Conquest of Tenerife (jan 1, 1494 – jan 1, 1496)

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The conquest of Tenerife completed the Spanish colonization of the Canary islands off the coast of Africa. Although the islands were not the first European colony, their significance lies in that they were specifically sought after by the Spanish for the potential slave raids that could take place on the islands. This set a precedent for the use of colonization to expand the slave trade. In the perspective of an enslaved African, this turning point was devastating considering the increased colonization of Africa is directly correlated with the increase of enslaved Africans. In fact, a quarter of the continent was colonised before the slave trade was abolished, portraying how increased enslavement was direct consequence of Euopean coloonization. In the perspective of an Enslaved person in the Carribean however, while colonization expentionalized the potential of slavery, the practice was still possible without it.

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