The Portuguese Occupation1500’s-early 1700’s

Must Do

Write a few sentences on the following prompt:

Remember the first unit? What was Spain up to starting in the late 1400’s? What was Spain trying to find?

Words Worth Knowing

Tribute: payment made periodically by one state or ruler to another, especially as a sign of dependence.

Puppet ruler: a person who has a title indicating possession of political power, but who, in reality, is controlled by outside individuals or forces.

European “Discovery”Portuguese Explorer Vasco de Gama reached Mombasa in 1498.

Portugal wanted naval bases to secure trade in Indian Ocean, because Ottoman empire blocked land trade routes to India/China.

Originally, Swahili were very hostile to Portuguese setting up a trading posts

... so Portugal bribes local Sultans, and when bribes don’t work, they conquer, and when conquering doesn’t work, they demand tribute.

Side Note: the travels of world traveller Vasco de Gama!

Peak of Empire

Portuguese install King of Malindi as Sultan of Mombasa in early 1500’s , and use him as a puppet ruler.

Construct the massive Fort Jesus on Mombasa Island in 1593, and use it for main hub of commerce and defense along African coast. It is main hub of string of coastal trading towns.

Mainly trade slaves for manufactured goods, but also produced spices, cotton, and coffee farmed with slave labor. Attempt to convert locals to Catholicism.

Side notes: Fort Jesus, Malindi, Portuguese navy...

End of Influence

Throughout 1600’s, Omani Arabs had harassed Portuguese fleets and forts, hoping to take over their business

After series of attacks, the Omanis took Fort Jesus in 1698.

Shortly afterwards, the Omanis re-took over most of Portuguese towns along African Coast

Portuguese Empire crumbled there and elsewhere in 1700’s.

Side N

otes: Siege of Fort Jesus, the O

mani

sultanates...

Omani Arab Period (1700’s-1800’s:)

Like the Portuguese and Arabs before them, could only control coastal area

Relocated capital to Zanzibar in 1839

Intensified slave trade, plantation system.

But things were soon to change when the area becomes interesting to the Germans and British….

Side note: The Sultanate of Zanzibar… Pirates! Treachry! Murder!

Conclusions: DON’T!

● End with a rephrased or repeated thesis statement.

● Introduce a new idea or subtopic. ● Apologize for your view by saying such things

as "I may not be an expert" or "At least this is my opinion."

● Attempt to make up for an incomplete structure.

Conclusions- DO!!

How? Well, you can try one or more of these strategies:

● Ask a provocative question.● Use a quotation.● Evoke a vivid image.● Call for some sort of action.● Universalize (compare to other situations).● Suggest results or consequences.

Answer the question- so what?!

Activity:

Using the TRE that we worked on last time, you are going to write a conclusion for that excercise. This conclusion is going to be:

● At least 3 sentences● Uses one of the DO! strategies →

Then, you will share this with 1 or 2 of your table partners.

Using their feedback, you will revise your work.

Conclusion Strategies….

● Ask a provocative question.● Use a quotation.● Evoke a vivid image.● Call for some sort of action.● Universalize (compare to other

situations).● Suggest results or consequences.

Examples:

Though the Swahili culture brought art, literature, and learning to the African coast, ultimately it was a menace to East Africans in general.

Enslaved the local people

exploited interior East Africans

financially.

waged religious wars

“The Wails of the Slaves could be

heard throughout the city....”

“They had grown fat from the many riches they had

wrested from the peasantry....”

“This Sultan was forever engaged in wars against the non-believers…”

Provocative question: Though it’s easy to point out the good things the Swahili culture brought to the African Coast, it’s important to remember they came at a serious cost. Certainly, the glittering mosques and tranquil orchards of Zanzibar and Kilwa were beautiful, but were they worth the cost to so many Africans of so much freedom, blood, and treasure?

Thesis

Response (aka

Commentary)

Evidence(aka quotes, text support)

Conclusion

Examples:

Though the Swahili culture brought art, literature, and learning to the African coast, ultimately it was a menace to East Africans in general.

Enslaved the local people

exploited interior East Africans

financially.

waged religious wars

“The Wails of the Slaves could be

heard throughout the city....”

“They had grown fat from the many riches they had

wrested from the peasantry....”

“This Sultan was forever engaged in wars against the non-believers…”

Quotation: Though it’s easy to point out the good things the Swahili culture brought to the African Coast, it’s important to remember they came at a serious cost. As the famous Moroccan explorer Ibn Buttata wrote of the port city of Kilwa in 1345, “never has there been a greater city on Earth than Kilwa, but I fear the mortar between these mighty stones has been wetted with the blood of countless innocents.”

Thesis

Response (aka

Commentary)

Evidence(aka quotes, text support)

Conclusion

Examples:

Though the Swahili culture brought art, literature, and learning to the African coast, ultimately it was a menace to East Africans in general.

Enslaved the local people

exploited interior East Africans

financially.

waged religious wars

“The Wails of the Slaves could be

heard throughout the city....”

“They had grown fat from the many riches they had

wrested from the peasantry....”

“This Sultan was forever engaged in wars against the non-believers…”

Vivid Image: Though it’s easy to point out the good things the Swahili culture brought to the African Coast, it’s important to remember they came at a serious cost. The beautiful calls to prayer at Kilwa’s mosques were no doubt mingled with the wails of wretched slaves. The stones that made the great houses of the mighty sultans no doubt bore the chisel-marks of countless forced laborers. The glitter of gold running through the merchants’ fat fingers was no doubt tarnished by the tears of those they swindled.

Thesis

Response (aka

Commentary)

Evidence(aka quotes, text support)

Conclusion

Examples:

Though the Swahili culture brought art, literature, and learning to the African coast, ultimately it was a menace to East Africans in general.

Enslaved the local people

exploited interior East Africans

financially.

waged religious wars

“The Wails of the Slaves could be

heard throughout the city....”

“They had grown fat from the many riches they had

wrested from the peasantry....”

“This Sultan was forever engaged in wars against the non-believers…”

Call for action: Though it’s easy to point out the good things the Swahili culture brought to the African Coast, it’s important to remember they came at a serious cost. And we should learn from this historical example. When we hear of how well the economy is doing, we should ask ourselves exactly who does this benefit? We should not find ourselves, like the East Africans, the helpless pawns of greedy fat cats in the glittering capital city!

Thesis

Response (aka

Commentary)

Evidence(aka quotes, text support)

Conclusion

Examples:

Though the Swahili culture brought art, literature, and learning to the African coast, ultimately it was a menace to East Africans in general.

Enslaved the local people

exploited interior East Africans

financially.

waged religious wars

“The Wails of the Slaves could be

heard throughout the city....”

“They had grown fat from the many riches they had

wrested from the peasantry....”

“This Sultan was forever engaged in wars against the non-believers…”

Universalize:

Though it’s easy to point out the good things the Swahili culture brought to the African Coast, it’s important to remember they came at a serious cost. Like the fat cats of Wall Street today, the Swahili merchants lived like royalty, while the vast majority of people around them had to make do with a tiny fraction of their wealth.

Thesis

Response (aka

Commentary)

Evidence(aka quotes, text support)

Conclusion

Examples:

Though the Swahili culture brought art, literature, and learning to the African coast, ultimately it was a menace to East Africans in general.

Enslaved the local people

exploited interior East Africans

financially.

waged religious wars

“The Wails of the Slaves could be

heard throughout the city....”

“They had grown fat from the many riches they had

wrested from the peasantry....”

“This Sultan was forever engaged in wars against the non-believers…”

Suggest results or consequences: Though it’s easy to point out the good things the Swahili culture brought to the African Coast, it’s important to remember they came at a serious cost. Like the fat cats of Wall Street today, the Swahili merchants lived like royalty, at the vast majority of people around them had to make do with a tiny fraction of their wealth. We would do well to learn from their example, lest our own society suffer the fate of the Swahili, and we become the pawns of foreign powers when our wealthy leaders sell us out!

Thesis

Response (aka

Commentary)

Evidence(aka quotes, text support)

Conclusion