Growth of International Trade 1000 A.C.E. – 1500 A.C.E.
A. Interconnectedness of Trade Pre-1450
1. Trade links from Greenland to Western Europe
2. Western and Eastern Europe to Muslim World
3. Muslim world to Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia
4. East Africa to India to SE Asia to East Asia
5. Role of Central Asia in Trans-Eurasian trade
6. Global Trade did not begin with the European maritime empires
B. Cultural Diffusion Resulted from Trade
1. Facilitated rise of Europe before 1450
2. Spread civilization to periphery of established cultures
3. Spread religions and technology
II. The Post-Classical 500 A.C.E. – 1450 A.C.E.
A. The Muslim World was the trade Center
1. Muslim countries linked all continents
2. The Hajj came to link all Muslims together
3. Trade became associated with the Hajj, Muslim cities
B. Quran
1. Very favorable to Merchants
2. Required fair, honest business practices
3. Trusted merchants, as Muhammad had been one
C. Idea Exchange
1. Not limited to goods
2. Religion exchanged
3. Technology exchanged
4. Diseases exchanged
5. Populations exchanged
The Muslim World 15th Century A.C.E.
Trade in the Muslim World
D. Asia’s Land Trade Routes
1. Established during Han Dynasty by Nomads
a. Chinese paid nomads tribute in silk, traded for horses
b. Nomads traded silk, horses for glass, iron in West
2. Silk Roads Across Central Asia
a. Terminals: Antioch (Syria) and Chang’an (China)
c. Shorter trunk lines to India, Across Russia, to Africa
3. Products
a. Silks, teas and porcelain from Guangzhou, China
b. Woolen cloth, horses, and ivory from Central Asia
c. Rubies, silver, pepper, and ebony from India
d. Carpets, linen, brocade, ceramics, iron from Muslim world
e. Wine, perfume, glass, silk, slaves, olive oil from Byzantines
f. Furs, wood, amber, slaves, and grain from Kievan Russia
E. Importance of Land Trade
1. Spread Religions
a. Islam to Central, Western Asia, China
b. Buddhism to China, Korea, Japan
c. Christianity to Russia, China, India
2. Technology diffused throughout Eurasia
3. Foodstuffs, germs, flora/fauna diffused
4. Mongolians kept trade routes open, working
5. Influenced European desire to get to China
6. Influence European desire to bypass Muslims
Silk Road Map (Solid Black Line)
Afro-Eurasian Trade 1400 A.C.E.
Trade Connections
F. Trans-Saharan Trade
1. The Camel made trade across desert possible. Could carry great loads to trade
2. From West Africa
a. Gold, ivory, slaves, exotic feathers, spices
b. Male slaves carried goods, then were sold
3. From Muslim North Africa
a. Cloth, glass, metalwork, books
b. Merchants, missionaries, travelers visited W. Africa
G. Significance of Trans-Saharan and East African Trade
1. Spread Civilization and Rise of Powerful African States
a. Aided in the rise of West African Empires
Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Kanem-Bornu, Hausa people
b. Swahili Culture blends Islam and Bantu elements
c. Swahili trading cities: Zanzibar, Pemba, Pate, Mogadishu
d. Zimbabwe: Central African Bantu kingdom
2. Links Cultures to Wider World
a. Contact between the Mediterranean and Sahel Africa
b. Linked East Africa to S.W. Asia and India
c. Linked Forest West Africa to Sahel regions
d. Linked Central Africa to East Africa
e. Provided most of Eurasia’s pre-Columbian gold, Islam’s slaves
f. Spread Islam to West Africa
H. Maritime Trade Routes
1. Maritime Routes co-existed with land routes
a. Often safer than land because fewer stops
b. Seas nevertheless were not as forgiving as the land
2. Requirements to maintain sea trade routes
a. Secure governments and states with agreements
b. Merchant conventions (rules) for exchanges
c. Elimination of piracy
d. Good navigation technology, knowledge of the seasons
e. Items with high profit margins to exchange
f. Cities on coast with protected harbors link to land routes
3. Primary Geographic Areas
a. North Sea, Baltic Sea, English Channel
b. Mediterranean and its adjacent bodies of water
c. Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf
d. Bay of Bengal, Straits of Malacca, East China Sea
4. Important Maritime Trade Routes
a. Established cross-cultural contacts
Exchanged ideas
Furthered development of new ideas
b. Opened interiors to trade with coast
Coasts often most developed
New ideas, products spread inland
c. Caused rise of trading cities
Port cities and entrepots grow into key cities
Many became their cultures leading cities
d. Spread religions
e. Spread diseases
I. Trans-Atlantic Trade
1. Danish-Norwegian Empire
a. Settled Faroes and Shetland Islands, Iceland, Greenland
b. Conquered parts Scotland, Ireland, England
c. Created new states in Normandy, S. Italy, S.W. Asia
2. Products
a. Furs, fish, and walrus ivory from Greenland
b. Iron, wood, glass, and grain from Norway
c. Wheat, wool, jewelry, leather from England, Ireland
3. Swedish state ruled Sweden, Finland
a. Products
- Iron, copper, wood, fish, grain from Sweden
- Wax, honey, skins, slaves, amber from Russia, Finland, Baltic
- Established state in Russia
- Spread Christianity to Periphery lands
- Both later established ties to Hanseatic League
Map of the Viking World and Viking Trade
J. European Trade Routes
1.European Revival around 1000 CE
a. Cities began to rebuild, expand
b. Church was a major supporter of this revival, expansion
c. Many cities on pilgrimage routes
d. Manufacturing arose again as did guilds
e. Giant Fairs arose as merchants moved goods between cities
2. North Sea/Baltic Trade Routes
a. Hanseatic League: Northern German cities
b. Maintained factories, trading depots in neighboring lands
c. Cloth, wines, fish, timber, salt, iron, amber, copper
3. Flanders and Low Countries: Brugges, Ghent
a. Cities prospered under supportive nobles
b. Came to specialize in woolens, wines, fine manufactures
4. Both Hansa and Venice had trading agreements with Flanders
Hanseatic Trade Routes
K. Mediterranean Trade
1. Cities: Constantinople, Alexandria and Venice
2. Byzantine Empire
a. Major terminus on the Silk Roads until 1206
b. Stole technology to raise silk from Chinese
c. Provided a large market and stable currency for whole region
3. Venice
a. Fine glass, woolens, cloth, and wines from Europe
b. Naval fleet (mude) was a middleman to transport goods
c. Spices, silks, and other Asian goods to Europe from Muslim regions
4. Egypt
a. The commercial centers between three continents
b. Linked Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian Ocean regions
5. Long distance trade handled by middlemen
a. Jews between Europe and Muslim world
b. Armenians, Nestorians between Muslim world and Asia
European Trade Routes
L. Indian Ocean Trade Routes
1. Not a united network but a series of routes
2. Parts
a. Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Arabia
b. Bay of Bengal to Straits of Malacca
c. Malacca to South China Sea
3. One ethnic group dominated each zone
a. Arabs in Western
b. Indians in Central
c. Chinese in Eastern
4. The largest peaceful zone of exchange of period
a. Groups had no formal agreements but cooperated
b. States kept piracy down to minimum
c. Groups met at key entrepot cities to exchange items
5. Linked to Mediterranean and Silk Road by land routes
Indian Ocean Trade Routes
M. East Asia
1. China was central to East Asia
a. China was economically self-sufficient
b. During periods, trade in the nature of tribute
c. Ambassadors brought goods to Emperor
d. Emperor sent out gifts
2. Trade arose with increased contacts
a. Central Asian nomads demanded silk tribute
b. Chinese demanded horses as tribute
c. Nomads traded silk for finished goods in S. W. Asia
d. Buddhist missionaries to China from India traded
e. Spread of civilization to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, SE Asia
f. Religious artifacts, luxuries often-largest part of trade
N. Song China
1. Greatest period of Chinese trade
a. Cities often based on trade
b. Great interest in Chinese goods
c. Coins, bank notes, banking
d. Merchants obtain great influence
2. Hangchow was built on trade
3. Chinese merchants active in Asia
a. Porcelain, lacquer, paper
b. Guns and gunpowder
c. Silk
O. Mongol Empire
1. Mongol Empire united Central Eurasia
a. Most lands of the Silk Road within empire
b. Linked distant trading partners for first time in history
2. Mongols tolerated, trusted merchants
a. Used foreign merchants for official business
b. Used as emissaries
c. Often used to govern lands ruled by Mongols
d. Merchants protected by order of Khan
e. Merchants could travel freely with permission
3. Exchanges
a. Ideas
b. Diseases especially the Black Death
c. Technology especially gunpowder and fire arms
P. Changes and Disruptions
1. Challenges
a. Mongol Empire destroyed most existing states
b. Constant warfare turned friends into enemies
c. Newer technologies made war more disruptive
d. Black Death disrupted trading patterns
e. Merchants spread disease, died first
f. Cities, the basis of trade threatened, weakened
2. Rise of Gunpowder states in 15th century
a. Guns formed great power; ships very different
b. Destroyed nomads (Mongols), ended Silk Road
c. Ottoman Turks monopolize SW Asian trade
d. Portugal looks to end Venetian, Turk monopoly
Trade Routes Spread the Black Death
Q. Ming China
1. Ming Overthrew Mongols in China
a. Reestablished traditional belief systems
b. Neo-Confucianism becomes state philosophy
c. Merchants relegated to lower status
d. Foreign contacts distrusted
e. Trade is limited as China is economically autocratic
2. Ming reestablishes tributary status
a. Tributary exchange of goods, gifts
b. Sends out navy to reestablish system, search
3. Foreign trade limited to one port: Guangzhou
R. Portuguese Atlantic Trade
1. Early Portuguese exploration
a. Establishes navigation school, trains sailors
b. Seeks to break Muslim-Italian monopoly
c. Establishes colonies at Madeira, Azores, Canaries
2. Create sugar plantation systems
a. Eliminates natives
b. Plants sugar
c. Uses African slaves – precursor to New World acquisitions
d. Begins switch of slaves to Middle East to slaves to Atlantic
3. Raids and contacts along West African coast
a. Establishes contacts with Africans, trades for gold, slaves
b. Strengthens resolve for water route to Asia
4. Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut
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