Background E. Med. was controlled by the Italians and Ottomans N.A. Muslims controlled African overland routes Portugal began to seek new, more direct routes to gold, spices, and slaves
Technology Improved mapmaking made it easier to navigate in the open ocean The astrolabe measured the positions of the stars and made it possible to determine latitude
The Astrolabe
Europeans improved the compass that had first been developed in the Arab world The Portuguese caravel was faster and more maneuverable than previous ships The lateen sail and rudder made it possible to sail against the wind
Rudder Lateen Sail
Portuguese Caravel
West Africa Portuguese trading stations in West Africa were soon established African gold and ivory were brought back to Europe from Africa’s Gold and Ivory Coasts In 1441, Portuguese traders also began buying slaves along the Slave Coast
Beyond Africa King John II wanted to find a route around Africa to reach the spice trade in India and China In 1488, Bartholomeu Dias rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope
Dias’s Voyage
Cape of Good Hope
King John then ordered an expedition to India Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498 A Portuguese trading empire in Asia now seemed possible
Da Gama’s Voyage