The age of discovery and the initiation of the trans-Atlantic slave trade

Abstract EN

After both the Christian reconquest of most of the Iberian territories by the fifteenth century and subsequent defeat of the Muslims, the Europeans started a series of geographical discoveries that changed the course of history.

The Portuguese in particular were the pioneers of the Age of Discovery, as they were the first ones to initiate the exploration of the West African coasts by the beginning of the fifteenth century, mainly under the supervision and sponsorship of the Portuguese King’s son, Prince Henry.

The Portuguese were soon to be followed by their neighbours, the Spaniards, who directed their efforts towards the western hemisphere, especially after they succeeded to discover the New World in 1492.

One of the direct consequences of European explorations was the beginning of an unprecedented trans-Atlantic traffic in African slaves to meet the Europeans’ need for labour force, particularly in the plantations and mines of the New World.

This article examines the role of these European explorations in initiating the trans-Atlantic slave trade and their impact on the populations of West Africa in particular, since this region was the scene of the first European voyages of exploration.

Moreover, West Africans constituted the bulk of the slave cargo that crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed on the New World between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.