Diogo Cão and the Portuguese in West Africa
Overview
The voyage of Diogo Cão (1450-1487) up the Congo River established the Portuguese as a major power in West Africa, and especially in the Congo. As a result of this journey, political and economic alliances would be created that would change the history of both West Africa and South America, the most important of which centered on plantation agriculture and the use of slave labor. This would eventually result in the establishment of new cultures on both continents.
Background
By the late fifteenth century, the Portuguese established themselves as a naval presence in the Atlantic Ocean and had developed a highly successful fishing industry that extended into Northern Europe. The Reconquest or wars against the Islamic presence on the Iberian Peninsula also played a major role in their maritime policy. The initial success against the Muslims in Europe gave the Lisbon government the confidence to extend the battle to North Africa. Landings against Islamic strongholds were carried out for two reasons. Initially they were conducted to reestablish Christianity in the area, but eventually the Portuguese began fighting a fifteenth-century "Cold War" against the Islamic empire. Their long-range goals were to contain any future spread of Islam and eventually to roll back Muslim presence in North Africa.
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