How Ships and Forts Created Western Dominance
How could tiny nations such as Portugal and the Netherlands challenge vast empires like China and India in the age of sail?
Europe began as a backwater far behind great civilizations in India, China and in muslim empires in the Middle East. 1498 was the year it all began to change. Explorer Vasco da Gama of Portugal found a sea route around Africa and reached India. The European seafaring Leviathan had awoken. Ships began pouring out of Europe, going to all corners of the world.
European Caravels, Carracks, Galleons and Jachts began appearing on the coastlines of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. Chinese observers compared European ships to floating mountains. Chinese Junks were built considerably smaller, in large part to be able to sail upriver easily.
Ships turned out to be the European superpower. It allowed tiny nations such as Portugal and the Netherlands to project power on the other side of the world. Let me try to put that in perspective. Both the Netherlands and Portugal had populations less than two million people. The Qing Empire (China) had 100-150 million inhabitants, while the Mughal empire which covered most of modern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh had a population of a staggering 158 million people.
When the Portuguese rounded Africa, they spread fear all over with their warships. The Portuguese terror bombed several cities as they made their way to India. Opponents at sea got quickly blown out of the water. The Portuguese were sending a message:
"Don't dear mess with us, you can see what we are capable of."
What is perhaps even more absurd is that tiny Portugal was also engage in numerous battles with the powerful Ottoman Empire, which had around 25 million inhabitants. Both Portugal and the Netherlands were engaged in numerous major battles in home waters with Britain, France, Spain, and even each others.
Despite all these challenges, both the Portuguese and Dutch were able to build large colonial empires in distant lands.
The natural question is: What allowed tiny European nations to project so much power half-way around the globe, which required oceanic voyages of six to eight months?
The Unbeatable Naval Artillery and Bastion Fort Combo
Europeans powers could only send a few hundred men on their great voyages. That is not enough to men to really hold any territory when you face empires with millions of inhabitants and vast armies. It was why local powers rarely saw Europeans as much of a threat when they first arrived.
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Bastion Forts
Europeans, however, had several tricks up their sleeve: They were master fortress builders. No other civilization could match European mastery of fortifications. By the end of the 16th century, European fortress design have evolved from medieval style castles to what we call a bastion fort, often referred to as a star fort.
Europeans had basically turned fort design into a scientific discipline. The leading designers of star-shaped forts were found in the Netherlands where Dutch mathematician and scientist Simon Stevin published a scientific work called De Stercktenbouwing (The construction of fortifications) in 1594, which gives extremely detailed analysis and explanation of how to build a modern fortress in the age of cannons.
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