Bellwork Europeans essentially lived in isolation for hundreds of years. Suddenly, the Crusades opened them up to a whole new world. In your thoughts, do you think Europeans are going to want to start exploring and if so, where do they want to go?

World History Section 5, Unit 3 Age of Exploration

Objectives Describe how the Renaissance influenced a spirit of adventure and curiosity in Europeans. Discuss early exploration done by Europeans. Analyze the role of Portugal in establishing a world trade network.

Exploration Prior to 1400, Europeans were not entirely isolated from the rest of the world. Europeans had went on Crusades prior to this, while explorer Marco Polo reached the courts of Kublai Khan in However, for the most part, Europeans did not have the desire or ability to explore. – This all changed in the 1400s.

Exploration Due to the Renaissance, improvements in technology, and desire to spread Christianity, Europeans began to explore. The desire for wealth, however, was the main reason for exploration. Europeans had hoped to trade for spices and other luxury goods from Asia.

Exploration After the Europeans were introduced to Asian goods via the Crusades, Europeans continued to demand spices such as nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper. Because demand of these goods was the greater than the supply, European merchants could charge high prices and make profits.

Exploration The Muslims and the Italians controlled trade of most goods. Muslims sold Asian goods to Italians who then traded throughout the Mediterranean to various ports. However, other European traders did not like this arrangement because paying high prices for resources cut into their own profits. – European traders sought to bypass the Italian merchants.

Exploration Other than wealth, spreading Christianity fueled exploration. The Crusades left many Christians feeling that they had a sacred duty to continue fighting Muslims and convert non- Christians throughout the world.

Exploration However, it would be the advances in technology that would make it possible for Europeans to achieve these goals. During the 1200s, European ships were unable to sail against the winds. However, in the 1400s, shipbuilders designed a new vessel– the caravel.

Exploration The caravel was capable and sailing against the winds due to it’s triangular sails. Europeans also improved navigational techniques. European sailors began using an astrolabe- an invention the Muslims perfected- to determine their location, rather than a compass that only told them directions, rather than location. An astrolabe used the stars to help a sea captain pinpoint how far north or south of the equator they were.

Portugal A leader in developing all these innovations was Portugal. Portugal is a small nation at the tip of the European Peninsula and was the first to establish trading posts along the west coast of Africa.

Portugal Portugal took the lead due to support from its government. Prince Henry, the son of Portugal’s king, was a major supporter. Henry had come into contact with the riches of Africa early in his life and was determined to reach the sources of the wealth.

Portugal In 1419, Henry established a navigation school to help map makers, instrument makers, shipbuilders, captains, and more to perfect their trades. Within a few years, Portuguese ships were sailing down the west coast of Africa and by the time Henry died in 1460, the Portuguese established trading posts.

Portugal Portugal traded with Africans for profitable items, such as gold and ivory and even began trading African slaves. However, they soon set their eyes on a new goal: creating a sea route to Asia. Prince Henry

Portugal The Portuguese believed that to reach Asia, they would have to sail around the southern tip of Africa. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias sailed down to the tip, but was hit by hard winds. When it was finished, he discovered that he was on the other side of the continent.

Portugal Dias explored the southeast coast of Africa and had considered sailing to India, but his crew were exhausted and supplies were low. With this, he chose to return home. However, Dias’ trip only pushed the Portuguese to press harder for Asia.

Portugal In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached the port of Calicut, in India. Da Gama were amazed by the amount of spices and precious gems and he filled his ships with all the goods he could. He returned to Portugal in 1499 and the Portuguese welcomed him. His 27,000 mile voyage gave Portugal a route to Asia.

Portugal With da Gama’s voyage, Europeans finally had a route to Asia. However, they opened up a violent era in the east. European nations scrambled to establish profitable trading posts and, in doing so, battled with the regions local population and each other.

Portugal In 1510, Portugal established a strong trading network in the Indian Ocean at the port city of Goa in India. Afterwards, they moved farther east to Indonesia and then attacked the city of Malacca in the Malay Peninsula. After taking the city, they seized control of the Strait of Malacca and gave them control of new spice trade.

Portugal In taking over so much of the eastern trade, Portugal, along with other European nations, crushed Muslim-Asian trade. They were able to bring new goods to Europe at a fraction of what it cost for Muslims to do so and made it so that Europeans could finally afford the goods.

Competition With Portugal’s success, other European nations began to challenge their trade empire. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan lead a Spanish expedition to the Philippines and claimed the islands and settled them in Portuguese Trading Posts

Competition Around 1600, the English and Dutch began to challenge Portugal. The Dutch– a people of the Netherlands of Northern Europe– became a trading powerhouse. By 1600, they had the largest fleet in the world– 20,00 vessels. Logo of the Dutch East India Trading Company

Competition Together, the English and Dutch crippled the Portuguese in the area and then began to battle each other for dominance. Each nation formed an East India Company to establish direct trade in Asia. These companies had the power to mint money, make treaties, and raise armies.

Competition However, the Dutch East India Company was richer and more powerful than England’s company. Eventually, the Dutch drove out the English and established their dominance in the region.

Notice on the map who has strong trading networks in the East.

Expansion While the Europeans were battling for control, their influence did not affect most of Asia. Many Asian nations rejected outreach or their peoples simply did not open themselves up to Western Culture.

Expansion However, while the East was a new region for the Europeans to explore, the Europeans would soon stumble onto an even greater find as their hunger for more riches would lead to them explore unknown waters.

Questions If you have any questions, please ask now.

Next Lesson In the next lesson, we are going to discuss the Europeans in the Americas.

Review 1.How did Prince Henry help improve navigation? 2.How did the Portuguese reach Asia? What was their route? 3.Why did the Europeans want to go to Asia? Describe 2 (two) reasons why they went east. 4.What two technological advances helped Europeans reach Asia? 5.How did the Europeans go about gaining territory in Asia? 6.What was the effect of European trade in Asia on (1) Asian peoples and (2) Muslim-Asian trade? 7.What were East India Companies and what kind of powers did they have?