3.5: Atlantic and Indian Ocean Worlds during 1600-1750
- Page ID
- 282750
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)West Africa and the Atlantic World
Three major empires emerged in west Africa as a result of the slave trade: Oyo, Dahomey, and Asante. These empires were able to purchase massive amounts of firearms and horses due to the growing slave trade. They had larger armies and waged wars to capture more slaves. For the most part, the slave trade destabilized and militarized west Africa. It also made west Africa more and more economically dependent upon the slave trade. However, European merchants had no real power over these empires. There were so many European competitors selling weapons, that they could not pick and choose which kingdom to support.
The Oyo Empire was established in the 1400s and expanded with the use of cavalry. Horses survived in this empire due to the lack of the tse fly which spreads disease in livestock. Since the Oyo was funded by selling slaves, it faced major problems after the slave trade diminished in the late 1700s. Increasingly, soldiers were not rewarded and peasant taxes increased. As a consequence, the empire collapsed due to civil wars. The Dahomey was established in 1650. Similar to the Oyo, it relied on the slave trade. In fact, the king of the Dahomey was the largest of the slave dealers, and he heavily taxed the other slave dealers. However, the Dahomey fought with the Oyo in the 1700s for control of the slave trade and by 1730 paid tribute to the Oyo.
The Asante kingdom emerged in 1670 and lasted the longest. They were heavily engaged in the slave trade but were never dependent on it for royal revenue. Initially, the Asante relied on the gold trade. However, slave labor was used in the gold mines. The slave trade picked up a lot by the end of the 1600s when sugar production was increasing in the Caribbean. It became dangerous to travel as large armies of slave catchers were traveling all over the roads. Different villages and towns would increasingly attack and enslave each other. Figure 3.5.1 shows a massive fort along the Atlantic coast that was first Portuguese and then Dutch called Elmina. Many of the slaves from the Asante Empire were sold to European merchants at this fort.
Joint-Stock Companies: Changes in the Indian Ocean World
The Dutch and English governments sought to displace the Portuguese by empowering privately owned corporations to conduct trade in the Indian Ocean during the 1600s. Overall, joint-stock companies obtained massive funding by selling shares of stock and bonds. The Dutch and British governments empowered the joint-stock companies to raise armies and navies as well as fight wars and make peace in their zones. The Portuguese remained in the Indian Ocean but were marginalized. These companies also had monopoly power. This meant that in Great Britain if you wanted luxuries from Asia, you had to buy these products from the English East India Company.
Initially, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) raised ten times the funds of the English East India Company (EIC). At its peak, the VOC had 257 ships and employed 12,000 people. The VOC focused on Southeast Asia which remained a Dutch colony until after World War II. The objective of the VOC was to have monopoly power in the spice trade which included nutmeg, cloves, mace and cinnamon. In 1619, the Dutch arrived in Indonesia and seized Jakarta which it renamed Batavia. Then, the Dutch took over spice producing islands and controlled the production of spices in Indonesia. The Dutch tried but failed to get a monopoly in pepper. The Chinese and English continued to trade it, because the pepper production was scattered.
The English East India Company was formed in 1600, but the EIC did not control any territory until the English crown obtained Bombay from Portugal and passed it to the company in 1669. By the end of the 1600s, the EIC focused on India and traded silver originally from the Americas in return for cotton cloth, indigo, and spices. Indian cloth was in high demand in the Atlantic World. This cloth was light, soft, and easy to wash.
For the most part, these companies initially were only looking for trading opportunities in the Indian Ocean not territorial conquests. The conquest of the Americas gave Europeans silver and with this they could reshape their relations with Asia. Silver was what connected Europe to the Indian Ocean trade network. Overall, there was no demand for European products other than silver in Asia. So, the Dutch and English become more involved in inter-Asian trade. They diversified their trade to include silk, cotton, tea, and coffee in addition to spices.
- How did the slave trade impact west Africa?
- How were the Dutch and English similar and different from the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean?