Seize control of the coasts of africa portugal. A new network of slavery routes was drawn. Very big this was a portuguese project. For i didnt do small. Arms to this out so. Venture to africa. Was. Better look really secure themselves and also maybe secure advantage or again small groups. List. The largest city in portugal and the only European Capital on the Atlantic Coast at the mouth of the take the discovery monument evokes nostalgia for a time when the portuguese made the world their home carved in stone some 52 meters above the water the heroes of portugal pioneers of the conquest looked triumphantly towards the ocean that gave them such wealth and prestige. They are headed by prince henry the navigator the architect of a perilous project to open up a new trade route via the Atlantic Ocean his aim was to bypass the muslim arrivals in the mediterranean and gain access to africas gold coast in the 14th century the portuguese succeeded in ousting the arabs from their territory the kingdom now had free reign to begin its campaign of conquest promising gold and power henry the navigator convinced the nobility to follow him in this adventure. Remember the navigator was the crown prince in a way this mythical figure of this great christian portuguese prince was portrayed as very devout and will be going to try to put the event he started out commanding a band of raiders pirates who took prisoners from the. 2 brave the atlantic and ocean few european sailors had dared to explore prince henry had a new and revolutionary kind of vessel. Counterbalance. Sailing ships that were capable of battling storms in the open sea. The portuguese established a sea route taking in the coast of west africa. Kept behind on the islands of arguin. And caveating each mile covered was a victory over the muslims who were present on the entire northern part of the continent. Portugal has traditionally glorified its great explorers forgetting that most of them built their fortunes on the slave trade. Today lisbon is undergoing a facelift after the discovery monument renovation work extended to the us from a district as construction progressed the riches of the 1st world city resurfaced by chance workers uncovered the foundations of the former commercial harbor. In the space of one century lisbon became the richest capital in europe some distance ahead of paris london or amsterdam chinese vases parts from indonesia ornamental class where from a cow and amid the shards of earthenware from all over the world a woman skeleton was also found. The initial d. N. A. Tests revealed that she was an african slave buried without a name or gravestone. The archaeology of slavery a relatively recent field is a long untold history of the fate of the 1000000 africans who were shipped off to europe between the 15th and 18th centuries. With the bardos because this was an extremely brutal predatory economy the portuguese were disembarking and arms in and rushed to capture the inhabitants of these african coffins starting with mauritania and then senegal home to many poor fisherman. Were captured with nets on each mission you dozens would be captured and loaded onto these ships to be brought back to your book about this in of your poorly possible dont know a program. In various locations between morocco and more a tiny ah prince henrys mercenaries kidnapped unarmed civilians deported to portugal these 1st captives were unloaded in the 1st port on the way home. On this coastline one morning in august 1444215 men women and children who had been captured on the Atlantic Coast were sold to the highest bidder it was a major event the 1st spoils brought back to the country by the portuguese conquistadores they had set off on a quest for gold but they came back with slaves the event was so highly anticipated that ghomeshi on ish. The chief chronicler of the realm travel to the beach and person to record the event. The following day it was the 8th of august Early Morning because of paint. Crews began to move their boats unloaded a craft to use and take the mitchell as ordered. Some of their faces down white with some no doubt the others were rowed in with grief some low to high heaven fixing their locomotives shouting aloud up to it was asking the father nature file. Others be the chiefs with their palms or threw themselves flat on the ground others made lamentation in a sound like manner after the custom of their homeland. On though the words on their language could not be understood by their sorrow was understood indeed. A sorrow. And increased when those in charge of dividing them came and started to split them one from another to make even groups. To do this it became necessary to take children from parents wives from husbands brothers or sisters. Or kin and clean grid no rule was kept each captive landed where luck would have it. Snooty sought out odd describes an extremely violent scene children taken away from their mothers screaming ripping. Clearly what he is witnessing makes them very uncomfortable for the society. Things changed after that to go part of what they had to justify. What you did so by pointing to the civilization brought to the savages citizens from critical to us with a mere disability. In the early 15th century Human Trafficking was common throughout the mediterranean in portugal but also in the south of france spain italy and sicily most of the slaves came from the balkans in southeastern europe traded via the ports of cyprus constantinople and aleppo. Back then africans constituted a minority within the slave trade. In list that these proportions would soon be inverted the 1st african captives deported to portugal would be followed by countless thousands more in the street of the negroes well one of a few alleys that are the only reminders of when this neighborhood the biodome combo included a ghetto reserved for africans. 1453 the holy war between christendom and islam resulted in the latters victory. Constantinople the last remnant of the byzantine empire fell into the hands of the Ottoman Empire the christian side of the mediterranean was now separated from lands further east with the movement of slaves from the balkans also blocked for Christian Europe in the conquest of the atlantic was now vine. Christendome trash had reached their maid. And the whole area where theyd been acquiring slabs for slaves. Was now christianized to islamicize. There was only one region to head for africa becomes associated with slavery as a result of these developments. Officially Muslim Leaders and the Catholic Church condemned the enslavement of free people but in practice the demand for slaves did not diminish and justified continued rates. In these societies people were driven by religion but they werent fanatics that term is probably too modern. But religious motivations conquering islamic areas to convert them to christianity were very important since the papacy supported portuguese expansion by granting rights to colonize. The wad couldnt easy. To take revenge on the muslims Pope Nicholas the 5th gave the portuguese his moral endorsement thanks to the vatican support they could continue raiding africa with complete impunity. Portugals National Archives in lisbon are home to the romanos pontifex issued by the pope that gave the portuguese Carte Blanche and established a Legal Framework for the enslavement of africa. We had formally by other letters of ours granted among other things free and ample faculty to the aforesaid king of france or to invade surcharged capture vanquished. And other enemies of christ and reduce their person to perpetual slavery. Perpetual slavery to words decreed by the highest Catholic Authority that amounted to a sentencing of innocent africans to words that would justify everything in the name of god. With the popes blessing the portuguese ventured further and further south along the coasts of africa there caravels and strategies were copied by other european nations eager to take control of african gold and slaves flemish german english generally nice and venetian merchants from across europe invested in the atlantic adventure. Its not as if africans were passive towards european merchants entering villages to collect individuals and put them in captivity. African societies had their own power structures. I. V. They had a capacity for initiative and they negotiated discussed the terms of relations with european merchants have to do that but i think leave it up in their best to secretly but to give you the Tipping Point was when the portuguese entered the south atlantic beyond the equator and the us entered a new economic Space Economic it will not or they came into contact with the kingdom of congo which would play a big role. 1471. 00 the portuguese took possession of an island off the african coast uninhabited a virgin and fertile soil to me also provided a secure harbor 150 nautical miles from the mainland it enabled them to keep an eye on the regions most powerful state the kingdom of congo. Kong dollars an interesting case of african history very different from. Everywhere else when the portuguese got there they discovered that there was a king there was a what they called a kingdom and not only that it was an area where there was no islamic influence at all portuguese entered into relations with the the king of kong on virtually an equal basis and so so were muslims there was not they work was no hostility on the basis of religion. And them for reasons i dont think we fully understand the the king of kong of congo. Decided that he was going to convert to christianity. Became all forms all the 1st and he welcomed the missionaries from portugal. The portuguese were the only ones to supply products from the mediterranean to king of funds. For the 1st time they had established a monopoly on an African Territory lip of the gear lever doesnt suit the yosh easy the more the gays arrived in a Hierarchical Society where the nobles in short ate more and better than the others dressed more elegantly than the others and consumed luxury items these all the people didnt use it dont go live with people to get so when the portuguese arrived with all these new items how should i put it on the congo or aristocracy when completely crazy its not the should they became infatuated with all of us you can sense that the customs and behavior were changing and they did indeed change. The drawings of the 1st missionaries who arrived in congo illustrate this new bartering system. But gold fever encouraged the portuguese to continue their conquest. They learned that the a kind people as gold mines were in elmina for the invaders the only way to get their hands on the precious war was to offer the icons what they needed most slaves to descend into the mines. As such they became the empires slave traders. Gold production which had been going on in west africa for centuries including the area of guinea my. An apostle of senegal but i do move more commodore fields and gonna. Die because gold you know. Was booming out and. It was a measure a way out of the mine and they were after the gold over what they called the gold coast because a lot of gold come from the interior right there. The 1st triangular trading system in history was launched between. The icon mines and the congo. European goods for slaves in congo slaves for gold in elmina. Portuguese used this bartering system to create an autonomous trading network. To get. The portuguese brought about major changes including cuz they made the direct connection between the coast of congo insult all made over the of the. It was an interesting triangulation because the system that would thrive in the americas that was 1st tested out of that region. Did not. Enjoy. This portuguese crucifix commemorates the annexation of south tell me which would open a new chapter in the history of slavery. It was here that the portuguese would create the 1st platform for the mass deportation of captives and it is here that is straight forward slave trading system what evolved into a massively profitable Production System the sugar plantation. With thousands of slaves disembarking on its beaches so to me became an island exclusively dedicated to sugar production. Say i need this autonomy and rossi are a laboratory because thats where we witness the marriage of black man and sugarcane. In the column the size to function well together i must say i will marry the black man with sugar came over in my heels so. The idea was simple the auden was transformed into a plantation west slaves within easy reach were imported the stuff you saw. Each year for thousands of slaves arrived and filled this very limited space so that means big concentrations. And so this was the 1st example of a black colony and the Slave Society thats the model became a global system. And global unsound to me time seems to stand still sugarcane was replaced by coffee then coffee by cocoa. When they landed on the island the 1st slaves to brought with them their knowledge of working the soil in the tropics but to this day remains one of the poorest countries in the world and farm workers continue to live in this slaves cuts. You dont really need a survival population to grow for her. But to grow it on the scale they were doing you know. You needed slaves because what you did during the harvest period was you made him work 14 hours a day. You know right into the night one or any night there were there was a moon you know that you just kept cutting all night long and again with fatigue the risk of injury presumes so it was very risky and it was extremely hard work. Something amazing last in various ways it is the 1st big experiment with sugar cane and tropics and thats what the louse later on the transfer of the sugarcane protection into brazil and later into the caribbean. After Christopher Columbus his journey to the americas pedro opened a new sea route to the west the portuguese were still obsessed with the search for gold but now they knew that if they failed sugarcane could potentially replace this precious metal on april 23rd 1500. 00 pounds ship docked in unknown territory after out of project from the island as your majesty knows we reached the Canary Islands and then the cape verde we followed a sail heading west across the sea. That same day on the hour vespers we sighted land that is to say 1st a very Ragged Mountain and other low ranges of hills to the south of it on a plain covered with large tree. Had just reached brazil only to find no gold to be profitable this immense newly discovered land would have to be cultivated. This in turn meant that a new trade route for slaves from africa to brazil would be set up. I was sent a man said to look for slaves on the coasts of african kingdoms and bring them to south pole may do i am afraid. And starting in 1516 they would start bringing them to brazil they were intermediaries the very untimely santa millions have the monopoly on the supply of slaves to brazil. 1516 from south till may contingents of captives were now being shipped to brazil and the caribbean the 1st Transatlantic Slave Trade routes were established ringback between the kingdom of congo. Brazil and portugal. Meanwhile in europe itself hundreds of captives arrived each year via portuguese ships. In lisbon black and white noblemen a stance a plea lived on an equal footing they shared a common language and the same interests all grew rich from the slave sugar and gold trades among them german merchant and banker. When all you need. To be involved in the political and trade elites from both european and african societies local sovereigns collaborated with the portuguese some converted to christianity took portuguese names and sent their children to portugal to be latinized and study in the university of people these elites became the predatory ones that had put a piece. On the west african coast the riches that portugal devoured seemed inexhaustible. In the bellingham district of less than the building of the monastery was financed by the slave sugar and spice trades. The splendor of its architecture are testimony to an era when less than dominated the world and fled. It other European Capitals with its goods. Being. Let put you have to emphasize that this was a black slave trade that as this economy was based on african slaves would this trade was the main income for the crown and for part of the portuguese elites the state was being built upon overseas income so a new phase started busk the minute profiles that. With the arrival of europeans in africa be history of slavery assumed a whole new dimension. For the 1st time the trade focused exclusively on Equitorial Africa and the number of deportations reached an unparalleled scope and scale. Whole. Its not comparable in terms of scale because for the islamic trade were talking about you know roughly a 1000 a year period a much bigger impact in a shorter period of times in the americas. We. Have. Her. In lisbon the history of african slaves who arrived in europe has largely been forgotten most traces of their presence were destroyed during the 755 earthquake and any lasting pieces of that memory were scattered when the city was rebuilt. In this Hunting Lodge a few miles from the capital a painting by a flood. Which artist depicts lisbon in 5080. The kings fountain portrays a neighborhood that no longer exists where people of different skin colors danced together. Here a black man in shoes embraces a white woman with bare feet musicians play for a pair of lovers. A night of the order of christ in chains or in ceremonial dress africans present their wealth to europes smallest kingdom in image of an era when this connection between africa and portugal made lisbon the most important economic capital of europe. On histon can dois enemies us all as early as the 15 hundreds 10 percent of lisbon population was black that it is not counting december this but its a bit of a similar barcelona and mahler to. Today in Southern Europe in portugal italy spain and Southern France an estimated 50 to 60 percent of the population could have african ancestry. Seen a case for long elected its a question which all schola