city Se 2Edward P, Thompeon ‘ne ercxo’s crv. waR, James M. McPherson A History of Insanity inthe Age of Reason, staveny, Eugene ance mpi4,D.D. Kosambi ogi Early Phase 1848, Georges Duveas ation and the sn Expansion 1400-1700, Georges Balandier Michel Foucault D. Genoves Carlo Cipolla 1964 1965 1965 106s 1966 1966 1966 1967 GUNS, SAILS AND EMPIRES: ‘Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion 1400-1700 CRAY CARLO M. CIPOLLA ‘it, PANTHEON BOOKS A Division of Random House New York98617 © 1965, by Carlo M, Cipolla All ight tseve unde International and Pan-American Copyright Con ‘estions Publted in London, Eogland by Win. Coline Son Co, Lt ‘New York by Pantheon Book, dion of Random Howe, ln. Libary of Congren Catalog Card Number: 6619017 PREFACE T am an inveterate pacifist since while I recognize that wars and revolutions are one way of settling human affairs I am inclined to believe that they are neither a rational nor a polite cone. Lam also a poor sailor, and as soon as I set foot on board a ship, Iam apt, after a few minutes, to feel more sickly dead than deadly sick, ‘The first person to be utterly surprised at having written a book entitled “Guns and sails” is most definitely the author, and readers may feel confident that the book is neither magnetized by some Freudian attraction for weapons nor biased by an ancestral love for salt water. The book has been written simply because, in studying the history of the carly modern period the author was forced, by over whelming evidence, to recognize, against his tastes and inclina- tions, the importance of guns and sails. ‘As Professor Panikkar wrote, “ the 450 years which began with the arrival of Vasco da Gama in Calicut (in 1498) and ended with the withdrawal of British forces from India in 1947 and of the European navies from China in 1949 presents a singular unity in its fundamental aspects. These may be briefly stated as the dominance of maritime power over the land masses of Asia and the domination of the peoples of Europe who held the mastery ofthe seas”. The Vasco da Gama era” isnow over. Our generation is witnessing the end of it and the beginning of another age. We do not know what lies ahead. But we are in a good position to look back and try to under stand what the Vasco da Gama era” has been and what it has ‘meant in the history of mankind. This book is devoted to the study of what made it possible.