WHII: SOL 4 b,c

Spread of Christianity and Exploration of Asia

Asia

• Colonization by small groups of merchants (India, the Indies, China)

• Influence of trading companies (Portuguese, Dutch, British)

Christianity

• Means of diffusion of Christianity• Migration of colonists to new lands• Influence of Catholic and Protestant colonists,

who carried their faith, language, and cultures to new lands

• Conversion of indigenous peoples

Portugal• Hoped to end Muslim control and turn the

Indian Ocean into the “Portuguese lake”• Forced conversions of natives to Christianity• Expanded their empire to control coastal port

cities in east Africa, India, SE Asia, • For most of the 1500’s Portugal controlled the

spice trade between Europe and Asia

Dutch• The Dutch were the first to challenge Portuguese

control of Asian trade• Captured Cape Town in South Africa as a

strategic foothold in Africa to enable expansion into Asia

• Dutch East India Company- independent of the government, operated by a private group of wealthy merchants

• Power to build armies, wage war, negotiate peace treaties, and govern territories

Spanish• Spain takes over the Philippines– Claimed by Magellan for Spain in 1521

• Renamed for King Phillip II of Spain• Catholic missionaries converted the natives• Link to trade in Asia– Silver from Americas shipped to Philippines and

used for trade with China and Spice Islands

England• Mughal India was powerful and granted trade

rights to Europeans, then became weak• Europeans fought for control• England eventually forced acceptance to control

most of northern India• British East India Company maintained most

control in India

China

• Ming China: China demanded gold or silver in exchange for Chinese goods

• Europeans were limited to trade in Canton for a specific amount of time

• Missionaries were welcomed in China as a source of information and cultural exchange but did little to convert the people to Christianity

China• Machus established the Qing dynasty• Maintain policy of limited contact with the

Europeans• 1793- Lord McCartney arrives on a British

diplomatic mission– Refuses to kowtow– Brings goods as samples, Chinese think they are tribute– Assumed European superiority– Offended the Chinese– Negotiations falter

Korea and Japan• Korea refused all outsiders due to constant

invasion from Japan and China• Japan welcomed westerners at first• Jesuits found Japanese curious about

Christianity, spread religion• Shoguns feared growing numbers and Christians

were persecuted, missionaries were expelled from Japan

• Began to only allow 1 or 2 Dutch ships a year at an island in Nagasaki harbor