West Africa maintained connections with North Africa, Arabs, and European peoples through trans-Saharan trade, a long-distance trade route. Europeans disapproved of the 15th century commercial system that relied solely on Arabs as intermediaries between the West and East.
In addition, Europeans, especially those from Spain and Portugal, were forced to search for other ways to the East due to the conflicts and counter-conflicts that erupted along the Mediterranean coast in the fifteenth century. Europeans searched for a new trade route to the East Indies between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
EARLY EXPLORATION OF WEST AFRICA BEFORE THE 15TH CENTURY.
However, a large number of Greek and North African sailors had already reached the West African coast prior to the beginning of European colonization of the continent. At the end of the 17th century B.C., Phoenician sailors circumnavigated Africa under the patronage of an Egyptian monarch. They crossed the Gibraltar Straits to return to Egypt. In the 16th century B.C., Admiral Hanno led a Carthaginian fleet of over sixty ships and a large crew from Carthage to the Cameroons. The crew is believed to have established several small colonies, including one in Kerne, located near Rio-do-Oro.
During the fourth and second centuries B.C., Greek navigators circumnavigated Africa and explored West Africa’s coast, discovering the Gambia and Senegal River. The west coast’s exploration was largely unsuccessful until the arrival of Portuguese in the fifteenth century.
WHY WEST AFRICA WAS NOT EXPLORED BEFORE THE 15TH CENTURY.
The reason why west Africa was not discovered until the fifteenth century A.D. is multifaceted. During this period, many European nations lacked political and economic stability, making them unsuitable for costly and prestigious exploration projects. Second place went to European sailors who had little knowledge of African topography and no access to modern navigational aids. Europeans were hesitant to explore the African coast due to their long-standing supply chain with Arab middlemen from the East.
The Arabs transported goods from East India to Europe via Suez. Egypt, Carthage, and possibly France were among the nations that attempted to explore West Africa in the 15th century. The Portuguese were the first to successfully explore West Africa’s coast in the fifteenth century A.D.
CONDITION IN EUROPEAN THAT FAVORED EXPLORATION IN THE 15TH CENTURY.
At this time, a number of circumstances promoted the exploration of West Africa. The conflicts between various European ethnic groups and social classes have gradually transitioned to more unified and centralized nations. Those with sufficient financial resources to fund research into possible detours to the Spice Islands. Spain and Portugal, along with other new nations, forced Arabs to flee their country and explore North Africa and beyond, realizing their potential for African expansion. The Ottoman Turks’ military incursions into the East led to the closure of the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The primary routes for transporting spices and other luxury commodities from Asia to Western Europe were via these oceans.
Europeans were compelled to explore alternative routes to India due to the exorbitant prices of eastern commodities in their countries. The development of navigational tools like the compass and astrolable, along with Europe’s ability to build ocean-going vessels, played a significant role in the advancement of navigation. It is believed that in the fifteenth century, navigational instruments were brought from China and Arabia to western Europe. Ultimately, the exploration was the result of the European Renaissance movement. Men’s minds were awakened to new concepts and world knowledge by the movement.
EUROPEAN MOTIVES FOR THE EXPLORATION OF AFRICA
The Europeans had a number of goals in mind as they attempted to explore the African continent. The initial goal was to identify the origins of the gold, ivory, slave trade, and other African goods transported to European markets via North Africa. Second, the Europeans sought to find a different path to India and the Eastern Spice Island. In order to avoid the expensive tolls or tariffs placed on eastern commodities by Arab middlemen and to recruit African slaves directly from the source—a resource that some European countries needed—the Europeans sought to end the Italians’ commercial monopoly in the spice trade.
Thirdly, Africans were to be secretly converted to Christianity by Europeans. They hoped to achieve success with the help of a fabled Christian prince named Pester John, from an Ethiopian realm. Furthermore, the Christians desired to halt the Muslim conquest of sub-Saharan Africa.
Another reason was the desire of European nations, particularly Portugal, to establish colonies in Asia and Africa. Portugal thought that doing this would increase her influence and authority throughout Europe. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the Portuguese and other Europeans held a nearly 100-year trade monopoly on the west African coast.
Leave a Reply