Once More With Feeling: West African Slavery

[MNP]

Okay, I've been struggling with this issue for a year now for The Raptor of Spain. How to get European ships to the new world and the east without also launching into the horrendous slave trade?

The main problem seems to be that if European states have colonies in the west and use them for plantation agriculture, African slaves are going to be the most economic way for them to function--particularly in regards to sugar. There are a few things different from OTL.

1. Alt-Spain also consists of OTL's Morocco (not as a conquered territory, it's considered part of the state). Its traders have been crossing the Sahara for about 250 years at this point. They displaced the Muslims a long time ago and in fact, Islam is definitely on the decline in all of west Africa all the way to Tunis.

2. At southern end of the trade is the large Empire of Takrur. This empire overthrew the Ghanas and essentially a Christian equivalent of Mali. They converted around the early 1000s. I think it's starting to decline now somewhat but I'm not sure. They have been a long time trading partner and it was Alt-Spain that began their Christianization in the first place.

3. Slavery itself is a minor anachronism in Alt-Spain. There are a few reasons for this, which I can explain if needed later. Feudalism itself never really happened in TTL either and you don't have the kind of great landed estates that appeared in OTL. Commerce also revived much more quickly than in OTL so prestige and wealth are based on control of urban centers and things like being proficient in managing banking and trade networks.

Okay I think that's it.

So what I'm looking for are plausible ways to avoid slavery because I am just stumped and it's not long before the sea route to the east and South America show up in the TL. Of course I will acknowledge and credit ideas that show up in the TL.

Thanks.

 

[Strategos' Risk]

A horrific Irish indentured servitude trade.

 

[Jester]

The West African trade is the most plausible route. Why try and find a way out of it?

 

[MNP]

A horrific Irish indentured servitude trade.

Ireland unified in the 850s and was one of the stronger kingdoms in the British Isles (Greater Albaney) until recently (1100). They are currently exporting their undesirables to America to fish the grand banks off of Newfoundland (ITTL, Avalon) to provide enough food to feed the somewhat over-populated island. Since the Danelaw won out in Britain, that country looks more towards the North Sea (Denmark/Norway) for opportunities and if anything is enslaving the Anglo-Saxons in the west which they recently (against, last 30 years) conquered.

While I can definitely see the governments in Ireland and Albaney selling off dissidents, there might be some problems. Disease. Irish "servants" die quicker in regards to Malaria and other African disease than Sub-Saharan Africans so is it possible to avoid plantations? Also right now while there are state-churches there's no Catholic-Protestant kind of divide that makes it easier to see the slaves as sub-human.

ED: I commented in that TL.... because I was trying to deal with this issue even then.

The West African trade is the most plausible route. Why try and find a way out of it?

Because it's such a horrible thing I'd like to avoid it if I could. Plus, they would be enslaving people who are already Christian so... I suppose it could be that they could end up as non-chattel slavery which would in itself be an improvement (probably). Right now the sugar plantations (only a few, on the Azores+Madeira and a few spots on the mainland) run on convict labor.

 

[Tobit]

1. The Native Americans become more resistant a lot faster to European diseases. European colonies are founded by the conquest of Native states and crops are grown with Native labor.

2. The Europeans expand very quickly into West Africa, but the trade will be on more or less equal terms. The Christian Kingdom and others are quickly made allies to the Europeans. Some European settlements are founded in the more hospitable parts of West Africa, and intermarrying occurs. These European colonies make a sort of proving ground for settlers that later colonize the Americas.

3. Medicine is more advanced earlier, so that European settlers are less likely to die when they get there. I tend to think that Muslims would be better simply because bathing and silk clothing was far more common than their Christian counterparts. Less disease means that the labor demand might be filled by more reliable European workers.

By the way #2 did occur in OTL in the form of the Lançados of Portugal or the Landinos of Spain. These were Africans or half-Africans that took on Christianity and Spanish or Portuguese culture very quickly. They are often forgotten in our modern day rush to impose black and white versions of history on the past.

 

[Jester]

Because it's such a horrible thing I'd like to avoid it if I could. Plus, they would be enslaving people who are already Christian so... I suppose it could be that they could end up as non-chattel slavery which would in itself be an improvement (probably). Right now the sugar plantations (only a few, on the Azores+Madeira and a few spots on the mainland) run on convict labor.

They aren't all going to be Christian. OTL's West African states had a long history as Muslims and still included a sizeable number of pagans- and that is only including the areas that had large scale organized states.

You aren't going to get sugar manufactories in the Americas without chattel slavery. Death rates were too high- this is why the Caribbean almost never had a positive birth rate during the era.

 

[MNP]

1. The Native Americans become more resistant a lot faster to European diseases. European colonies are founded by the conquest of Native states and crops are grown with Native labor.

2. The Europeans expand very quickly into West Africa, but the trade will be on more or less equal terms. The Christian Kingdom and others are quickly made allies to the Europeans. Some European settlements are founded in the more hospitable parts of West Africa, and intermarrying occurs. These European colonies make a sort of proving ground for settlers that later colonize the Americas.

3. Medicine is more advanced earlier, so that European settlers are less likely to die when they get there. I tend to think that Muslims would be better simply because bathing and silk clothing was far more common than their Christian counterparts. Less disease means that the labor demand might be filled by more reliable European workers.

By the way #2 did occur in OTL in the form of the Lançados of Portugal or the Landinos of Spain. These were Africans or half-Africans that took on Christianity and Spanish or Portuguese culture very quickly. They are often forgotten in our modern day rush to impose black and white versions of history on the past.

I think this has some significant promise. As I pointed out in the TL itself, skin color has no bearing on what is or is not considered a Spaniard (revolving more around language and religion). As it happens the Native Americans in N. America ARE becoming more resistant thanks to the smaller Irish settlements. They have horses and cattle and the natives have both (the colonies have been around for about 90 years so far, population <10,000). Stuff like metal working is also passing over (slowly) so it's likely the natives will be stronger ITTL in general. Still developing the ideas for N.America. S. Americans along the eastern coast will probably experience a similar fate. Mesoamericans ironically will probably be some of the last peoples directly contacted.

2 kind of happens, but there has been no real reason to move beyond coastal trading posts but generally my ideas are in the direction of 2. In fact, the brother of the king from 1002-1019 married an African woman (from OTL's Senegal area) so it's not like there's a taboo.

3 has happened. Medicine is a lot better. A word about bathing however. It's kind of a myth that medieval europeans didn't bathe. Bath houses remained popular in the middle ages until the later 1200s, but the deforestation meant it became far more expensive to heat the water and combined with the black death and general climate chaos of the 1300s took a hit. I'm not sure what you mean about silk clothing except that if you get stabbed through it there's less infection. Anyhow, as part of a huge victory against Byzantium in 976 and some follow up intervention in a civil war, the Spaniards got several crates of silk-worms so they also have a native silk industry and it's used too.

 

[Russian Sailor]

If one african nation is strong enough they can create a monopoly on the slave trade. So without having competitive prices this said african nation can go and make prices as high as it wants too. Even though europeans will get angry by this they will eventually be forced to by some and or stop because of it becoming morally and financially wrong at a much earlier date. Effectively abolishing slavery

 

[Jester]

Now a silk industry is interesting to consider. Silk itself is not well suited to large scale forced labor. It is a casual labor industry, requiring some delicacy and care. I'm not sure how well it would work in the Caribbean however- I know it doesn't do so badly in the American Southeast.

 

[MNP]

They aren't all going to be Christian. OTL's West African states had a long history as Muslims and still included a sizeable number of pagans- and that is only including the areas that had large scale organized states.

You aren't going to get sugar manufactories in the Americas without chattel slavery. Death rates were too high- this is why the Caribbean almost never had a positive birth rate during the era.

On your first point, there are very few Muslims. TL is such that the Muslim influence in West Africa ended almost totally by 926 and Christian influence began as early as 860s, this was before the conversions which occurred in the early 11th century. This means that you had a few Christian traders, a few Muslim traders and a lot of pagans in 900. Right now you have a large chunk of Christians (30-45% probably) with another chunk (65-50%) pagan and the remainder Muslim (1-10%). The closest Muslim state is Kanem. However now that Muslims are essentially dying out, the temptation to abuse them is going to be much greater and probably crop up more often than it has to date, in fact you can be certain of it.

In the second, I'm actually wondering if sugar manufacturing is the automatic reaction to controlling the Caribbean, American SE or the Brazilian coast. I'm aware that standard survival rates were about 2 years tops even for the Africans and that they were not encouraged to reproduce there, so more slaves were constantly imported and even then they could barely keep up with die-offs. Sugar is terrifyingly labor intensive.

ED: AH, I see you thought about much more delicate silk.

These are all very VERY interesting ideas. Thank you.

ED2: Russian Sailor - This is a very interesting idea. I know the Takrur Empire is going to be very angry when Alt-Spain really begins to establish trading posts on the Ivor/Gold/Slave Coasts of OTL. They are friendly but I can very well see them raising the price of slaves as a result. While Alt-Spain itself does not employ many slaves, it does do a strong business in slave-trade to the east via the Italian coastal cities it controls or influences. Plus, by law if the slaves are just in port long enough to leave, you can avoid the slavery import taxes because they're not being imported into the state.

 

[Jester]

On your first point, there are very few Muslims. TL is such that the Muslim influence in West Africa ended almost totally by 926 and Christian influence began as early as 860s, this was before the conversions which occurred in the early 11th century. This means that you had a few Christian traders, a few Muslim traders and a lot of pagans. Right now you have a large chunk of Christians (30-45% probably) with another chunk (65-50%) pagan and the remainder Muslim (1-8%).

In the second, I'm actually wondering if sugar manufacturing is the automatic reaction to controlling the Caribbean or the Brazilian coast. I'm aware that standard survival rates were about 2 years tops even for the Africans.

I realize your TL has a different scenario (not fully caught up, but I have read it) but my point was that religion never became unitary in West Africa and still isn't.

On to the second part: If they realize they can grow sugar, they will grow sugar. The sugar industry in the E. Mediterranean was almost as terrible as in the Caribbean and they still did it there. In order to sustain colonies, cash crops are going to have to be the order of the day.

 

[Strategos' Risk]

Enslavement of Polynesians or East Indians.

 

[Zuvarq]

How is enslaving people other than West Africans better than enslaving West Africans? It's the same, people are still being enslaved.

 

[Tobit]

I realize your TL has a different scenario (not fully caught up, but I have read it) but my point was that religion never became unitary in West Africa and still isn't.

On to the second part: If they realize they can grow sugar, they will grow sugar. The sugar industry in the E. Mediterranean was almost as terrible as in the Caribbean and they still did it there. In order to sustain colonies, cash crops are going to have to be the order of the day.

Yeah I agree. However it would be interesting if the Sugar industry never took off in the Americas but was somehow developed in West Africa itself.

 

[Jester]

Yeah I agree. However it would be interesting if the Sugar industry never took off in the Americas but was somehow developed in West Africa itself.

Now THAT is interesting- turning the standard West African modes of slavery into chattel slavery right on the continent. West African sugar could provide competition to any Caribbean upstarts as well. At the same time, it would provide a continental use for all the peoples bound in slavery- meaning no surplus to be sold for export.

 

[Tobit]

I looked it up and apparently there is actually good reason why Sugar wasn't grown in West Africa. Draft animals important for the processing of Sugar would be impossible to maintain due to disease. Also there are problems with Nitrogen levels and lack of topsoil that will make Large scale plantation level production of Sugar very difficult.

 

[yourworstnightmare]

One way to butterfly away sugar plantations. Do not have the Portuguese take Brazil. It was the Portuguese who already had experience from Madeira and Sao Tomé who were able to export that system to the New World.
It will not remove slavery altogether though, since many early Spanish colonists on Cuba had slaves from Spain with them (Africans, Berbers, Bosnians, perhaps some Canarians). Also without Africans, there would probably be more focus on enslaving/exploiting natives.

This will however cause massive butterflies:
1. Except Mexico and Peru most of America will seem useless, the Caribbean colonies will not be economically viable, and many of them will be abandoned, much lesser Dutch, French and British interests in the Caribbean.
2. With the Portuguese not getting Brazil, it will probably be int he Spanish sphere, but not sufficiently colonized. the Dutch might not even be interested in occupying it if there is no flourishing plantations. of course thing might change if the Spanish are able to start mining in the area.

 

[MNP]

I looked it up and apparently there is actually good reason why Sugar wasn't grown in West Africa. Draft animals important for the processing of Sugar would be impossible to maintain due to disease. Also there are problems with Nitrogen levels and lack of topsoil that will make Large scale plantation level production of Sugar very difficult.

From what I understand, there were several New World crops introduced into West Africa that really helped increase the population, making it easier to provide more slaves before the economic base of the area degraded.

 

[Russian Sailor]

Another way to demote West african slavery is to have the Africans learn how to make use and learn gun warfare if this happens I don't think the West africans will have any reason to go and enslave themselves over foreign commodities.

Also If you tie it too what I said earlier the Colonising power's will might try to create their own source of free or cheap labor. This might mean humanizing working conditions in order to attract more workers.

 

[mrmandias]

OTL, didn't the slavers feel that Muslim blacks made bad slaves? Too refractory.

On your first point, there are very few Muslims. TL is such that the Muslim influence in West Africa ended almost totally by 926 and Christian influence began as early as 860s, this was before the conversions which occurred in the early 11th century. This means that you had a few Christian traders, a few Muslim traders and a lot of pagans in 900. Right now you have a large chunk of Christians (30-45% probably) with another chunk (65-50%) pagan and the remainder Muslim (1-10%). The closest Muslim state is Kanem. However now that Muslims are essentially dying out, the temptation to abuse them is going to be much greater and probably crop up more often than it has to date, in fact you can be certain of it.

In the second, I'm actually wondering if sugar manufacturing is the automatic reaction to controlling the Caribbean, American SE or the Brazilian coast. I'm aware that standard survival rates were about 2 years tops even for the Africans and that they were not encouraged to reproduce there, so more slaves were constantly imported and even then they could barely keep up with die-offs. Sugar is terrifyingly labor intensive.

ED: AH, I see you thought about much more delicate silk.

These are all very VERY interesting ideas. Thank you.

ED2: Russian Sailor - This is a very interesting idea. I know the Takrur Empire is going to be very angry when Alt-Spain really begins to establish trading posts on the Ivor/Gold/Slave Coasts of OTL. They are friendly but I can very well see them raising the price of slaves as a result. While Alt-Spain itself does not employ many slaves, it does do a strong business in slave-trade to the east via the Italian coastal cities it controls or influences. Plus, by law if the slaves are just in port long enough to leave, you can avoid the slavery import taxes because they're not being imported into the state.