Asian+Transitions+in+an+Age+of+Global+Change



__The Asian Trading World and the Coming of the Europeans__ __Trading Empire: The Portuguese response to the encounter at Calicut__ __Portuguese Vulnerability and the rise of the Dutch and English trading empires__ __Going Ashore: European Tribute Systems in Asia__ __Spreading the Faith: The Missionary Enterprise in South and Southeast Asia:__
 * MI: In the centuries following Vasco da Gama's voyage, most European enterprise in the Indian Ocean centered on efforts to find the most profitable ways to carry Asian products back to Europe. Some Europeans went to Asia not for personal gain, but to convert other to Christianity, and these missionaries, as well as some traders, settled in coastal enclaves.**
 * Arabs and Muslims dominated the western part of the Asia sea trading network with glass, carpets, and tapestries.
 * Raw materials were provided from Japan and Africa to fuel the trade.
 * Due to there being to central force in this trade network, and due to the absence of military powers in these commercial routes, the Europeans began to attempt to dominate and regulate this trade.
 * MI: Portuguese begin forming a monopoly over Asian naval trade due to superior military power.**
 * Portuguese ignore unwritten rules of the Asia trade network, as they do not have anything to offer the Europeans other than gold and silver.
 * Portuguese decide to take by force what they could not trade for, and they introduced their superior warships in this trading region to force ports to pay tribute to their home nation.
 * When capturing coastal towns wasn't sufficient, the Portuguese began to capture strategic trading areas that served as both naval based and as factories for spices, where they could be stored until later.
 * Portuguese also begin to form a licensing system and a strong monopoly, allowing them to further their control on global trade.
 * MI: Dutch and English take away from Portuguese power over the Asia trade network because of stronger force.**
 * Portuguese don't have firepower or ability to back this Asian monopoly, and this takes a heavy toll on the empire by 16th century.
 * Dutch and English are introduced, and the Dutch capture Malacca and build a port at Batavia in order to control the trade of certain spices.
 * The Dutch trading empires also resort to force in maintaining this monopoly, establish a trading empire back by stronger forces.
 * Peacefully working into the Asian trade allowed Dutch better control on network.
 * MI: Europe were able to enter the Asian trading system in the 17th centuries, but they were not able to compete with Asian armies.**
 * The Spanish had conquered **Luzon** and other northern islands, though they were not able to conquer **Mindanao** where Muslims were reluctant to convert into Christians.
 * Dutch caught their sights on Java where they could easily grow coffee and make a high profit since coffee was a huge demand during the mid-18th century.
 * Europeans coerced people into working the fields for crops.
 * MI: The Spanish and Portuguese placed a higher emphasis on conversion efforts unlike the English and Dutch.**
 * Several missionaries had fought along the low-caste fishers and untouchables to convert to Christianity.
 * Because they started at the low caste system it was impossible for them to gather people from the upper-caste system.
 * **Robert di Nobili** learned the Indian language and writing in order to convert Indians. He thought that if he could get the high-caste system to convert the low-caste would also follow through.