Islands Laboratories

Announcements
For sections: Gillis chapter + The Discoverers' Web

Paper topics available here

Dr. Louthan is holding an Honors Program information session this Thursday at 7:00 in Flint 105.


Introduction

I. The Islamic World

632 death of Mohammed
632-661 Rashidun Caliphate [orange]
661-750 Umayyad Caliphate [yellow]
750-1258 Abassid Caliphate

arabic_med


Al Andalus


II. Stages of early Iberian empire building
1) island stage
2) African stage
3) Spanish overseas expansion
4) Portuguese conquest and colonization of Brazil

eastern Atlantic islands: Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde Islands, Sao Tome

 

III. European seamanship

access to Asian markets

technological barriers (fixed-wind vs. monsoonal systems)


Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)
Pillars of Hercules
Cueta

henrt
pillars


the Azores (1420s)
the compass
Cape Bojador
Jewish cartographers
Jacob ben Abraham Cresques
the astrolabe

astrolabe
 africa map


III. Colonizing the Atlantic Islands

madeira

A) Madeira
resin, timber
wheat cultivation
sugar cultivation (1450s >)
    What does it take to grow and sell sugar?

B) the Azores
woad, wheat
way station

C) the Canary Islands
wheat, sugar, wine
inhabited
Italians and Castilians, Normans, Portuguese and Castilians
    1479 Canaries to Spain
way station

D) the Cape Verde Islands
cotton
way station: India and Brazil

E) Sao Tome
sugar
slave plantation
atl


Conclusion: contemporary Spain [NPR link]

senegal
Source: NPR.org