Columbus and the Inquisition

OF COURSE (if we exclude the Inquisition from the equation )

The initial jump of Columbus is related with the classical view of spices and trade, and certainly, many of the spanish actions was directed by those modern objetives, too their administration and politic in the colonies after the initial moment, but during the crucial years, the bulk of the initiatives, the more powerful push was because feudal-warrior-religious causes that have roots in the Reconquista procces against the moors, in fact, a huge continuation of that process.

This shouldn't be a surprise, because was a time of confuse mixture of modern and medieval characteristics.

Ikki, why exclude the inquisition from the equation?  Didn't it, like the reconquista, have a "cleansing" objective?  Also, I'm not sure where you are drawing the connection between the objectives of attaining spices and trade with the reconquista.  What you are saying is very interesting, please just clarify a little so I can better understand.  :)

pinguin, so you are saying that because Spain developed a "warrior class" through its conflict with the Moors and Jews, you believe that because of the need to keep the warriors busy they the monarchy decided to fund Columbus' exploration and colonize the new world?  

Thank you for your replies guys.  This is indeed a very interesting topic and I'd really like to learn more about it if you guys can help.  Anyone else that may have some input please share! :)

Thanks for the post Scytho,

so how does all that you have stated connect with the Inquisition/Reconquista/Expulsion?  

Interesting perspective penguin.  Did you read any specific books which make this connection?  Which books or resources would you recommend to me to read further?   

I must say I'm confused.

There is ONE major difference between Colombus and Pizzaro: about 75 years. Their motivations and the basis they've used to fulfil them were completely different.

As Ikki said there is no or alomost no influence of the Inquisition upon Colombus. On the countrary there are two different direct influences of the end  of the Reconquistas upon the Discoveries:
1) Relieved earlier from the morish burden, the Portugese had all the time they needed to explore the Atlantic. So when the Spaniards deceided to join the adventures only the great unknown of the central Altantic was left.
2) Of course the fall of Grenada allowed the Catholic Sovereigns to spend their money on something else than the wars. Actually more their attention than their money.

My point of view

Originally posted by pinguin ...

Originally posted by Maharbbal I must say I'm confused. There is ONE major difference between Colombus and Pizzaro: about 75 years. Their motivations and the basis they've used to fulfil them were completely different.

They got something in common: the search of GLORY. Both were looking for establishing themselves as great people throught theirs achievements. People to be recorded in history.

Yes. The search for the spices is pretty much the standard theory and it has a lot of reasoning behing it. People tend to think spices served only for giving flavour to food, but some also served to preserve meat! that was a important factor in populations of those times that were always at risk of suffering from hunger. Besides, the problems were never the Arabs, a kind of fellows that, with all the fightings and conflicts, were able to have relative good relations with Venetians, East Romans and other Christians. In fact, the first centuries of contact with Muslims where relatively bening, but that changed with the radicalization of Islam around the 12th century. However, the real problem started when the Turks strangulated the trade of Asian goods with an increase in taxes. That was really the driven force for the Portuguese explorations, which were followed by the Spaniards and then by British, French and Dutchs.

Originally posted by Maharbbal Finally, what was really missing in 15th century Spain was gold. Two resaons for that, the kingdom was only exporting raw material (wool) and the traditional source of gold (West Africa) was drying up. So, if you want another hypothesis (potentially totally wrong): after the begining of the Granada war (1484) the trade with North Africa, through which gold was coming into the Peninsula, ended and suddenly (1) the Spaniard needed gold (2) the Spaniards needed a new trade to invest in.

This is a great point. In fact, the main objetive of the iberian expansion in �frica during the XV century wasn't the spices, but the gold from western �frica as you say. The supply of gold wasn't cut with the war of Granada but with the succes of the portuguese in the search and captation of gold in the gulf of Guinea (see the fundation of the colony "Elmina", that is, "The Mine") Who cut the supply of gold was the own portuguese, who was competing with the castillians since a century because the african sources, a competition that wasn't totally lost for the spanish until the 80's of the XV century. Before that date, the castillians at least since the final years of the XIV century (that is, lightly less ancient that the portuguese, who begin their exploration in the 40's of the XIV century) put all their efforts in deny the portuguese initiative, so you can see they conquering Canary Islands wich provide to the europeans with slavery (for the tropical plantations in the Mediterranean sea) dyeings and then sugar, tradiying with North �frica from Morocco to Tr�poli  (very important aragonese trade, and here i answer to the first question of Omar al Hashim) but too riding for slaves and fishing, and finally triying to take gold and other goods in the Gulf of Guinea.
This heavy race between the two oceanic iberian powers finished with a succes of the portuguese in the atlantic front, when they signed a treaty where Castille only had rights in Canary Islands and the african coast in front of these. This is the reason why few years after, they exploit the Columbus offer, at the moment that the Catholic Kings could saw the oportunity of expand the kingdom (according with the international law and the treaties signed) not only in North �frica but too in the Atlantic where they have a lot of vassals very interested in commerce and conquest.

Why the iberians was searching gold (the details of this need a proper thread), why Portugal win the competition and why Castille don't focused on this oceanic race before the fall of Granada can be expanded, but  i want say a few things about the spices. The portuguese only search the way to Asia, the direct way to the spices, after they was well stablished in �frica. So, the search of the spices like the gold should be understood because the demands of the european economy, not in the contrary. The spice trade was by this time controlled by muslims, i'm sure that the oriental trade was disrupted when the turks cut the trade ways of the Black Sea where the genoeses had their factories, but i don't know exactly if the spices where arriving too from Crimea. The question sure is that the venetians monopolize the trade with Mamluk Egypt from where the main spice route come to Europe, and that they close this trade to other europeans like the genoese, with the expansion of the european economy this trade was very profitable and i'm not surprised (umm, this is the first time that i think about this) that the leif motiv of the iberian expansion wasn't not the cut of the trade, but the chance of get great profits like the venetians was getting, triying to evade the echelon of the muslims who increase the price of the product for the european traders.

Spain was of course very interested in this trade, because they have a great native commercial community that not only was tradiying with �frica, but had a lot of ships sailing between Italy and Flandre, isn't a surprise that the better ships and sailors of this time in Europe was the iberians, with the northern spaniards in a prominent point, and wasn't a surprise too that traders and sailors from atlantic Castille had supported the atlantic offer of Columbus.


Ups, the match Manchester-Chelsea,  sorry see you again


Edited by Ikki - 26-Nov-2006 at 08:53

Hi Maharbbal, i was searching in the net any article or book well made and with good references but i can't find anything.

Contrary, i know that any book about the later middle age about the Iberian Peninsula will talk about this, specially because i talk too about the aragonese expansion wich is very famous in history (the catalan comercial expansion) because their expansion in the XIV-XV across all the Mediterranean sea was strong. If you are interested, there is a book about the specific relations between Aragon and North �frica

Masi� de Ros, �. La Corona de Arag�n y los Estados del Norte de �frica. Pol�tica de Jaime II y Alfonso IV en Egipto, Ifriquiya y Tremec�n, Barcelona, 1951.


I know a book wich have very good information about the specific trade between Castille and the atlantic �frica (Morocco) wich is

"Espa�a en el �frica atl�ntica" of Rumeu de Armas, an historian of my homeland who i hate with all my soul

But it's impossible that you could read it. Search about all this because i know that the andalusian traders had activity not only in Morocco but too in present Argelia and Tunisia, althought the castillians are famous in this time because they were sailors and had ships with wich the aragonese trade with �frica.


A few information, i can translate it if anybody want:


-Arag�n:

http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/historia/monarquia/jaime_ii.shtml

"Jaime II, igual que sus predecesores, sinti� un gran inter�s por el norte de �frica, zona de inter�s pol�tico, pero sobre todo comercial, para los monarcas aragoneses y para los comerciantes de los Estados mar�timos de la Corona de Arag�n. Las relaciones se mantuvieron con Egipto, T�nez, Bug�a, Tremec�n y Marruecos, aunque la intervenci�n catalano-aragonesa se dej� sentir con mayor fuerza en el Magreb oriental. Ello era el resultado del tratado de Monteagudo-Calatayud, firmado en el a�o 1291 entre los reyes Sancho IV de Castilla y Jaime II de Arag�n, por el cual se repart�an el �rea de influencia de las respectivas Coronas en el Norte de �frica, estableciendo como divisoria el r�o Muluya, dejando para los castellanos la parte oeste, Ceuta, y para los aragoneses la parte este, en direcci�n a Bug�a y T�nez. Jaime II, m�s que pensar en la conquista territorial consideraba el espacio norteafricano como bases y escalas navales complementarias de las islas Baleares, Sicilia y, m�s adelante, Cerde�a, como una importante fuente de recursos econ�micos y humanos, como fuente de tributos, de milicias y de esclavos.En Egipto, las embajadas de Jaime II a Egipto buscaban obtener importantes pr�stamos para el rey de Arag�n, garantizar la seguridad de los peregrinos que iban a Tierra Santa y mantener las ventajas conseguidas por los mercaderes catalanes. En las relaciones con Ifriqiya predomin� la actividad de tipo pol�tico-diplom�tico, buscando zonas de influencia y reyes tributarios, para lo cual se firmaron numerosos tratados, como los de 1301 o 1308 con T�nez, o el de 1309 con Bug�a., buscando siempre favorecer las relaciones comerciales existentes. En Tremec�n y Marruecos, la diplomacia aragonesa trabaj� a varias bandas: Marruecos, Granada y Castilla, cuyas rivalidades y diferentes objetivos geoestrat�gicos las hac�an muy fluctuantes, tratando de compaginar los intereses pol�ticos con los mercantiles, y desde 1304 el sult�n marroqu� se declar� vasallo de Jaime II, que obten�a el pago de 10.000 dinares de oro."

http://www.artehistoria.com/frames.htm?http://www.artehistoria.com/histesp/contextos/6250.html

This is very interesting:

"El norte de Africa fue el taller experimental del comercio catalanoaragon�s y el �mbito de creaci�n de las primeras fortunas mercantiles de la Corona. Siempre fue una ruta relativamente modesta, en cierto sentido popular, hecha de un comercio de peque�as cantidades y muchas comandas. No obstante, y a pesar del riesgo del corsarismo (vinculado al comercio de esclavos), en esta zona se sumaban ventajas econ�micas y pol�ticas: la debilidad de las flotas africanas dejaba el transporte en manos catalanas, y las divisiones y rivalidades entre los sultanes facilitaban la imposici�n de una especie de protectorado militar del rey de Arag�n en la zona. Los mercaderes de Barcelona, Valencia, Mallorca y Sicilia iban a los mercados del norte de Africa (T�nez, Bona, Bug�a, Argel) a vender pa�os y productos muy diversos, agr�colas e industriales, y adquirir cera, cuero, coral, esclavos y oro, adem�s de productos ex�ticos. La ruta ofrec�a un saldo favorable, y proporcionaba primeras materias para los talleres catalanes y oro para las compras de especias en el Mediterr�neo oriental."

-Castille:

http://www.artehistoria.com/frames.htm?http://www.artehistoria.com/historia/contextos/1152.htm

"Pero tambi�n se form� un importante foco de actividad comercial en el suroreste de Andaluc�a. Sus grandes animadores fueron los hombres de negocios genoveses establecidos en aquella zona, los cuales, aparte del inter�s que mostraron por los productos de la tierra andaluza, proyectaron su actuaci�n sobre el norte de �frica."

 

http://www.artehistoria.com/frames.htm?http://www.artehistoria.com/histesp/contextos/6221.htm

"El foco meridional se localizaba en el tri�ngulo formado por Sevilla y la costa atl�ntica de Andaluc�a. Los principales animadores del comercio en esa zona fueron los hombres de negocios italianos all� asentados, en especial los genoveses, que contaban con importantes colonias en Sevilla. C�diz y otras ciudades. Andaluc�a ofrec�a importantes productos, tanto agrarios como mineros, pero era a la vez plataforma imprescindible para el comercio con la regi�n africana del Sud�n, en donde se buscaban ansiosamente oro y esclavos, y con las islas Canarias, proveedoras de az�car. Los genoveses exportaban productos alimenticios, como aceite, vinos y, en a�os buenos, trigo y arroz, pero tambi�n at�n, pescado salado, cera, cueros, pieles, cochinilla (un colorante muy estimado) y mercurio de Almad�n. En contrapartida, los genoveses tra�an a tierras hispanas manufacturas textiles (desde pa�os de Florencia hasta telas de seda damasquinada o telas ligeras de lino y algod�n), especias (pimienta, jengibre, canela...), herramientas, papel, resina, etc�tera. Al margen de los dos focos se�alados es preciso hacer referencia a la actividad mar�tima de la Corona de Castilla en el Mediterr�neo. El principal puerto era el de Cartagena, en donde hab�a una importante colonia de mercaderes genoveses. Por lo dem�s los marinos vascos se mostraron muy activos en el Mare Nostrum, hasta el punto de convertirse en los intermediarios del comercio realizado entre la Corona de Arag�n e Italia. Tambi�n encontramos mercaderes castellanos en el tr�fico mercantil entre la isla de Mallorca, el Norte de Africa e Italia."

http://www.artehistoria.com/frames.htm?http://www.artehistoria.com/historia/contextos/1482.htm

"Entre 1403 y 1443 los marinos castellanos aseguran el comercio de Mallorca con el norte de �frica, con Cerde�a y Sicilia, con G�nova, Salerno y N�poles; para Vicens, estos marinos "al servicio de G�nova, le llevar�n la sal de Ibiza y el trigo de Sicilia, Apulia y Sevilla. Al servicio de Barcelona, acarrear�n hasta la ciudad arenques y seda, pero especialmente cuero andaluz y portugu�s, lanas y cochinilla", y seg�n Alvaro Santamar�a exportan a �frica "laca, alm�stica, rubia, gala, cleda, urchilla, regaliz, azafr�n, fusteta, antimonio, especier�a y pasas; a Italia cera..., lana..., cueros de Granada, de Mallorca y de Lisboa..., tejidos de Mallorca y de Valencia; a Niza quesos, lanas, a�inos, cueros, tejidos y sal de Ibiza; a Galicia vino y pa�os" bruxellats; a Flandes alumbre y grana. Se importa de �frica cera, nuez moscada, grana, quesos y plumas de avestruz; de Sicilia algod�n y trigo; de Flandes rubia, hilo de hierro y de lat�n y tejidos."

See too this horrible map about the western mediterranean:

http://www.dpz.es/ifc/libros/Ubietoweb/fichasubieto/57.html

Look the limits of the Treaty of Monteagudo (1291) where Castille and Aragon take differents spheres in �frica, present Morocco for Castille, the other land to Arag�n; then in the Treaty of Tordesillas (1294) wich wasn't only a delivery of the world but of North �frica, Portugal have now his sphere in Morocco (kingdom of Fez), Castille have Tremec�n and Arag�n from �rgel to the Orient.



A last thing, Amirsan, can you give us a short account of the theories of your book? Thanks