Ten Minute History - The Early Spanish and Portuguese Empires (Short Documentary)

Summary

The video explores the rise of Portuguese and Spanish empires during the Age of Exploration. It details Portugal's early conquests in Africa, their trade monopoly, and the establishment of trading posts, contrasting this with Spain's more territorial conquests in the Americas, including the Aztec and Incan empires. The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the world between the two, although ignored by others. The script highlights the importance of new sailing technologies, religious motivations, and the economic impact of the influx of wealth from colonization and trade, shaping global history.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Portugal's conquest of Ceuta in 1415 gave it control over trade through the Strait of Gibraltar, an essential gateway to Mediterranean trade.
• 🛡️ The Iberian Peninsula was divided into several entities: Portugal, Castile, Aragon, Navarre, and the Emirate of Granada, all playing roles in exploration and conquest.
• ⛵ Portugal's Henry the Navigator sponsored exploration and settlement efforts, including Madeira, the Azores, and the West African coast, establishing trading forts called 'fytorias.'
• 💰 The Portuguese discovered gold, ivory, and slave trading in West Africa, which contributed significantly to their wealth and dominance in trade.
• ✝️ Religion was a key motivator for exploration, as many Christians sought to convert new lands and find the mythical Prester John, a Christian king rumored to aid in Crusades.
• 🇪🇸 Spain (Castile and Aragon) united under Isabella and Ferdinand after the conquest of Granada in 1492, driving further exploration and eventual conquest of the New World.
• ⚔️ Spanish conquistadors, like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, overthrew powerful empires such as the Aztecs and Incas, contributing to Spain's growing territorial empire.
• 🔄 Portugal focused on building a 'trading post empire' with a strong navy, establishing control over Indian Ocean trade routes and setting up key forts in places like Goa and Malacca.
• 🧭 Portugal and Spain's explorations were fueled by the desire to bypass Ottoman control of key trade routes and avoid trading with the Islamic empire.
• 💥 The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal, laying the groundwork for their global empires and wealth accumulation.

Q & A

What was the significance of the conquest of Ceuta in 1415 by Portugal?

The conquest of Ceuta was significant because it allowed Portugal to control part of the trade routes through the Strait of Gibraltar, which was crucial for accessing Mediterranean trade. It marked the beginning of Portuguese overseas expansion.

What were the main entities present on the Iberian Peninsula during this period?

The Iberian Peninsula was divided into five main entities: Portugal, Castile, Navarre, the Islamic Emirate of Granada, and the Kingdom of Aragon.

How did Portugal and Castile differ in their approaches to exploration and empire building?

Portugal focused on building a trading post empire along the coasts, especially in Africa and Asia, using its naval strength, while Castile (later Spain) built a more traditional territorial empire, conquering large inland territories in the Americas.

What role did Henry the Navigator play in Portugal's exploration efforts?

Henry the Navigator played a pivotal role by sponsoring many Portuguese voyages, leading to the exploration of Africa's coast and the colonization of islands like Madeira and the Azores. His patronage helped establish Portugal's dominance in early exploration.

Why was the Treaty of Tordesillas important for Spain and Portugal?

The Treaty of Tordesillas, agreed upon by Spain and Portugal, divided the world between them, giving Portugal control over Africa and Asia, and Spain control over the Americas. This treaty aimed to prevent conflict between the two emerging maritime powers.

How did triangular sails revolutionize exploration during the late 15th century?

Triangular sails, or lateen sails, allowed ships to sail into the wind, enabling longer and more distant voyages. This technological advancement was crucial for Portuguese and Spanish exploration, allowing them to venture far beyond their coastal waters.

What were 'feitorias,' and why were they important to Portuguese expansion?

Feitorias were coastal trading posts established by Portugal to control trade routes, protect their interests, and serve as military outposts. These forts were key to Portugal’s dominance in African and Indian Ocean trade.

How did the discovery of the New World by Columbus in 1492 affect European exploration?

Columbus' discovery of the New World in 1492 opened up vast new territories for European exploration and conquest, particularly for Spain. It led to increased competition for resources and trade routes among European powers.

What role did religion play in European exploration during this period?

Religion played a significant role, as many Christians felt a duty to convert native peoples to Christianity. Additionally, European explorers were motivated by a desire to find the mythical Christian king, Prester John, to aid in a crusade against Islamic powers.

How did Spain benefit from its conquests in the Americas, particularly the Aztec and Inca empires?

Spain benefited enormously from its conquests of the Aztec and Inca empires, gaining vast amounts of wealth, particularly in silver, which made Spain one of the most powerful European nations. The labor of native populations was exploited to extract these resources.

Outlines

00:00

⚔️ The Fall of Ceuta and the Iberian Powers

In 1415, Ceuta fell to the Portuguese under King John I, marking the start of their expansion. This conquest gave Portugal control over trade through the Straits of Gibraltar, crucial for its economy. The Iberian Peninsula was divided into five entities: Portugal, Castile, Navarre, the Emirate of Granada, and Aragon. While Portugal had a strong naval tradition, Castile was wealthy, and both kingdoms contributed to exploration. Portugal, with the support of Henry the Navigator, explored Africa, establishing trading forts, called 'fytorias', and monopolizing West African trade, which became lucrative after discovering gold, ivory, and slaves in Ghana in 1471.

05:00

⛪ Wealth and Religion Drive Exploration

Wealth motivated much of the early exploration, but religion also played a significant role. Christian explorers sought to convert natives and searched for the mythical Prester John, a Christian king believed to be in Africa or Asia. Meanwhile, Castile was slowly conquering the Canary Islands. During the War of Castilian Succession, Portuguese and Castilian fleets clashed off Africa's coast. In 1492, the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon led to the unification of Spain and the conquest of Granada. Spain and Portugal began extensive exploration, using new technologies like triangular sails to navigate more effectively.

Keywords

💡Portuguese Exploration

Portuguese exploration refers to the series of maritime expeditions led by Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries. The goal was to establish trade routes and colonies, particularly along the African coast and later in India and Brazil. In the video, it highlights how Portugal established a trading post empire and monopolized African trade, particularly after discovering valuable goods like gold, ivory, and slaves.

💡Treaty of Tordesillas

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, was an agreement between Spain and Portugal to divide newly discovered lands outside Europe. This division was made along a meridian in the Atlantic Ocean. The video references the treaty as a way in which both Spain and Portugal agreed to divide the world for exploration and colonization, though it was soon ignored by other European powers.

💡Fytorias

Fytorias, or 'feitorias,' were coastal trading posts established by the Portuguese, particularly in West Africa and the Indian Ocean. These outposts served as warehouses, military garrisons, and hubs for trade, helping Portugal maintain its influence over regional commerce. In the video, these forts are key to understanding how Portugal controlled the lucrative trade in gold, ivory, and slaves.

💡Spanish Conquistadors

Spanish conquistadors were soldiers and explorers who led military expeditions in the Americas, resulting in the conquest of vast territories. Notably, Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro are mentioned in the video for their roles in overthrowing the Aztec and Incan empires. The conquest brought immense wealth to Spain, primarily through the extraction of silver and other resources.

💡Aztec Empire

The Aztec Empire was a Mesoamerican civilization located in what is now Mexico. Ruled by Montezuma II, it was conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1519 with the help of local tribes hostile to the Aztecs. The video mentions the fall of the Aztec Empire as a turning point in Spanish colonization efforts in the New World, leading to the establishment of New Spain.

💡Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire was a powerful Islamic empire that controlled much of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. In the video, the Ottoman Empire is significant because its control of key trade routes, especially after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, motivated European explorers like the Portuguese and Spanish to find alternative routes to Asia, bypassing Ottoman control.

💡Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese explorer who, in 1488, became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, opening the sea route to the Indian Ocean. The video references Dias' voyage as a key moment in the Age of Exploration, allowing Portugal to expand its trade routes into Asia and eventually leading to Vasco da Gama's journey to India.

💡Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who, under the patronage of Castile, sailed westward in 1492 and 'discovered' the New World, though he believed he had reached Asia. The video discusses his landing in the Bahamas and how his voyage opened up the Americas to Spanish colonization, even though his goal was to find a western sea route to Asia.

💡Triangular Sails

Triangular sails, also known as lateen sails, were a revolutionary naval technology that allowed ships to sail into the wind and maneuver more effectively. In the video, the introduction of triangular sails is highlighted as a major innovation that enabled longer and more exploratory sea voyages during the Age of Exploration, particularly for Portuguese and Spanish explorers.

💡Viceroyalty of Peru

The Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district established after the conquest of the Incan Empire. It was a center of Spanish power in South America, particularly because of the wealth generated from silver mines. The video describes how Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Incas led to the establishment of this viceroyalty, contributing significantly to Spain’s wealth.

Highlights

The conquest of Ceuta in 1415 by King John I of Portugal marked the start of Portuguese empire-building.

Portugal sought to control the Straits of Gibraltar to access trade routes despite not being in the Mediterranean.

At this time, the Iberian Peninsula was divided into five entities: Portugal, Castile, Navarre, Granada, and Aragon.

Henry the Navigator’s sponsorship was key to Portugal’s exploration efforts, leading to the discovery of Madeira and the Azores.

By 1445, the Portuguese had explored much of the northwestern coast of Africa, establishing trade networks.

Portugal’s exploration led to the discovery of a wealthy trading network in what is now Ghana, rich in gold, ivory, and slaves.

Religion played a major role in exploration as Christian explorers sought to convert natives and search for the mythical Prester John.

The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided the world between Spain and Portugal, although other European powers ignored it.

Hernán Cortés led the conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1519, with the help of local allies against the Aztecs.

Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Incan Empire in the 1530s, exploiting internal divisions and a massive ransom for Atahualpa.

The Portuguese established a 'trading post empire' along the Indian Ocean, focusing on maritime dominance rather than territorial conquest.

Portugal’s Cartaz system regulated Indian Ocean trade by requiring ships to purchase licenses for safe passage.

In 1510, the Portuguese captured Goa, an important strategic outpost in their Indian Ocean empire.

Spain and Portugal gained enormous wealth from the silver mines in the Americas and trade with Africa, boosting their European power.

The Iberian Union in 1580 placed Portugal under Spanish rule, leading to other European powers attacking Portugal’s colonies.

Transcripts

1415 and seyuta which is here had just

fallen to the portuguese this conquest

was led by king john the first of

portugal who was seeking loot and to

control the straits of gibraltar the

northern side being dominated by the

kingdom of castile

this straight controlled trade flowing

in and out of the mediterranean which

was important because portugal as you

can see was not in the mediterranean and

wanted to be guaranteed access to its

trade routes

a bit of background the iberian

peninsula at this time was divided into

five different entities

on the atlantic coast was portugal in

the middle of the peninsula was castile

to the north

was navarre to the south the islamic

emirate of granada and on the

mediterranean coast was the kingdom of

aragon

the two kingdoms responsible for most of

the exploring in the period were castile

which was very wealthy

and portugal which had a strong naval

tradition expansion around this time was

intermittent and was often due to the

patronage of wealthy individuals often

monarchs

in the case of portugal much was due to

henry the navigator whose sponsorship

allowed portugal to claim and settle

madeira and the azores

his patronage also funded portuguese

exploration of africa and by 1445 most

of the north western coast of africa had

been explored

the portuguese had a monopoly on the

trade from this region and to protect it

they built coastal and island forts from

which they operated

these were called fytorias and

essentially acted as trading ports

warehouses and military garrisons and

gave portugal huge influence in the

surrounding areas

the trade from west africa was mostly

meager until 1471 when the portuguese

sailed down to what is now modern day

ghana

here they found a trading network rich

in gold ivory and slaves

this made many portuguese traders very

rich and at first they tried to keep

this trade a secret which of course

didn't happen because wealth has a

tendency of getting noticed

in this case by the castilians wealth

was one of the main reasons for

exploration and would soon become an

important tax revenue for many european

kingdoms

there were other reasons however

religion played a huge part in pushing

exploration many christians felt

compelled to convert the natives of far

away lands

christians were also searching for

presta john a mythical christian king

from either africa or asia who they

wanted to ask for help in a crusade

castile had done some of its own

exploring and colonising by this point

and have been slowly conquering the

canary islands

castilian ships were also following the

portuguese down the coast of africa and

trading as well

during the war of the castilian

succession which saw isabella proclaim

the queen of castile

the portuguese and castilian fleets

often fought off the coast of africa

isabella was married to ferdinand the

king of aragon and together they

conquered the emirate of granada in 1492

uniting most of the peninsula and

forming the bases of spain

for the sake of simplicity both castile

and aragon will be referred to as

spanish but they were technically

distinct kingdoms

so portuguese and spanish exploration

really kicked off towards the end of the

15th century due to the new technology

of triangular sails

these sails allowed ships to sail into

the wyndham further than ever before

which precipitated a major rise in

explorative voyages which were mostly

dominated by sailors from venice genoa

portugal and castile

the portuguese moved further and further

down the coast of africa until

bartolomeudia sailed around the southern

tip of africa in 1488

opening up the indian ocean to

exploration the most famous voyage of

the era occurred in 1492 and christopher

columbus a genoan sailed under the

patronage of castile and aragon and

discovered the new world

landing in the bahamas although he

believed he had landed in asia

next was vasco de garma who in 1498

sailed all the way around africa and

landed in india after him was amerigo

vespucci who sailed to brazil and

demonstrated that the new world was in

fact not asia

america's name would later form the

basis of america the name for this new

continent

in 1500 pedro gabriel discovered brazil

before traveling to india as well

columbus's attempt to find a route to

asia and togama search for a route to

india were due to the desire to

circumvent the ottoman empire

the ottomans had expanded quickly during

the 15th century and in 1453 had put an

end to the byzantine empire when they

conquered constantinople

many europeans weren't keen on trading

with an islamic power which profited

from them as such many europeans look

for ways around the ottomans to save

money and avoid having to trade with

muslims so portugal and spain having

invested so much in exploring wanted

returns for their efforts and so

approached the greatest moral authority

of the time the pope

for guarantees various popes gave

guarantees but eventually the portuguese

and castilian monarchs made their own

agreement this agreement the treaty of

tordesillas divided the world between

spain and portugal

this agreement was quickly ignored by

other european powers but it did help

direct both castile and portugal

both wanted power and wealth but the

ways they built their empires were

fundamentally different

the spanish built what could be said is

a more traditional territorial empire

there are a lot of individual conquests

but the two best known were those by the

conquistadors hernan cortes who

conquered the aztec empire

and francisco pizarro who conquered the

incas so cortes landed in what is now

mexico in 1519 having been ordered by

the governor of cuba to not do exactly

that

the aztec empire that dominated mexico

was not some grand unified state

it was comprised of subject states which

paid tribute often in the form of humans

for sacrifice to the aztecs and their

ruler who was called the talatawani

his name was mokta zuma ii and lived in

the aztec capital of tenochtitlan which

had a population of roughly a quarter

million people

after making contact with the aztecs

cortes made his way through the aztec

tributary states such as the

semi-independent talaxcolons who saw the

spanish arrival as an opportunity to

overthrow their aztec overlords

after making alliances and a little bit

of fighting cortes took a small force of

his men to tenochtitlan where he was

greeted by moktu zuma who soon found

himself essentially a spanish puppet

whilst cortez was in tanoptietlan a man

called panfilo de narvaez arrived on the

coast of mexico to arrest him for

defying the cuban governor

cortes left the aztec captain and gave

narvaez his men a reason to join him

that reason was gold cortez returned to

tenochtitlan which was in revolt against

him and during the fighting moktuzuma

was killed along with roughly 800

conquistadors

cortes fled to lax cala where they were

reinforced and planned a counter-attack

at this point the aztec grip on their

empire was severely diminished and with

the help of many former aztec subjects

the spanish laid siege to tanochte laam

which had recently had an outbreak of

smallpox

the combined spanish native force won

decisively and the aztec empire was

annexed

over the next decade more spanish

conquistadors arrived rebelling peoples

was subjugated and central america

became the viceroyalty of new spain

a decade after cortez's victory pizarro

and a group of conquistadors landed here

in what was then the incan empire

the incas were at the time undergoing a

civil war over the succession of the

throne which was won by a certain atahua

alper

pizarro invited atahualpa to meet him

and 150 of his men at a place called

kayamaka which atahua alpha agreed to

when he arrived pizarro sprung his trap

capturing the incan leader and holding

him for ransom before executing him the

year after

this ransom was huge so huge it took two

years to deliver

this made the conquistadors

exceptionally rich and thus the incan

empire very poor

the incan empire never recovered from

this and over the next few decades it

disintegrated and was incorporated into

the spanish empire as part of the vice

royalty of peru

it was from south america that spain got

famously wealthy from the silver

mines there which they extracted via the

use of native labor expansion of empire

did not mean the end of exploration and

in 1519 ferdinand magellan began the

first successful circumnavigation of the

globe

he didn't see the end of the voyage

though since he decided to stop off at

the philippines in order to be murdered

portugal's approach was markedly

different from spain's after vasco de

gama's initial journey the portuguese

made almost yearly voyages into the

indian ocean with fleets

called armadas to conduct trade missions

in fact cabral was leading one of these

armadas when brazil was discovered in

1500

the portuguese did settle brazil shortly

afterwards which was an important source

of lumber but since there was no gold

there the portuguese focused on the land

surrounding the indian ocean instead

one aspect of portuguese power that

differed from spain was that it was

overwhelmingly focused on the navy

this meant that pushing deep inland like

the spanish did was unfeasible

instead portugal established what has

been called a trading post empire

whereby many fitorius were created along

the coasts of the indian ocean

and from them the mighty portuguese navy

operated portugal's navy was important

in shaping indian ocean trade when the

kartai system was established

under this system sailors and traders

would pay portugal for a license and in

return portugal would keep them safe

from hostile states and pirates failing

to pay the car ties would lead to either

ships being refused passage

having their goods seized or being

attacked the car ties alongside the

strength of the portuguese navy gave

portugal dominance over indian ocean

trade this upset the ottomans who tried

to remove the portuguese but ultimately

failed in 1510 under the command of a

man called alfonzo to albuquerque the

portuguese captured goa which became a

strategically important outpost the next

year he conquered malacca giving

portugal control over the straits of

malacca

an important choke point in the

lucrative spice trading network

in 1542 the portuguese established

contact and trade with the japanese and

in 1557 portugal was leaked macau in

china from which they traded

it wasn't just portugal in southeast

asia since in 1564 spain also conquered

the philippines

brazil was not entirely ignored during

this time either french explorers

started smuggling brazil with back to

europe and even settled on the coast

there

this forced the portuguese to begin

formal colonisation and to make sure the

french stopped coming back

they simply paid them brazil would later

become extremely important to the

portuguese economy as a massive importer

of slaves from africa

these empires brought huge amounts of

wealth back to both spain and portugal

tipping the european balance of power

spain under carlos the first and

philippe ii became europe's most

powerful

country this was primarily because of

the masses of silver that were imported

from the new world back to europe as

well as the money made in trade with

africa

wealthy kingdoms tend to make enemies

and spain and portugal were no different

the spanish soon found themselves odd

with the french the english the

portuguese and later the dutch

these costly wars alongside the

declining value of silva meant that

spain gradually became poorer but

ultimately would remain the most

powerful european nation for several

more decades the portuguese were

slightly better avoiding european wars

and its power didn't wane until the

iberian union which occurred when king

sebastian died

this led to a conflict which philippe of

spain won making him the king of

portugal as well

this made spain's enemies portugals and

thus other european powers began to grab

some of portugal's colonies

in conclusion the portuguese and spanish

were the first out of the gates when it

came to empire building their empires

are ultimately complex and should not be

seen as merely good or uniformly evil

whilst conquest and destruction did

occur widely they also opened world

trade to europeans which for better or

worse made

the world we live in today i hope you

enjoyed this episode and thank you for

watching