European Trade Routes 1100-1500 Essay

“No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;

Daily Life through Trade: Buying and Selling in World History. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2013. Print.

The long-term effects of the Columbian exchange included the swap of food, crops, and animals between the New World and Old World, and the start of the transoceanic trade. In order to produce a profit, Portuguese explorers were the first to established sugar cane plantations in Brazil. They then sold this crop to the Old World where it was a popular commodity because it provided Europeans with a sweetener for foods. In addition, European produce was brought to the New World, including “…wheat, vines, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens… Where they sharply increased supplies of food and animal energy.” This fusion of crops between the Old and New World became fundamental in enhancing the diets and food of both populations.

Between the era circa 600 BCE to 1500 CE trading systems expanded with the introduction of new trade routes, some of which being the Silk Road that connected Europe and Asia, the Mediterranean sea trade routes connecting the Mediterranean basin, and the Indian ocean trade connecting India with east Africa. The emergence of these new trade routes led to the rapid accumulation of wealth by the merchants who traded. Religious responses contrasted with state responses to wealth accumulation in Eurasia during roughly 600 BCE to 1500 CE in the sense that religious responses resulted in both punishment and the absence of blessings in an individual. Whereas state responses resulted in taxation, inspection of sales reports and weights and measures,

The years of 1200-1750 were times of massive change in Western Europe and much of the world. However, one of the most important turning points of the time period occurred when advances in seafaring technology led the Americas to be discovered and trans-regional trade to intensify and expand across the globe. This intensification of trade led to the beginnings of the African slave trade and the destruction of the indigenous peoples of South and Central America, which changed the course of history. Despite all of this change, however, trade still remained a profound source of cultural diffusion, and the influence and power of China on world trade and politics did not waver. This essay will be outlining the specific ways in which the world changed and stayed the same during the age of exploration, with

Study of the Silk Road has made it obvious that Eurasian history was more than isolated histories of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Europe, India, Southeast Asia, and China. In reality, for several thousand years, the Silk Road ensured that these regions were never

During the period of 1450 to 1700, Europe flourished economically, leaving a growing population craving access to lush Asian goods. However, with the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Empire assumed control over the coveted trade routes, creating obstacles for European merchants who neither had goods to offer or shared a common religion with such folk. These hurdles, along with the religious zeal of Christian missionaries and curiosity of European mariners led Western Europe to look elsewhere, specifically the Atlantic, for new trade routes. Although the hypothetical “Northwest Passage” was never found, Atlantic trade, more commonly known as the Columbian Exchange, boomed. With its primary commerce in slaves, silver, and spices, this

Food, a basic need in society, has played a pivotal part in the history of our world. Many early societies formed around the production of food and developed social structures that allowed people to focus on agriculture while others focused on various trades, in turn leading to social stratification. Food has also played a very influential role in the political systems of many societies and has been the driving force of interaction between different regions around the world. During the period of 1450-1750, food played a crucial role in the developments of European, African, and American societies, especially during the era of the triangular trade . Triangular trade, receiving its title due to its involvement of the trade passages between

From the Pre-Columbian Era, varying region’s economies depended on agriculture, hunting, gathering, trading, and fishing. Developing the land and creating complex societies complete with architectural development, allowed each civilization or tribe to dominate large areas of land (Schultz, 2013). Multiple languages, cultures, and beliefs abounded throughout the regions. Tribes were always willing to barter and trade goods

The book begins by explaining the beginning of world trade, and starting with the first evidence of long-range trade during the stone age (Bernstein, 16 and 20-54). Following this, the author continues by telling of advancements in ways of transportation of goods as well as the spread of trade to the Indian Ocean (Bernstein, 16 and 54-152). Next the

Many thousands of years ago, upon the earliest creations of civilization, there were two thriving civilizations. Both of which knew little to nothing about each other’s existence. In this ancient world, there was no connection of the two civilizations, no trade in commerce or culture. It was not until the second century BC that Europe and Eastern Asia interacted in a significant way. What is known as “The Silk Road” was established during the Han Dynasty of China, it was a network of trade routes that created a link between these two regions during this ancient world (ancient.eu). Though these routes have history prior to the Han Dynasty, this is when many historians see the routes in full practice. This time during the second century BC was crucial in the connection of these separately thriving civilizations, connecting them through commerce, religion, and exploration.

Christopher Columbus was determined to find new trade routes to India and so, in 1492, after gaining permission he set out in order to accomplish this task. However, what Christopher Columbus would actually encounter was not new trades routes to India, but a whole “new” world. What exists, however, when you travel to a new country is the possibility of a language barrier between you and the native individuals. This barrier existed when Christopher Columbus first made contact with the native indigenous inhabitants. Luckily, letters from Columbus’s first voyage have survived, and have offered a look into his encounters with the different languages of the indigenous people. Through his accounts a question arises: how does Christopher Columbus describe language and communication is his late 15th century letters? In this essay, I will discuss how Columbus’s use and description of language and communication was a way to show superiority among those Indigenous people he encountered.

Periplus Maris Erythraei, is a Greek manuscript writing in the 1st century CE, is the first recording of trade between two countries, the Romans and the Indians. Then followed the Arabian nomads that transported silk and spices on camel backs across long distances, and the ‘Ships of Tarshish” lead by the Tyrain fleet sailed back with precious stones, ivory and gold from the east. This shows that the theory of international trade has been one of the oldest branches of economic trade. However, due to geographical restrictions, countries have had to further participate in global trade to overcome the limitation of inadequate domestic resources. The kaleidoscope of global trading systems turned several times and international trade has enormously

The Maya had a very fancy trade network that went from Mesoamerica from Southern Mexico to Honduras (DOC A). They carried lots of products on these routes including shells, pearls , and sometimes even gold that they got sometimes from Colombia (DOC A). The Maya had to put a lot of effort

Use of advanced production methods, state-of-the-art transportation modes, multinational companies, contracting out of productions and service, and accelerated industrialization has enabled the growth and expansion of international trade. Past records show that international trade being a very old concept dating to the 14th or 15th century where traders transported spices and silk through the silk route and the introduction of fast traveling ships in 1700’s to transport tea and spices to European countries. (Economy watch, 2010)