Why did Europeans want a direct trade route to Asia?
For centuries, Arab traders had controlled existing trade routes to Africa and Asia, which meant European merchants were forced to buy from Italian traders at high prices. They wanted to trade directly with Africa and Asia, but this meant that they had to find a new sea route. The stakes were high.
What was the trade route from Europe to Asia?
The Silk Road The Silk Road was an ancient trade route that linked the Western world with the Middle East and Asia. It was a major conduit for trade between the Roman Empire and China and later between medieval European kingdoms and China.
Why were European countries seeking a western route to Asia?
Why were European nations so interested in finding it? The Northwest passage is a water route through North America to Asia. The Europeans were interested in finding it because they wanted a part of the profit made by trading with Asia.
Why was the discovery of new trade routes necessary?
This was important because as the economy of the Renaissance continued to improve, there were ever-increasing demands for imported goods and new places to export local products.
What did trade routes do?
The trade routes served principally to transfer raw materials, foodstuffs, and luxury goods from areas with surpluses to others where they were in short supply. Some areas had a monopoly on certain materials or goods.
Why did the Europeans want to find a direct sea route to Asia in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries?
Europeans desired a direct sea route to Asia, because the land trade routes were expensive and dangerous; they wanted to cut out the middle man, in… See full answer below.
Why was it so important to European countries to find a faster route to Asia?
Along with the idea of looking for new trade routes they also hoped to find new sources of gold silver and other valuables. Additionally Europeans saw exploration as a way to bring Christianity to other cultures that lived in other lands.
Why did trade routes developed throughout Asia Africa and Europe?
The trade routes served principally to transfer raw materials, foodstuffs, and luxury goods from areas with surpluses to others where they were in short supply. Some areas had a monopoly on certain materials or goods.
Why did Europeans explore new trade routes to India?
The Turks started levying too many taxes on the goods passing through these routes. As a result, trade became unprofitable. Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal were attempting to break the monopoly of Italian traders. They started encouraging enterpresing sailors to find a new sea route to India.
Why did European rulers pay explorers to search for a sea route to Asia?
Because the Silk Road was frequently closed due to various wars, European rulers began to pay for explorations to find a sea route to Asia so they could get spices more easily and for cheaper. Portugal was the first European country that sent explorers to search for the sea route to Asia.
How did trade link Europe Africa and Asia?
By the 1500s, a complex trade network linked Europe, Africa, and Asia. Much of this trade passed through the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East. Ships from China and India brought their cargoes of spices, silks, and gems to ports on the Red Sea.
Why was there increased trade between Europe and Asia during the Black Death?
The medieval Silk Road brought a wealth of goods, spices, and new ideas from China and Central Asia to Europe. In 1346, the trade also likely carried the deadly bubonic plague that killed as many as half of all Europeans within 7 years, in what is known as the Black Death.
Why did Europe go to Asia?
The first phase of European colonization of Southeast Asia took place throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. They wanted to gain monopoly over the spice trade as this trade was very valuable to the Europeans due to high demand for various spices such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
When did Europe start trading with Asia?
30 BC – 640 AD: With the acquisition of Ptolemaic Egypt, The Romans begin trading with India. The Empire now has a direct connection to the Spice trade Egypt had established beginning in 118 BC.
What helped spread the Black Death from central Asia to mainland Europe?
The Black Death resulted in the deaths of an estimated 75-200 million people—approximately 30% of Europe's population. It spread from central Asia on rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships, and traveled towards Europe as people fled from one area to another.
How did trade routes spread the Black Death?
Ask: How did shipping routes aid in transmitting the plague? (Answer: Infected rats and fleas made way onto ships in contaminated food and supplies. The plague was also transmitted through rat, work animal, and human waste. Ships could efficiently get to other continents as they sailed the seas.)
Why did Europe colonize Asia?
The first phase of European colonization of Southeast Asia took place throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. They wanted to gain monopoly over the spice trade as this trade was very valuable to the Europeans due to high demand for various spices such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Which trade route did the Black Death spread quickly along?
the Silk Road The Silk Road was a vital trading route connecting East and West—but it also became a conduit for one of history's deadliest pandemics. The Silk Road was a vital trading route connecting East and West—but it also became a conduit for one of history's deadliest pandemics.
How did the Silk Road affect Europe and Asia?
The impact of the Silk Road upon European and Asian civilizations was immense. Resulting in cultural diffusion on a massive scale the Silk Road provided a conduit for the migration of foreign ideals, philosophies, and religions.
How were the various peoples of Europe and Asia affected by travel along the Silk Road?
How were the various peoples of Europe and Asia affected by travel along the Silk Road? – They changed their currency systems to make buying products easier. – They blended their artistic traditions with traditions from other cultures. – They discarded their religious beliefs when they learned of other religions.
What was the main motivation for colonialism in Asia?
European countries recognized the potential profits of securing better trade with Asia and sought new routes by sea. Commissioned by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus was among the first who sought a faster, more direct route to Asia by sailing west rather than east.
How did European expansion affect Asia?
“While European expansion allowed European merchants to take an increasingly greater role in facilitating regional trade, it did not significantly alter East Asian economies because East Asian artisans, producers, and merchants retained the dominant role in producing and distributing luxury goods.”
How did the Black Death spread from Asia to Europe?
The medieval Silk Road brought a wealth of goods, spices, and new ideas from China and Central Asia to Europe. In 1346, the trade also likely carried the deadly bubonic plague that killed as many as half of all Europeans within 7 years, in what is known as the Black Death.
What did European traders trade on the Silk Road?
They traded goods such as silk, spices, tea, ivory, cotton, wool, precious metals, and ideas.
What did Europe trade on the Silk Road?
What did Europe trade on the Silk Road? Europe imported rice, cotton, woolen, porcelains, and silk fabrics from Asia and exported glassware, skins, furs, bark for skin processing, cattle, and slaves.
Why was silk in demand in Europe and other parts of Asia?
China produced much high-quality silk coveted throughout other parts of Asia and much of Europe; the material was challenging to produce and luxurious, leading to high prices. Under Marcus Aurelius's rule, Roman society had a particular love of Chinese silk, trading a variety of goods in exchange.
Why did Europeans Imperialize Asia?
Before the Industrial Revolution in the mid-to-late 19th century, demand for oriental goods such as porcelain, silk, spices and tea remained the driving force behind European imperialism. The Western European stake in Asia remained confined largely to trading stations and strategic outposts necessary to protect trade.
What resources did Europe want from Asia?
The East India companies of Europe came seeking the exotic products of Asia: silks, cottons, and precious commodities such as spices and aromatic products.
What did central Asia trade on the Silk Road?
In addition to silk, China's porcelain, tea, paper, and bronze products, India's fabrics, spices, semi-precious stones, dyes, and ivory, Central Asia's cotton, woolen goods, and rice, and Europe's furs, cattle, and honey were traded on the Silk Road.
Why did Europeans demand silk?
Many centuries later, during the height of the Yuan Dynasty and the period of Pax Mongolica, many European merchants traveled along the Silk Road in hopes of gaining fortune, as Chinese silk and other luxury goods continued to be in great demand in Europe.