Europeans consider the Portuguese explorer Vasco's da Gama's voyage around Africa to Calicut, India, to be one of the great achievements of the Age of Exploration. For the Ottoman Empire, however, da Gama's feat marked the end of an age, not the beginning. For centuries, the Ottomans had controlled the Silk Road that brought the treasures of Asia to Europe. Now Europeans could obtain those goods more easily by sea, using maritime (ocean-based) trade routes. The discovery of the Americas also allowed Europeans to obtain goods without crossing Ottoman territory. This map shows the maritime trade routes to Asia and the Americas that allowed Europeans to avoid traveling through another government's territory.
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Since Portugal led the way in exploring and mapping sea trade routes, the Ottomans launched a series of naval attacks against Portuguese trading ships during the mid-16th century meant to protect their status as middle-men between Asian and European trade. Though the Ottomans were able to establish a few long-term bases on the coast of East Africa, their naval assaults did little to stop the expansion of European power. The Portuguese were soon followed by Dutch and then English trading companies. Meanwhile, trade along the Silk Road gradually dried up, and the once thriving cities along the route fell into poverty and disrepair. The loss of income from foreign traders using the Silk Road led to the destabilization, or weakening, of the Ottoman government. The once brilliant Ottoman Empire waned as Europe's star shone brighter and brighter.
When the Spanish discovered silver in Peru and Bolivia, it changed the world economy. For centuries, the silver that was used to make coins in Europe had arrived over land from Central Asia and China--by way of the Silk Road. This map shows the route that silver traveled from China through Ottoman territory to Europe:
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