The Bazaar Daily Home
 

European conflict

Western Europe has been in deep disarray for much the 1500’s as religious quarrels have divided European peoples into warring camps. Meanwhile, the Muslim Ottoman Empire continues to expand. The Ottomans’ absorption of Egypt and much of North Africa has strengthened their position in the Mediterranean, and they now have made threatening moves toward Austria and Germany.

 

European expansionism

Yet European forces have projected their power impressively in other parts of the world. Small Spanish armies toppled the massive Aztec and Inca empires early in the 1500's, and a Spanish naval expedition more recently extended Spain’s authority to the Philippines. Meanwhile, Portuguese forces have seized Goa, Melaka, Hormuz, and other sites in the Indian Ocean, from which they hope to control trade between Asian markets and Europe.

 

Asian wariness

Leaders in other parts of the world are watching European expansion with wary eyes. In China, Ming rulers permit Portuguese merchants to trade only at the tiny island of Macao. In India, Mughal emperors allow Europeans to visit port cities but maintain firm control over inland territories. In Japan, commanders of rival forces seek alliances with European merchants, while also carefully guarding their independence, for fear of becoming a colony like the Philippines.