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Before Columbus: Exploration and Colonization from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, 1229-1492
Demonstrating that Columbus's voyage was a new step in a centuries-old process of European expansion, Fernandez-Armesto provides a stimulating account of the broadening of Europe's physical and mental horizons in the Middle Ages. He shows how the techniques and institutions of medieval colonial expansion that were applied to the New World made long-term conquest and settlement possible.
A brief introduction analyzes the problems that face students and historians. Then, concentrating on medieval Spanish colonial development, but carefully linking that development to the wider European process of expansion, the author surveys the great areas of expansion in the Western Mediterranean: the island conquests of the House of Barcelona; the first Atlantic Empire in Andalusia, its environs, Valencia, and Murcia; the Genoese Mediterranean; and the North African coast.
In the last four chapters, Fernandez-Armesto sketches the course and characteristics of early European expansion of the Atlantic before Columbus and highlights the impact of geography and anthropology on the discovery of the Atlantic space. The emphasis throughout is on tracing the elements of continuity and discontinuity between Mediterranean and Atlantic worlds and studying how colonial societies originate and behave.
A brief introduction analyzes the problems that face students and historians. Then, concentrating on medieval Spanish colonial development, but carefully linking that development to the wider European process of expansion, the author surveys the great areas of expansion in the Western Mediterranean: the island conquests of the House of Barcelona; the first Atlantic Empire in Andalusia, its environs, Valencia, and Murcia; the Genoese Mediterranean; and the North African coast.
In the last four chapters, Fernandez-Armesto sketches the course and characteristics of early European expansion of the Atlantic before Columbus and highlights the impact of geography and anthropology on the discovery of the Atlantic space. The emphasis throughout is on tracing the elements of continuity and discontinuity between Mediterranean and Atlantic worlds and studying how colonial societies originate and behave.
294 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1987
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About the author
Felipe Fernández-Armesto
131 books182 followersFelipe Fernández-Armesto is a British professor of history at the University of Notre Dame and author of several popular works, notably on cultural and environmental history.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 29, 2018
Ehhhh . . . where to begin.
This book is a plain, unadorned chronicle of European colonization and exploration, just like it says in the title. However, I have numerous complaints:
1. The author has "tried to make each chapter independent of the others" (vii) - it would be nice to see how all of these different regions and kingdoms actually interacted or were otherwise connected to each other.
2. No primary sources! In 250 pages the author only includes a few paragraphs of primary sources, which is ridiculous for any historical work.
3. It would be nice to know anything besides names, dates, and politics - like how did the people live, what was the economy like, how were religious rites organized, literally anything specific about social life.
4. It would be nice to know how any of the Africans felt about whole colonizing thing. I'm sure that in 300 years, somebody in North Africa must have had something like opinions or agency or concrete agenda and policies.
5. Language Part 1: the author does include gratuitous sayings and phrases in Latin, Catalan, and Italian dialects, all of which are left untranslated for the average reader, who is doubtless able to read medieval Genovese.
6. Language Part 2: I refuse to believe that jejune, mulct, paymin, and enfeoffed are words. I do, however, believe that the author's vocabularly is at times unusual, dated, or pretentious.
7. Language Part 3: Speaking of unusual and dated, some of the author's word choices are racist. On page 55 he is fond of using "oriental" to describe the Moors (keeping in mind, Morocco is west of Spain and also Edward Said published Orientalism 9 years before this book was published), on page 147 he says that Europeans viewed Malians as "stage n******s", and the only description the native Canary islanders get is "neolithic savages". When he described "negresses" on page 190 I put down the book and stopped reading.
This book is poorly written both in terms of vocabulary and discourse, does not engage with primary sources or multiple perspectives, and presents no clear thesis or argument. I recommend it to nobody.
This book is a plain, unadorned chronicle of European colonization and exploration, just like it says in the title. However, I have numerous complaints:
1. The author has "tried to make each chapter independent of the others" (vii) - it would be nice to see how all of these different regions and kingdoms actually interacted or were otherwise connected to each other.
2. No primary sources! In 250 pages the author only includes a few paragraphs of primary sources, which is ridiculous for any historical work.
3. It would be nice to know anything besides names, dates, and politics - like how did the people live, what was the economy like, how were religious rites organized, literally anything specific about social life.
4. It would be nice to know how any of the Africans felt about whole colonizing thing. I'm sure that in 300 years, somebody in North Africa must have had something like opinions or agency or concrete agenda and policies.
5. Language Part 1: the author does include gratuitous sayings and phrases in Latin, Catalan, and Italian dialects, all of which are left untranslated for the average reader, who is doubtless able to read medieval Genovese.
6. Language Part 2: I refuse to believe that jejune, mulct, paymin, and enfeoffed are words. I do, however, believe that the author's vocabularly is at times unusual, dated, or pretentious.
7. Language Part 3: Speaking of unusual and dated, some of the author's word choices are racist. On page 55 he is fond of using "oriental" to describe the Moors (keeping in mind, Morocco is west of Spain and also Edward Said published Orientalism 9 years before this book was published), on page 147 he says that Europeans viewed Malians as "stage n******s", and the only description the native Canary islanders get is "neolithic savages". When he described "negresses" on page 190 I put down the book and stopped reading.
This book is poorly written both in terms of vocabulary and discourse, does not engage with primary sources or multiple perspectives, and presents no clear thesis or argument. I recommend it to nobody.
December 23, 2019
I LOVE THIS BOOK.
March 25, 2024
FF TO THE A KICKING IT OLD SCHOOL HISTORICALLY SPEAKING OF COURSE THE CANARIES PRECEDENT TO ATLANTIC EXPLORATION AND CONQUEST HEY NOW
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews