Age of Exploration

As you recall, Europe has undergone a major adjustment in the political, cultural & economic areas of life. These changes are what contributed to their motivation to begin the Age of Discovery!

Leading Exploration Nations Portugal Spain France England

Europe wants more… By the early 1400’s, European countries were tired of paying high prices for Asian goods. Therefore, Europe set out to find a faster trade route to Asia and gain control of the East for themselves ($$$).

PORTUGAL

Portuguese sailors lead the way in the search for a new trade route. Their success was due, in large part, to Prince Henry the Navigator. Son of Portugal’s king In 1419, he opened a school for mapmakers, shipbuilders, and navigators.

Portuguese shipbuilders designed a ship called a caravel: it was larger, stronger, easier to steer, and much faster than other ships.

Portugal makes great sailors… Besides having the best ships, Portuguese sailors also used an astrolabe to measure latitude and a compass for direction. They gathered all the information to create detailed maps and charts of the Atlantic. As the Portuguese searched for a new trade route, they built strong ties with Africa and spread Christianity.

Astrolabe

FYI: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set up trade routes with Africa by sailing west. The became the 1st European nation to exploit the Slave Trade!

Nuno Tristao and Antao Goncalves Supported by Prince Henry the Navigator to explore and hunt Africa. These men captured Africans and brought them back to Portugal as slaves. One man they captured was a tribal chief. He convinced the men to let him go back to Africa with promises of more “slaves”. This was the beginning of the African slave trade.

Vasco da Gama… For many years, sailors were unable (and afraid) to sail beyond the tip of Africa. Finally, in 1497, a Portuguese sailor named Vasco da Gama rounded the S. tip of Africa. From here, he sailed along the eastern coast of Africa and across the Indian Ocean to India. He returned with a cargo of spices and precious stones. The Portuguese had set up their trade route with Asia!

SPAIN

FYI: The Spanish founded western routes to the Orient and conquered most of S. & N. America. They never developed trade in their new lands but were able to seize great wealth from this region….GOLD!!!!

Spain’s Contribution… An Italian sea captain named Christopher Columbus was convinced he could reach India by sailing west across the Atlantic. Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to fund his expedition in hopes of great riches. Columbus set sail from Spain on August 3, 1492. “Columbus sailed the ocean BLUE in 1492 !!!”

What Columbus didn’t know… Columbus did not know that two continents stood in his way (North and South America). Columbus landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea (N. Am.), but thought he was in Japan! Soon, both Spain and Portugal began carving empires in the Americas. Columbus completed three more expeditions by 1504.

Ferdinand Magellan… Magellan was an officer in the Portuguese navy. However, the Portuguese king would not support his expedition. So…Magellan convinced a “Spanish” king to pay for the journey! Magellan set sail in 1519 with 5 ships and about 250 men. After much searching, the sailors located a passage now called the Strait of Magellan.

Magellan’s bad luck… It took Magellan and his crew 38 days to sail through the strait. Even before they reached the strait, the crew discovered they only had 1/3 of their food supply and water left. Some men starved to death or died of disease. Those who lived ate biscuits full of worms. Some even at sawdust But…they continued to sail on…

Bad luck turns good (for some)… Magellan’s skill as a sailor took his crew across the Pacific Ocean. However, Magellan did not live to return to Spain (he got involved in a small war with a Philippine king and was killed in 1521). More than 3 years after leaving home, only one ship returned to Spain. Out of the 250 men that set sail, only 18 returned. However, these were the first people to circumnavigate, or sail around the world!

Hernan Cortes… He was a Spanish conqueror who landed in Mexico and wanted to take Aztec gold. After many bloody battles, (240,000 Aztecs killed) the Aztecs surrendered to Spain in 1521. Cortes renamed the empire New Spain and made the capital Mexico City. Cortes tried to make life in New Spain similar to his homeland, by importing plants and animals.

The conquests of Cortes…

Francisco Pizarro… He was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in 1533. He conquered the empire of 12 million people with an army of 200 soldiers. Most Incans either died or were too weak to fight due to smallpox.

Hernando de Soto He was part of Pizarro’s crew. He helped to defeat the Inca. He helped with the expedition that found the Pacific Ocean. He founded and named the capital of Peru. Lima, Peru.

FRANCE

The main goal of the French was to find an all-water routes across northern North America. They developed a successful fur trade centered in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Valley.

La Salle He made claim to the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers which eventually resulted in the successful fur trade set up by France.

ENGLAND

FYI: The English were also interested in finding new settlements in N. America. The English, more than any other nation, created permanent settlements along the Atlantic. Developed into a stable, long-term trade relationship!

John Cabot Italian born and moved to England. Explorer for England claimed land in Canada for England mistaking it for Asia.

Henry Hudson Set sail from Europe headed North to find a shorter route to Asia via the Arctic Circle. He discovered the Hudson Bay which allowed England to lay claim to areas of Canada.

…Another motivation The Spanish, Portuguese & the French saw exploration has a new way to spread Christianity! Since the Reformation/Counter Reformation, Catholic nations saw this as an ample opportunity to spread their beliefs to non-European nations!

So What? 2 reasons for exploration: Initial goal: Results: Wealth through trade & spreading of Christianity Initial goal: Set up routes to India, China & the east Trade goods: silk & spices Results: Discovery of “new lands” led cultures to change their motivation & interaction with other people.

Famous slogan used by European Explorers…. “Glory, God & Gold” US Clip: Glory, God & Gold