Essay on European
Expansion
Also
referred to as Age of Discovery, the expansion of Europe to the New World began
during the early part of the 15th century up until the 17th
century. This exploration was led by two of the most powerful nations at that
period – Portugal and Spain. The Portuguese started their exploration in the
Atlantic Coast of Africa as they sailed further into the east. The Spanish conquistadors
on the other hand, took the route to inland America as well as explored the
islands of the South Pacific (David 125).
According to historians, the
geographic exploration of these two European countries is a bridge between the
Middle Ages and modern period. It was particularly a time when the Renaissance
as a movement was beginning to take over the entirety of the continent, thus
giving rise to the early modern era. However, historians similarly argue that
although this took place at advent of Renaissance, both the Spanish and
Portuguese conquerors did not promote the spread of this cultural movement.
Rather, they utilized and fostered a medieval system in their new colonies.
This was particularly evident in the manner by which these two empires run
their colonies (Phillips 24).
The age of Renaissance was a
time of cultural advancement dominated by intellectual pursuits and
transformation. While the society during the Middle Ages was controlled by
religion, people began to have a sense of self-awareness during the
Renaissance. People in particular began to question religious practices such as
in the case of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. Hence, this was a time of turmoil for
the Church. It is in this context, that Christian nations such as Spain and
Portugal brought with them the concept of a religious medieval system in which
the society is continuously controlled by both the Church and the monarchy. In
fact, many historians point out that the Catholic Church inaugurated the
exploration in an attempt to spread Christianity. As such the exploration of
Spain and Portugal involves number of religious orders such as the Jesuits,
Dominicans, Augustinians, and Franciscans. For example, when Portugal migrated
to the New World, they required everyone to convert into the faith. Similarly,
the Spanish also made an effort to convert American natives into Christianity
(Harfield 35).
Apart from spreading the
faith, many scholars believe that the main goal of spreading religion in the
new colonies was control. This means that the European colonizers seek to
control the people through its religious beliefs and practices. This is primarily
because religion can easily dictate an individual the concepts of right and
wrong. This was consequently used as a tool by the colonizers to suppress any
effort of revolution and uprising among the colonies. In addition to control,
scholars suggest that using the religious medieval system also allowed the
colonies to easily adapt and ultimately assimilate the culture of the
colonizers. The spread of Christianity would mean the spread of believers
therefore allowing assimilation of religious beliefs and practices to take
place. The conversion and assimilation similarly extended into education as
both Spanish and Portuguese colonizers employed a Catholic school system to
educate the natives.
In
summary, the age of European expansion to the New World did not include the
promotion of the Renaissance movement. This is primarily because the new
movement calls for reforms and intellectual pursuit. Hence, the colonizers used
the medieval system as it allowed them to propagate the spread of Christianity;
and at the same time, it allowed them to control and assimilate the colonies in
their culture.
Works Cited
Arnold, David. The Age of Discovery. NY:
Routledge, 2002
Harfield, David. Renaissance. NY: Author House,
2010
Phillips, J. The medieval Expansion of Europe. London:
Oxford University Press, 1998
William, Brian. The Age of Discovery. NY:
Bedrick Books, 1994
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