 * Columbus's first voyage, 1492 * Columbus and sponsorship * Columbus and the Caribbean * The Bahamas and the Caribbean * Impact of contact with natives * Rivalry with Portugal * Columbus's other voyages * Spanish Claims * Effects of Spanish settlement * Development of an imperial policy * The conquistadors, 1513-1528 * Start of an empire * Balboa and the conquistadors, 1513-28 * The conquest of Cuba * The voyage of Magellan * Conquest of Mexico * Expedition to Mexico, 1519 * Key events of the conquest * Spain's Impact * Cortes's actions 1523-28 * Consequences for the Aztecs * Pizarro and Panama * The Spanish Empire, c1528-c1555 * Conquest of the Incas * Pizarro's arrival in Peru * Pizarro's conquest of Peru * Expansion of empire * Discovery of silver in Bolivia and Mexico * Impact of the New World * Governing the empire * The foundation of La Paz, 1548 * Silver and gold * The impact of trade * The government of the New World **Skills** * Exam overview * Question 1: Explaining consequences 1 * Question 1: Explaining consequences 2 * Question 2: Analytical narrative 1 * Question 2: Analytical narrative 2 * Question 3: Explaining importance 1 * Question 3: Explaining importance 2 **Practice** **Answers** ## Spain, c1490 In the 1490s, Spain had ambitions to expand its religious influence and trade prospects abroad. Crusades were used in an attempt to achieve both these aims. **Spain in the 1490s** * Spain had been politically united since 1479, following the marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon. * Spain was also religiously united, in the 1490s all Muslims and Jews were expelled if they did not agree to convert to Christianity. * Spain was emerging as one of the most powerful countries in Europe, rivalled by France to the north and Portugal to the west. **The Importance of religion** * Christianity was the main religion in Europe. * The Catholic Church, led by the pope, was very powerful, in political as well as religious matters. * The Church had a great influence over people's everyday lives, and regular church attendance was expected. * If the Church, in general, and the pope, in particular, supported a monarch, this would strengthen their power and influence, so it was advantageous to Ferdinand and Isabella to be seen as pious. **The crusading spirit** * The Church at this time wanted to defend the Christian religion from the influence of other religions, and to spread Christianity as far as possible. * The Church supported crusades, which were expeditions to foreign countries, undertaken with the aim of converting the people there to Christianity. * Initiating and funding crusades meant that Ferdinand and Isabella had the support of the Church and of their people. **Foreign ambitions** * As well as being justified by the aim of converting the local people to Christianity, the exploration and conquest of foreign lands were desirable to expand Spanish influence, and provide new trading opportunities . * Many believed that exploration would open up a new trade route to the East Indies. * The expeditions would also ensure that Spain, and not Portugal, became the dominant power in southern Europe as it would gain more territory and expand its empire. * Ferdinand and Isabella also wished to gain new territories for treasure, especially gold and silver. **Now try this** Write a paragraph explaining why Isabella's personal piety was key to her desire to support voyages of exploration and discovery in the 1490s. ## Columbus and Sponsorship In the 1480s, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, looked for sponsorship for his proposed voyage to open up a new sea route to the East Indies. **The race to find a sea route** * **Opening up the route to the East Indies:** would allow many new trading opportunities and potentially large profits. * **Anyone who could establish a trade route by sea:** and control over the discovered territories, would gain a huge fortune. * **Interest was strengthened by recent discoveries:** in particular that of the Canaries by Spain, and Madeira by Portugal. This made explorers like Columbus believe that there were other new islands and lands that offered enormous opportunities to make money. **The need for financial support** * Voyages of exploration were not cheap as the explorers required ships, provisions and crews who were prepared to risk their lives journeying into the unknown. * This required financial sponsorship. Sponsors or investors would put up money (capital) in return for a share of the profits made from the voyage. * Before approaching Isabella and Ferdinand, Columbus had appealed to a number of other European monarchs for support, including the kings of France and Portugal and Henry VII of England, without success. **Why Ferdinand and Isabella granted support in 1491** * **Isabella's personal priest Juan Perez:** was a friend of Columbus and helped him to present his case to Isabella. * **A successful expedition would raise Spain's international prestige:** Isabella and Ferdinand wanted to establish the trade route and gain control of the territories before their rival, Portugal. * **The plan had the potential to provide huge income for the Spanish treasury:** making the government rich. * **Isabella, in particular, saw the voyage as an opportunity to spread Christianity to distant lands:** This was an important reason for her support for Columbus. **Official support for the 1492 expedition** * Columbus would be entitled to 10 per cent of the produce of any territories discovered. * If the expedition was successful, he would also receive honours and titles. * He would be given the title of Grand Admiral of the Ocean Sea. * He would be appointed governor of any newly colonised lands. **Now try this** Give one reason why Ferdinand and Isabella supported Columbus's 1492 voyage of exploration. ## Columbus's first voyage, 1492 Columbus's voyage of exploration and discovery reached the 'New World' in 1492. **Suitable provisions were needed for a long voyage:** including enough preserved food, wine and water to feed the crews for a year, plus items to trade with natives. **Martin Pinzon disagreed with Columbus's navigation plans:** and wanted to turn south as he believed it would take them to Japan. Columbus persuaded him to sail westwards. **Finding ships and crew:** the Pinzón brothers helped Columbus to find and equip three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. **Challenges of the voyage** * **The crew was uneasy about sailing for a long time without sighting land.** Columbus kept two logs - one an accurate set and another understating the distance they had travelled, which he showed to the crew. * **There was a possibility that Portuguese rivals would seek to obstruct Columbus's Atlantic crossing. Columbus adjusted his route to avoid this.** **The voyage and discovery of land** * **The expedition left Spain on 3 August, with Columbus captaining the largest ship, the Santa Maria.** * **On 11 October, land-based birds were spotted.** Land was sighted that night. * **On 12 October, Columbus and the Pinzón brothers, with hand-picked members of the crew, rowed ashore and claimed the newly discovered land for Spain.** * **Columbus had discovered an island he called San Salvador.** Later, he found out that the natives called it Guanahani. * **Almost as soon as they had landed, Columbus and his men were met by a crowd of native people:** and they traded goods. Columbus remained convinced that he had reached the East Indies. **The significance of Columbus's voyage** * Columbus had discovered that there was land to the west of Spain and across the Atlantic, although many — including Columbus — believed that they had discovered another sea route to the East Indies. * This meant that Spain could now claim control of any lands that were discovered by Columbus, or by any other explorer backed by Ferdinand and Isabella. * However, Spain's claim could be challenged by Portugal, who would also want to send explorers westwards across the Atlantic. **Now try this** Describe two challenges Columbus encountered with his voyage of 1492 and how he overcame them. ## The Bahamas and the Caribbean Columbus explored the area looking for gold and founded a settlement at La Navidad, Haiti. **Columbus's first contact with the native people** * When Columbus landed on San Salvador, he claimed it for Spain. * In his journal, Columbus described the natives as naked and wearing gold ornaments through holes in their noses. * Believing he was in the East Indies, Columbus referred to the native people as 'Indians'. * The people told him that their chief had gold but would not allow Columbus to meet him, saying only that there was gold further south. **Columbus looks for gold** * With the hope of finding gold, Columbus sailed south from San Salvador. * Having explored several islands (the modern-day Bahamas), Columbus failed to find gold. * He then landed on a large island the natives had called Colba (modern-day Cuba), believing it was Japan. * Columbus called the island Isla Juana after Prince Juan, the son of Ferdinand and Isabella. **The building of La Navidad** * On 21 November 1492, the captain of the Pinta, Martin Pinzón, sailed away to look for gold without Columbus's permission. * Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria, ran aground, leaving him with only the Nina for all his men. * Columbus built a fort, known as La Navidad, for protection as there had already been trouble at Samana. **Columbus returns to Spain** * After the loss of the Santa Maria, 39 men had to be left behind at La Navidad to wait for the next Spanish expedition. * Columbus sailed back to Europe on board the Nina, making landfall first in Portugal and then in Spain on 15 March 1493. * The Pinta, having found gold on its solo exploration, rejoined the Nina, lost contact again, then landed in northern Spain before returning to port in Palos, in the south. **Now try this** Give two reasons why Columbus built the fort known as La Navidad. ## Impact of contact with natives Contact with Caribbean natives in 1492 was peaceful at first, but conflict later arose. **Initial contact and cooperation** * Initial contact was friendly and resulted in trade. In his journal Columbus noted that the natives were more curious than aggressive. * The Tainos, a tribe of people on Cuba, believed that the Spaniards were 'men from the sky' who would help fulfil their elders' prophecies, so cooperated with them. * Columbus found small amounts of gold on Haiti but Martin Pinzón soon found more on a nearby island. * Typically, trade was in hats, balls and glass beads from Spain, and cotton, parrots and javelins from the islands. * The native people helped the Spanish unload the Santa Maria when it struck a reef off the coast of Haiti. **Gold, cotton and tobacco, 1492-93** * Cotton was seen growing on Cuba, San Salvador and on other islands in the Bahamas. * The 'cotton' the Spanish saw was actually kapok, which could be spun and woven like cotton. * Tobacco was given to Columbus as a gift by a native chief in San Salvador. * The Spanish quickly adopted the native practice of smoking tobacco rolled into cigars. **Relations with the native people** * In his journal Columbus noted that the Tainos were peaceful, would make good slaves and would be easily converted to Christianity. * In contrast, Columbus described the Caribs as 'ferocious,' engaged in cannibalism and in raiding other tribes looking for slaves and women. He also wrote about the shrunken heads seen in a Carib village. **The first conflict at Samana** * The success of the Spanish expedition depended on finding large quantities of gold, which brought them into conflict with some tribes. * The first incident happened at Samana, Haiti, where the Nina was forced to anchor during a storm. * Going ashore to look for gold, the Spanish were attacked by the natives. In the violence that followed, two of the native people were wounded and the rest escaped. * The incident showed that the native people were prepared to attack, so the Spanish would need to be ready to defend themselves. * Columbus was already prepared to use force to achieve the expedition's objective of finding gold, but after the incident at Samana he wrote in his journal that the natives must be made to fear the Spanish. **Now try this** Write a short paragraph about why the incident at Samana was important. ## Rivalry with Portugal Portugal and Spain both believed they had a claim to the New World - the dispute was resolved through the Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494. **Columbus's return to Spain** * Columbus recrossed the Atlantic, arriving first at Lisbon in Portugal on 4 March 1493. * Soon after his arrival in Palos, Spain, on 15 March 1493, Columbus was warmly congratulated by Ferdinand and Isabella and allowed to accompany them to Barcelona in triumph. * He received the titles promised to him when Ferdinand and Isabella had originally agreed to sponsor the expedition. **See page 2 for a list of the titles and financial rewards promised to Columbus.** **The Portuguese claim the New World** * King John of Portugal soon heard about Columbus's expedition and the existence of a New World across the Atlantic. * Portugal now claimed that it, not Spain, had the right to rule the New World, based on an agreement — the Treaty of Alcacovas of 1479 — which stated that all lands to the west belonged to Portugal. * Ferdinand and Isabella rejected John's claim to any part of the New World and assembled a fleet of ships in southern Spain close to Portugal: war seemed likely. **The Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494** * The intervention of Pope Alexander VI resolved the dispute. * The pope supported Spain's claim because of Isabella's piety: he believed that Spain would spread Christianity in the New World. **See page 1 for more on the importance of religion.** * Under the Treaty, a line was drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole, 2000km to the west of Cape Verde. All lands to the west of this line were Spanish. All lands to the east, with the exception of the Canaries, were Portuguese. * The New World was all Spanish, except for some easterly parts of South America. The exploration and control of Africa was left to the Portuguese. **Why was the Treaty of Tordesillas important?** * The treaty gave Spain most of the New World. Ferdinand and Isabella were now in a position to claim Mexico, North America and most of South America, in addition to the Caribbean. * This meant that any gold and silver found in these territories would go only to Spain. * Spain now had a major incentive to explore further and conquer much of the New World: as a way of obtaining gold, silver, tobacco and other resources. **Now try this** In one paragraph, explain the terms of the Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494. ## Columbus's other voyages Columbus made three further voyages: two as Spanish governor of the Caribbean settlements. between 1493 and 1500, and a final voyage from 1502 to 1504. **Columbus's second voyage, 1493-96** * As 'Viceroy of the Indies,' Columbus was in charge of the new territories. * He was given a fleet of 17 ships carrying about 1200 people: priests, gentlemen, farmers, and skilled craft workers, as well as animals, seeds, and tools. **Turn to page 3 to read about the first voyage of 1492.** **Columbus returns to Spain** * Leaving his brother Bartholomew in charge at Isabela, in 1494, Columbus left to explore the southern coastline of Cuba. * Straight away, Bartholomew started building a new settlement at Santo Domingo. * Columbus reached Spain in June 1496 to report on progress and respond to criticisms of his governance of Isabela. **Columbus as governor** * Columbus was responsible for establishing a colony of settlements in the discovered lands in the Caribbean. * His aims were to treat the natives well and convert them to Christianity, and to send back gold to the Spanish government. * He had the power to appoint officials to act on his behalf. **The foundation of Isabela, 1493** * Columbus founded a new settlement 'Isabela', but it was unsuccessful because of the poor location and because most Spanish settlers were more interested in finding gold and troubling the local women than in clearing the forest for planting crops. * With no experience of running a settlement, Columbus was unable to control the Spanish settlers and became angry because of the conflict they caused. **The significance of Santo Domingo** * Columbus returned from Spain in 1498 to find the settlement at Santo Domingo in an uproar. * He was able to calm matters for a while by offering the settlers special rights, including land and native labourers to work on it. * The rebellion continued and Columbus responded by hanging some Spaniards and natives; unable to control the colony, he requested help from Ferdinand and Isabella. * The Spanish government sent its own representative, Francisco de Bobadilla, to replace Columbus as governor in 1500. He upheld the settlers' grievances, and Columbus was returned to Spain in chains to face trial. **Columbus' trial and final voyage** * Columbus and Bartholomew were accused of tyranny, brutality and incompetence and imprisoned for six weeks. * Ferdinand and Isabella allowed Columbus to keep his titles, but ordered he should no longer have any say in the government of the territories in the Caribbean. * Columbus undertook a fourth voyage between May 1502 and November 1504, but by this time Isabella had died and Ferdinand refused to meet him on his return. **Now try this** 1. Describe the key events that led to Columbus's return to Spain in disgrace in 1500. 2. In a short summary, explain the significance of the revolt at Santo Domingo. ## Effects of Spanish settlement Spanish settlement, from 1493 onwards, had significant effects on the New World, and especially on the native population **The development of a Spanish Empire in the New World** * The discovery of inhabited lands on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean presented Ferdinand and Isabella with opportunities: * They could encourage Spanish settlers to colonise the land and develop their crusading spirit by converting previously unknown lands to Christianity. * They could also use any gold and silver found in the New World to boost the wealth of the Spanish government and increase Spain's power and influence in the world. * However, any Spanish Empire in the New World had to find a way of governing the native population. **The development of slavery:** * Under Columbus, the Spanish organised expeditions to capture slaves and send them to the slave markets of Spain. This policy was stopped by Isabella, who freed and returned many of the natives. * However, under Governor Ovando, the encomienda system was established, whereby each Spanish settler was allocated a group of natives who had to provide tribute in the form of labour, goods, or both. In return, the Spanish would 'protect' the natives, teach them Spanish and convert them to Christianity. In practice, this meant that many natives were exploited like slaves. **Gold and tribute:** * Natives were required to pay tribute to the Spanish in the form of gold, cotton or produce. * The development of gold mining under Bobadilla and his successor, Ovando, meant that natives were instead required to work under harsh conditions in the gold mines set up by the Spanish as virtual slaves. **The effects of Spanish settlement in the New World** * **Disease and death:** The Spanish brought with them new diseases, including smallpox and measles. The native people had no immunity to these infections, and many died. This had a devastating effect on the native population. In Hispaniola (Haiti) there were an estimated 500 000 natives in 1492. By 1507 this had fallen to 60 000. **Native rebellions and Spanish repression:** * Natives who resisted slavery were treated brutally — many were mutilated or attacked by hunting dogs. * During Columbus's governorship, and afterwards, some natives revolted. * The Spanish responded brutally to revolt. In the Jaragua massacre (1503) the Spanish killed Tainos, burning them alive in the meeting house where they had gathered. Similarly, in the Higuey massacre, hundreds of Tainos men, women, and children were slaughtered by the Spanish. **Now try this** Describe two ways in which natives were affected by Spanish settlement in the New World. ## Development of an imperial policy Following Columbus's discovery of the New World, the Spanish government needed to develop an imperial policy to enable it to control trade and religion in the newly discovered lands. **Regulation of exploration:** * In 1495, Ferdinand and Isabella issued a decree (lawful command) controlling exploration in the New World. * It stated that any ship going to the New World had to be registered in, and leave from, Cadiz. * One-tenth of the cargo on ships going to the New World had to be Spanish. * People were free to live or prospect for gold in the New World but had to give two-thirds of the gold found and one-tenth of all other products to the Spanish treasury. * The discovery of any new lands had to be registered with the Spanish authorities. **Establishment of a monopoly on trade:** * In 1503, a government agency was established in Seville. * The aim of the *Casa de Contratacion* (House of Trade) was to ensure that Spain controlled all trade with the Caribbean, and that a proportion of the trade profits were paid to the Spanish treasury. * Traders had to have permission from this agency before they could trade, giving Spain complete control over trade with the New World. **Spanish imperial policy in the New World** **Extension of Spanish authority:** * After a hurricane in 1502 wrecked the town, Santa Domingo was rebuilt and developed as the control centre of Spanish government in the New World. * From here, the governor ruled the new Spanish territories on behalf of the Spanish government. **Use of missionaries to convert the native population:** * Catholic monks and priests accompanied the Spanish settlers in Haiti and elsewhere. * Their role was to teach natives about Christianity and baptises them as Christians. * They also taught reading and writing and discouraged the natives from following 'pagan' customs. **The Laws of Burgos, 1512:** * The Laws of Burgos were ordered by Ferdinand and applied to the whole of the New World. * These laws maintained the *encomienda* system, which in practice turned the natives into slaves. * The laws allowed Spanish officials to punish natives who broke the laws. * They required natives to be instructed in Christianity. * They set down that Indians were to be treated kindly and their hours of work regulated. **Spanish imperial policy ended the traditional way of life for natives, requiring them to convert to Christianity, live in towns and work, often as slaves, for the Spanish.** **Now try this** In one paragraph, explain the significance of the Laws of Burgos, 1512. **Think about how the laws shaped the relationship between the Spanish and the native people.**