1. REASONS FOR THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
What were some key motives for Europeans during the Age of Exploration?
Establish new trade routes to Asia ($)
Discover new knowledge/gain glory for oneself & country
Spread Christianity
Which motive do you think was the strongest for encouraging European exploration? Why?
What key advances in knowledge and technology allowed Europeans to explore these new areas?
Cartography – Map making (1507, first time a map showed North and South America)
Carvel – small, fast ship with triangular sails that allowed it sail against the wind
Which advance do you think was the most important? Why?

2. PORTUGAL BEGINS THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
What contributions did each of these individuals make to Portuguese exploration?
Prince Henry “the Navigator”
Sponsored explorers
Started a navigation school where sailors and mapmakers could learn their craft
Bartolomeu Dias
1488, became the first European to go around the southern tip of Africa
Vasco da Gama
Sailed to India and brought back goods that encouraged further direct trade with India
Pedro Cabral
While attempting to sail to India, Cabral sailed to far west and reached Brazil. He would claim this land for Portugal
Amerigo Vespucci
1501, explored the coast of what is now Brazil, he drew maps and took notes about what he saw.
A mapmaker read Vespucci’s observations and in 1507 named the continent America in his honor.

3. PORTUGAL BEGINS THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
What impact did Portuguese exploration have on the people of these continents?
Africa
Brought back slaves and gold
Asia
Brought back spices, porcelain, jewels and silk
Controlled the Indian Ocean (prices of Asian goods dropped)
The Americas
Colonies established in Brazil
Forced native people to convert to Christianity
Natives forced to work on sugar plantations
Many natives would die and Africans were brought in to work

4. SPAIN’S EARLY EXPLORATIONS
What contributions did each of these individuals make to early Spanish exploration?
Christopher Columbus
Sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean trying to get to Asia.
Arrived at San Salvador (Caribbean Islands) on October 12th He never knew that he hadn’t reached Asia.
Called the natives Taino. Began to refer to them as Indians
Ferdinand Magellan
Believed he could reach the Indies if he found a strait or channel between North and South. Set sail in
Southern tip of South America (Strait of Magellan) allowed Magellan to reach the Pacific Ocean.
Magellan would be killed during a fight in the Philippines.
Juan Sebastián Elcano (Basque) would actually complete the first circumnavigation of the globe.

5. SPAIN’S EARLY EXPLORATIONS
What impact did early Spanish exploration have on the people of these continents?
Europe
Changed Europe’s view of the world – showed that there was a “New World”
Westward trade route established
New Crops brought back from the America’s
Spain and Portugal gained great wealth
The Americas
Settlements established
Native people were almost wiped out by disease, starvation and being overworked.
African slaves were brought over to replace the natives.

6. LATER SPANISH EXPLORATION AND CONQUEST
What contributions did each of these individuals make to early Spanish exploration and conquest?
Hernan Cortes
Spanish conquistador (conqueror) that defeated the Aztecs in Mexico
Aztecs, led by Montezuma, had built a large, wealthy empire.
Believed Cortes was a god, allied with Aztec enemies, Superior weapons, and Diseases helped defeat the Aztecs
Francisco Pizzaro
In the 1520s, Pizzaro invaded Peru and defeated the Incan Empire
What impact did later Spanish exploration and conquest have on the people of these continents?
Europe
Expansion of foreign trade and overseas colonization allowed Spain to become one of the world’s most powerful countries.
New items brought to Europe (corn, potatoes, chocolate and tobacco). Population increased.
The Americas
New animals brought to the New World (horses, cattle, sheep and pigs).
Aztec and Inca civilizations were destroyed.
Millions of natives would die

7. EUROPEAN EXPLORATION OF NORTH AMERICA
What contributions did each of these individuals make to the European exploration of North America?
John Cabot
Italian who sailed for England
Believed he could reach India by going northwest across the Atlantic Ocean.
Claimed a large portion of Canada for the English
Giovanni de Verrazano
Italian who sailed for France
Explored along the Atlantic coastline (North Carolina to Canada)
Gave France their first claims in the New World
Henry Hudson
English explorer that sailed for both the English and the Dutch
Searched for the Northwest Passage (all water route through North America to the Pacific Ocean)
Hudson River and Hudson Bay are two areas named after the explorer
What impact did the European exploration of North America have on the people of Europe?
Rich resources of fish, otter skins, whale oil and beaver and fox furs.

8. THE IMPACT OF EXPLORATION ON EUROPEAN COMMERCE AND ECONOMIES
Define the following terms associated with the commercial revolution in Europe:
Capitalism
Based on investing money for profit
market economy
Prices are based on its supply and demand. Demand is high = price is high, Demand is low = price is low; Supply is high = price is low, Supply is low = price is high
cottage industry
People began to work in their homes making textiles.
Mercantilism
Countries attempted to export more than they imported. For example, a country would acquire raw materials from their colonies, make a finished product and then sell that finished product back to their colonies.
In what ways did the Age of Exploration help spur the commercial revolution in Europe?