Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . s were looked uponwith natural suspicion by the Mohammedan spice merchants,who knew very well that their object was to establish direct tradebetween the Spice Islands (Moluccas) and western the Mohammedans had had the monopoly of the spicetrade between the Moluccas and the eastern ports of the Med-iterranean, where the products were handed over to Italian mer-chants. The Mohammedans were unable, however, to preventthe Portuguese from conclu
Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . s were looked uponwith natural suspicion by the Mohammedan spice merchants,who knew very well that their object was to establish direct tradebetween the Spice Islands (Moluccas) and western the Mohammedans had had the monopoly of the spicetrade between the Moluccas and the eastern ports of the Med-iterranean, where the products were handed over to Italian mer-chants. The Mohammedans were unable, however, to preventthe Portuguese from concluding treaties with the Indian princesand establishing trading stations at Goa and elsewhere. In 1512 Medieval Towns — their Business and Buildings 235 a successor of Vasco da Gama reached Java and the Moluccas,where the Portuguese speedily built a fortress. By 1515 Por-tugal had become the greatest among sea powers; and spicesreached Lisbon regularly without the intervention of the Moham-medan merchants or the Italian towns, which, especially Venice,were mottally afflicted by the change (see above, p. 225). / Jlbzok^islands; »- o-. The Malay Archipelago The outline of the United States has been drawn in to make clear thevast extent of the region explored by the Portuguese at the openingof the sixteenth century. It is not far from 2000 miles from Ceylon toMalacca Strait, and as far from there on to the Spice Islands as fromDenver to Richmond, Virginia There is no doubt that the desire to obtain spices was at importancethis time the main reason for the exploration of the globe, encouragingThis motive led European navigators to try in succession every navigationpossible way to reach the East — by going around Africa, bysailing west in the hope of reaching the Indies (before theyknew of the existence of America), then, after America wasdiscovered, by sailing around it to the north or south, and evensailing around Europe to the north. 236 Medieval and Modern Times Idea ofreachi
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Keywords: ., bookauthorrobinson, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1919
