Europe Encounters the World The Age of Exploration Europe Encounters the World

Why did explorations happen when they did? A variety of factors all came together to make the time period (1450-1700) the “Age of Exploration” Some of these factors were pushes, external forces acting on Europe Some were pulls, motivations and things that attracted the Europeans

What is the easiest way to remember it all? The Three G’s: Gold God Glory Although a little simplistic, this mnemonic is a great way to remember the main motivations of the European explorers.

The First G: Gold and Natural Resources Gold was a hot item that explorers were looking for, but remember, it is really wealth, not just literal gold that explorers were after. They wanted more than just gold.

The First G: Gold and Natural Resources Europeans also desired spices (Da Gama’s voyage to India made him a 3000% profit!) Spices were in great demand by Europeans because meat and fish spoiled too quickly. No refrigerators! People wanted to use spices such as salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to help preserve food and to help improve flavor.

The First G: Gold and Natural Resources Other natural resources would come to be sold for profit as well (timber, sugar, tobacco, ivory, etc.)

The First G: Gold and Natural Resources

The First G: Gold and Natural Resources Europeans wanted the exotic spices and fabrics from Asia, but transporting spices and goods great distances by land cost too much $$. (Want/Need) Business owners wanted to make bigger profits. Therefore, a shortcut was needed to get merchandise from Asia to Europe. Ex. of Supply and Demand

The First G: Gold and Natural Resources European merchants knew that if they would trade directly with people in Asia, they could make huge profits. Africa In the 1400s, Europeans began searching for a sea route to Asia.

The Second G: God Some Europeans believed it was their duty to spread their Christian faith throughout the world Especially after the Reformation, competition will spring up (Split Catholic Church/Protestant Church) Colonization will become a race to convert native peoples to a particular brand of Christianity Cathedral Of Notre Dame Paris, France

The Third G: Glory Just like the first G, Gold, Glory was a relatively new idea in Europe Came out of the Renaissance ideal of Humanism, and the focus on individual achievement With the rise of the printing press, the idea of gaining fame for one’s actions was more possible Also, individual kings wanted glory for their kingdoms, competition spreads The Triumph of Fame, a Flemish tapestry from 1502.

The Third G: Glory As Europeans began exploring the Coast of Africa, they began settling Colonies. Colonizing new areas added to a country’s territory (more natural resources, more wealth) Colonizing also opened new markets European countries could sell things to the people in these areas and make even more money

The Third G: Glory ---Countries began competing The more colonies a country had, the more wealth it had More colonies meant more prestige or Glory ---Countries began competing with one another for colonies When one country takes over another, it is called Imperialism

The Known World (pre-1492)

Portuguese Exploration begins... Portugal was a good base for sailors. It has a long shoreline and many harbors and rivers flowing westward to the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal also participated in a constant exchange of cultural idea with Islamic kingdoms, making it a center of knowledge and technological development. Monument to celebrate the achievements of early Portuguese explorers of the 1400’s and 1500’s. Prince Henry the Navigator is in the upper right. (Lisbon, Portugal)

Portugal’s reasons Rather than fight across Spain to trade with other European countries, Portugal traded by sea. The Portuguese also struggled to expel the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese thought making war on Islam was their Christian duty.

How did these explorations begin? The first to encourage new ship explorations was Prince Henry of Portugal, known as “Prince Henry the Navigator” Started an institute for seafaring and exploring Combined ship technology learned from Islam with new European innovations By the time of his death in 1460, the Portuguese had sailed as far south as the Gold Coast of West Africa Prince Henry never sailed on any of his expeditions and rarely left Portugal.

Institute of Sagres: Prince Henry’s School of Navigation The institute was designed to teach navigational techniques to Portuguese sailors, to collect and disseminate geographical information about the world, to invent and improve navigational and seafaring equipment, to sponsor expeditions, and to spread Christianity around the world. Prince Henry brought together some of the leading geographers, cartographers, astronomers, and mathematicians from throughout Europe to work at the institute.

What were the new technologies that enabled explorations? The caravel was a new, faster, more maneuverable ship Older ships had square sails, caravels had triangular sails (easier to change direction) Bilge pump system enabled ship to float higher (less likely to run aground, easier to explore coasts and rivers) Compass, astrolabe, maps and other technologies from Islamic culture all helped make explorations possible

Magnetic Compass Astrolabe Cross-staff Not reliable because compass points to magnetic north and not to true north. Astrolabe Used to show how the sky looks at a specific time. Uses: time of day/night sunrise/sunset Position of the stars, moon, etc. *Not a navigation instrument Cross-staff Measured the angle above the horizon of the sun and stars to determine latitude. The early explorers could not calculate longitude.

What factors were pushing Europeans to explore? Decline of Mongol Empire in 1400s made goods from the east harder to get, more expensive Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 was a major block to trade

Key Words Colony God Glory Gold Spices Christianity Prince Henry Spain Exploration Natural Resources Mercantilism Trade Slavery Malaria Magellan Portugal