B3015thand16th

__**Private and state roles in economic activity Portugal controls the gold trade**__ Originally, Muslim caravans brought gold from the African cities of Niani and Timbuktu and transported it north across the Sahara to Mediterranean Ports and into Europe. Eventually the Portuguese explorers interrupted this commerce in gold out of greed. Henry the Navigator’s carefully planned expeditions to reach Guinea succeeded, and under King John II, the Portuguese was able to establish trading posts and forts on the Guinea coast and penetrate into the continent all the way to Timbuktu. Portuguese ships then transported the gold to Lisbon, and by the 16th century, Portugal controlled the flow of gold to Europe. This allowed the Portuguese to have a prosperous economy. McKay, John P. History of Western society. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.