The title of the topic is pretty spot on. Driven primarily by rivalry and competition, Maritime Empires were established around the world.

Historical Developments in Unit 4.4 Maritime Empires Established

• Europeans established new trading posts in Africa and Asia, which proved profitable for the rulers and merchants involved in new global trade networks. Some Asian states ought to limit the disruptive economic and cultural effects of European - dominated long-distance trade by adopting restrictive or isolationist trade policies.

• Driven largely by political, religious, and economic rivalries, European states established new maritime empires, including the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French and British

• The expansion of maritime trading networks fostered the growth of states in Africa, including the Asante and the Kingdom of the Kongo, whose participation in trading networks led to an increase in their influence.

• Despite some disruption and restructuring due to the arrival of Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch merchants, existing trade networks in the Indian Ocean continued to flourish and included inter-Asian trade and Asian merchants.

• Newly developed colonial economies in the Americas largely depended on agriculture, utilized existing labor systems, including the Incan mit'a and introduced new labor systems including chattel slavery, indentured servitude, and encomienda and hacienda systems.

• Slavery in Africa continued in its traditional forms, including incorporation of slaves into households and the export of slaves to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean regions.

• The growth of the plantation economy increased the demand for slaves in the Americas, leading to significant demographic, social, and cultural changes.

Maps & Visuals 4.4

Additional Resources 4.4