1. Europeans Explore the East
Section 3-1

2. Why the Age of Exploration Began
God
Gold
Glory

3. For God
The spreading of Christianity became of motivating factor for many Europeans
The Crusades left a feeling of hostility between Christians and Muslims
Many saw it as their duty to convert non-Christians

4. For Gold
The Crusades introduced Europeans to spices and other luxury goods from Asia
Muslims>Italians>other Europeans at an increased profit
The Italian and Muslims had a corner on the spice trade and other nations began to look for alternative routes to the East

5. For Glory
Several advances in technology opened the door for explorers seeking fame to complete trips that were impossible only a few years before
The caravel, sextant, magnetic compass, and astrolabe were used to improve navigation at sea

6. Portugal Leads the Way
Prince Henry est. a navigation school in order perfect their shipping capabilities
He wanted to reach the vast stores of spices and other treasures that were in the East
After only a few years the Portuguese had est. several trading ports on Africa’s west coast
They then set the sights on East Africa and Asia

7. To The East
Bartholomew Dias was the 1st captain to sail around the tip of Africa
Vasco da Gama was the 1st European captain to reach India (he filled his ships with spices and treasure from there and returned to Portugal a hero)

8. Problems with the Spanish
Christopher Columbus got the Spanish Monarchy to finance a trip West across the Atlantic to est. a route to Asia
This opened the door for American exploration but also led to problems between Spain and Portugal over the land
The Pope stepped in to keep the peace, he proposed the Treaty of Tordesillas which set up the Line of Demarcation (West is Spanish and East was Portuguese)

9. Trading Dominance
The Portuguese set up a trading empire in the Indian Ocean region which took control of the spice trade from the Muslims

10. The Dutch take Control
The Dutch Netherlands set out to take the Indian Ocean trade away from Portugal
They had the biggest most powerful navy in Europe and est. the Dutch East India Company-an entity that could mint money, sign treaties, and raise an army
The Dutch drove out the Portuguese and held off the English to remain dominant in the region

11. England and France
Because of the Dutch dominance, England and France looked elsewhere for riches
England est. a firm hold on India and both nations began to look to the Americas for wealth