The Age of Exploration

For a long time in history, global power was concentrated around the Mediterranean region. The Greeks, Romans, and other significant empires in the Levant and Northern Africa enjoyed an enviable status in the world.

Apart from being connected to the East via the famous Silk Roads, the Mediterranean world also had sea routes to the East. Egypt, acting as a land bridge between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, was one of the most important hubs for connecting the Mediterranean with the Arabic and Indian Ocean worlds.

Countries east of the Mediterranean, such as Italy and Greece, were considered to be on the “right side” due to their ability to monopolize trade with the East. In contrast, those on the extreme western end, like Spain and Portugal, were seen as being on the “wrong side.” This position gave the Iberian countries—Spain and Portugal—more incentive to find alternative routes to the East.

Fittingly, it was Portugal—a country facing the Atlantic Ocean and not even connected to the Mediterranean—that heralded the era of Exploration. The subsequent events eventually shifted global power from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Prince Henry the Navigator, a Portuguese king known for his interest in navigation, sent explorers from Portugal into the Atlantic, initially seeking a route to the Western African coast near modern-day Senegal. In the process, Portugal discovered two important Atlantic islands: Madeira in 1419 and the Azores in 1427, where they eventually started sugar plantations.

In the 1480s, Portugal reached inner Africa and came into contact with the Kingdom of Kongo (from which the modern name Congo derives). The Kingdom of Kongo was a powerful entity in Central Africa. The Portuguese allied with them, spreading Christianity through Catholic missionaries.

Although the Portuguese did not find as much gold as they had hoped, they benefited from focusing on another trade with a far greater impact on human history: slavery. The Portuguese traded guns with the Kingdom of Kongo in exchange for slaves captured in war. These slaves were used not only in their own sugar plantations but also traded widely for profit.

It’s essential to note that the Portuguese and Europeans did not invent slavery. Slavery has existed throughout human history, from the ancient days of the pyramids to the time of Jesus and the Islamic empires. However, European-led slavery had the most significant and lasting impact, which is why it is often associated with slavery in general. Slavery was about to take its extensive form, like never seen before, in a land never known before.

Remember, the ultimate goal for the Portuguese and other Europeans was to find sea routes to the Indies — the land of spices and the path to immense wealth. This breakthrough came in 1487 when the Portuguese rounded the southern edge of Africa. Initially named the “Cape of Storms” due to its turbulent weather, it was later renamed the “Cape of Good Hope,” as it signaled the possibility of sea access to the Indies.

Finally, in 1498, a Portuguese expedition led by Vasco da Gama reached the coast of Calicut in southern India, establishing a sea route to the East.

Spain, Portugal’s Iberian neighbor, was not left behind. Spain entered the exploration race and discovered the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. They believed they found a route to the Indies even before Portugal, thanks to an Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus. Columbus theorized that sailing west from Europe could lead to the East.

While it was common knowledge that the earth was round, it was still considered an outrageous idea to sail west to reach the East due to the unknown distance and what lay in between. After Portugal declined to sponsor Columbus’s trip, he turned to the Spanish monarchs with a proposal titled “Concerning the lands of India, and a Prince called Gran Khan.”

In 1492, Columbus led a team of Spanish explorers westward, promising to reach the Indies and the great eastern kingdom of the Great Khan. When he landed on an island, he believed he had found the route to the Indies, ahead of the Portuguese.

The newfound land was an island known as San Salvador, now part of the Bahamas, and the “new world” would later be known as the Americas.

Before continuing with Columbus’s journey and the exploration of the “new world,” it’s important to pause and reflect on the term “discovery.” Was it truly a “discovery” when Columbus found this land? Was the “new world” really new?

Next, we will explore the new world and the consequences of Columbus’s journey.