Global Trade and Commodities in 15th century Essay

Global Trade and Commodities in 15th century - Essay Example This region acted as a source of slave for the routes in Sahara to Mediterranean. The Portuguese opened this channel to the rest of the world. Portuguese had an economic monopoly over slave trade in Cape Verde of West Africa. Portuguese were particularly well versed with trade route between West Africa, America and Europe. They bought slave from interior of coast of guinea and transported them to the rest of the world especially in America where they could later work in sugar and other plantations. This trade was profitable to Portuguese. This African trade plus the development of Cape Verde islands, expanded tremendously with the emergence of labor-intensive farms that were used to grow, cotton and tobacco in the Caribbean and America as well. Other slave was taken to Brazil, which was a Portuguese colony. By 18th century, Britain had engaged in this trade and majority of ships doing this business belonged to Britain. Jacques Coeur merchant between 1432- 1451, carried out the other type of trade. The great source of trading wealth was the Mediterranean. That used to link Christian market that were more prominent in the west with the far east Muslim markets. He use to take clothes to Levant and could come back with spices from the east. It was a barter form of trade. The Chinese sea trade also took place in the 15th century. It took place when a merchant Zhen, a Muslim eunuch. He traveled as far as Persian Gulf, African coast. Chinese could now export porcelain, silks, silver, gold items and medical concoctions and in return they took herbs, ivory, rhinoceros, jewel, rare varieties of wood, and some ingredients for making dyes. The other trade took place in Europe inlands waterways between 15 to 17th century. This trade occurred across rivers especially after development of manmade canals that ensured there was efficiency in trade as routes became shorter. This developed in Europe only at the late 15th