When talking about european maritime expansion, we must keep in mind that the commercial interest it was the main reason for the conquest of new sea routes. The term expansion itself was linked to the fact that Europeans sailed only through the Mediterranean Sea and the Northern European seas, unaware of maritime routes in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans until the century XIV.
But the commercial interest was in what kind of goods? In European markets, which flourished during the late Middle Ages, the sale of spices and other oriental goods brought huge profits to traders. Silk fabrics, porcelain and a series of spices, such as cloves, pepper and cinnamon, used to preserve food, found a large number of buyers.
However, the control of the offer of these goods was in the hands of Italian traders only - mainly from the cities of Genoa and Venice - and Muslims, who maintained close trade relations. This was due to the fact that trade between the East and Europe was predominantly carried out by the
Mediterranean Sea. Due to the geographical location of the two Italian cities, they were the ones who controlled the trade in this sea.Another fact contributed to the need to find new maritime routes for accessing the centers that produce oriental goods. With the conquest of the city of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the prices of goods became even higher due to the fees that were charged. The nascent bourgeois class, which carried out commerce in Europe, needed to reach the Orient without passing through the Mediterranean Sea and Constantinople.
The envisioned solution was to bypass the African continent to reach the indies, generic name given to the eastern regions. Some conditions existing in the Iberian Peninsula led first Portugal and then the Spain to become pioneers of this maritime expansion.
Portugal stood out before other countries as it already had a port, in the city of Lisbon, which linked trade between the Mediterranean Sea and northern Europe. This economically strengthened the Portuguese mercantile bourgeoisie that was able to finance the expansionist project.
Its political strengthening came with its support for Avis Revolution (1383-1385), starting the Avis dynasty and the independence of the kingdom of Castile. The consequence was the state centralization around King D. John I (1385-1433). The sociopolitical conditions were given. The technical conditions were still lacking.
For this it was necessary to develop the knowledge on maritime navigation existing at the time. Compasses and astrolabes (instruments used to guide oneself through the stars) brought from China were perfected. New maps were made by the most renowned cartographers, in addition to the construction of caravels, light ships with triangular sails, which enabled the Iberians to face the Atlantic Ocean, known at the time as the Sea Tenebrous.
The objective was to bypass the African continent, first through the Atlantic Ocean and then through the Indian Ocean, to reach the Indies. To achieve this feat, the Portuguese needed nearly a century. The first point reached in Africa was Ceuta, a city conquered after a battle with the Arabs, in 1415. Then, gradually the Portuguese were conquering islands and points of the African coast, towards the south. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias managed to bypass Cabo das Tormentas, which became known as Cabo da Boa Esperança, in the extreme south of Africa. Ten years later, in 1498, Vasco da Gama arrived at the port of Calicut in India, completing the stipulated route and accessing a rich market of oriental products.
A new maritime and trade route was thus established, as the first step in European maritime expansion. The next step would be taken by Spain, when they discovered the path that led them to discover and conquer the American continent.
By Tales Pinto
Graduated in History
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