MR SPENCE HISTORY
Key Content
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Motives for Exploration
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Enablers of Exploration
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Significance of the Exploration of the Indian Ocean
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Impacts of Portuguese Exploration on Europe
The Portuguese Empire in Africa and Asia
It is one of the strange things of History that a semi-arid country with less than 1.5 million people and whose chief export was salted fish, came to dominate the Indian Ocean at the start of the 16th Century.
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The study of colonialism both in its motives and consequences has become very controversial. Even the term age of discoveries is very Eurocentric and should not be used. There is no doubt notions of racial superiority and the mistreatment and exploitation of indigenous people underpinned the Portuguese empire. The Portuguese began the African slave trade and they brought 156,000 Africans to Iberia prior to 1550 (when our topic ends). But the Portuguese motives for their empire are more nuanced than simply dismissing this all as a western desire to subjugate others. Even if they began a system which brought suffering to much of the world, we should try and understand the motives of the time rather than judging them by 21st Century standards. Also, resist the urge to see those who came into contact with the Portuguese as being victims. Try to view each group as individual actors with their own motives and actions.
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Assessment
“Religion was the most important motive for the Portuguese voyages of discovery.” Discuss.
“Patronage was the main reason for Portuguese exploration of the west coast of Africa.” Discuss.
“Developments in cartography, navigation and shipbuilding were the main factors that enabled Portuguese exploration.” Discuss.
"Discuss the significance of Henry the Navigator as an enabler in the Age of Exploration"
Examine the consequences of Portuguese exploration of the west coast of Africa for European states.
Use your logic in answering whatever question you choose. Obviously, it is impossible to completely separate ideas and there can be a complicated mixture of motivations. Obviously commercial gain and international competition have a great deal of crossover. Likewise the idea of confronting Islam and commercial gain or competition are not exclusive to each other. Recognising the complexity of relationships or understanding differences between purported and actual motives is the difference between a good essay and an excellent essay.
Whatever question you choose, your first job is to exhaust every piece of evidence you can find that will support the question and then evaluate how far this is true. Even if you believe yours is not the most important factor you should use evidence from the question to prove it. e.g. if your question is on religion then a good piece of evidence that their priorities was trade would be that despite capturing the city in 1510, it was not until 1534 that a bishop was appointed and the cathedral was not completed to 1619.
The Portuguese Empire had too many inherent flaws to be successful. From the reign of John III (1521-1557) onward the Crown never once made a profit. You need to understand why the Portuguese were ultimately unsuccessful in Asia and then evaluate the long-term significance of their exploration on Europe. The Portuguese were a tour de force, but had little impact in Asia. They disrupted the existing system for a short period of time but made no lasting differences to centres of production or trade routes. The next generation of Europeans in the form of the British and Dutch trading companies had a far greater impact. The vast majority of the 150 million Indians would have no idea of the Portuguese presence at all. Even the impact on Europe has been minimised which will make planning this essay relatively straightforward.
Potential IA Questions
Did Portugal undergo a bourgeoisie revolution in the 14th Century?
Did Portugal's geographic weaknesses provide an advantage in exploration?
How far did social tensions inspire the Portuguese monarchs interest in exploration?
How exceptional was the Portuguese brutality in the 15th Century?
How far was the 1415 conquest of Ceuta about proving the infantes virility?
Did the conquest of Ceuta benefit Portugal?
How far was a desire to confront Islam the reasons for Portuguese exploration?
How important was slavery to Portugal in the 15th Century?
Could Portugal ever have participated in existing Asian trade networks?
Where did the myth of Prester John eventuate?
How significant was the Portuguese contribution to navigational science?
Same question as above but shipbuilding.
Has Ptolemy's rediscovery been overstated?
How much of the 15th Century navigation innovations were borrowed from Asia?
How significant was John II to the expansion of Portuguese power?
Did John II receive the letters from Covilha?
How significant were the Portuguese journeys to the interior of Africa?
How significant was Columbus' time in Portugal?
Was Martin Behaim a liar?
Are Bartholomew Dias' achievements as an explorer underrated?
How much responsibility should Portugal take for the Atlantic slave trade?
How successful were the 16th Century Portuguese conversion efforts in the Kingdom of the Kongo?
Why did Afonso of Kongo align himself with the Portuguese?
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What was the significance of Elmina to the Portuguese explorations?
How far was the Portuguese crown responsible for the exploration of Africa in the 15th Century?
Did Portugal reach the Americas before Columbus?
Why did Manuel I resume the journeys of exploration?
Was it Muslim opposition preventing Portuguese participation in the Indian Ocean trading network?
Why did Manuel I seek to dominate the Indian Ocean trade networks after 1501?
How significant was the Estado da India?
Was it technological advantages that allowed Almeida victory at the Battle of Diu?
How much control did the Portuguese monarchs have over their Asian possessions?
How successfully did the Portuguese system in Asia function?
Why did the Portuguese 'Red Sea Strategy' fail?
How significant was the capture of Malacca in 1511?
Why was Simáo de Andrade unable to establish a successful trading relationship with China?
Did the Portuguese discoveries lower the prices of pepper in Europe?
Who was victorious in the Ottoman-Portuguese war of 1538-1554?
How significant was Portugal to the collapse of the Mameluke Empire?
How unique a colonial experiment was Goa?
How great was the French threat to Portuguese Brazil between 1500 and 1550?
Was it the calibre of settler which led to the failure of the Portuguese captaincies of Brazil in 1548?
Were the Portuguese more humane in their treatment of the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas?