spain's dream in asia of empire?

Answer 1

People forget that the Portugese sailed to China and the Far East long before Spain sent Columbus out.

Portugal was getting rich from bringing spices and silks by sailing there that Venice and Genoa used to get from the silk road. Venice and Genoa were the richest cities in Europe before the Portugese learned long distance navigation and were able to sail around Africa.

By inventing long distance navigation they were able to sail to and arrive at China and all the other countries in the Orient and established a large colony in the Phillipines.

Spain wanted the same riches, so it was that dream that inspired them to send Columbus and other explorers out -- to find another route to China and the far east. Also at the time, Spain made the best ships in the world.

I think you know what happened, Columbus ran into the Americas and Conquistadors came hot on his heels bringing back tons of Gold, Silver and precious stones. So Spain built an empire in the new world.

However, they didn't give up on getting to China by sailing west. Two things happened. First Spain defeated Portugal in a battle and second that gave Spain time to discover another way of sailing in getting to China by sailing north of Tierra Del Fuego through the Magellan Straights. And Portugal was in no position to stop them.

Going around Cape Horn was next to impossible because of the ongoing storms, and the Magellan Straights were very hard to find, although Sir Francis Drake eventually did. Hence the same basic route has two different names, the Magellen Straights and the Drake Channel both of which are slightly different ways of sailing north of Tierra Del Fuego and if a ship ran into stormy weather, which happened more often than not, it could avoid the worst of the bad weather by harboring north on South America or South on Tierra Del Fuego

Spain began colonies in Panama and sailed to the Orient from there and transporting goods overland to the Caribbean or through the Magellan straights north of the island Terra Del Fuego, thus making them a player in trade with the Orient.

Ulimatley Spain got pushed out of the Orient trade by the Portugese, Dutch, French and English because Spain was putting most of their armed ships and armies into carving out an empire in the Americas.

But it was Spain's envy of Portugal's trade with Orient that was their impetus to sending out their own explorers.

Since they were the first to colonized South, Central and parts of North America as well as the Caribbean. They got most of their fortune from there. Portugal did get some explorers to South America, but Spain was successful in keeping them out of the New World except for Brazil, which was considered a big swamp and even then Spain still caused Portugal problems making their hold on Brazil tenuous.

Answer 2

I dont think that Spain ever 'dreamed' of an Empire in Asia.

I believe that Spain was 'given' an Empire. Pope Alexander VI allowed Spain and Portugal to divide the world between them in 1492.

Being Catholic nations of course, they believed they were on a crusading mission to bring christianity to the world But going after gold and resources was always the number one priority.

I think the lack of any real plan to establish an Empire may be demonstrated in the colonisation of the Philippines, which Ferdinand Magellan named after Philip II of Spain. The 3 main aims of the spanish were to get a share in the spice trade, and use the Philippines to further spread Christianity in China and Japan, and to convert filipinos to Christianity.

This may be one of the reasons why Spanish conquest has been disastrous years later - because the Spanish never had a set plan to establish new government or any real idea what to do there.