1. European Explorers Arrive
Chapter 2 Notes
Pages 39-43

2. What Were Europeans Seeking?
The Mongol Empire began to decline, losing power to the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East and the Ming Dynasty in China.
Because of this several things happened:
trade routes that were normally taken became too dangerous to travel.
Drove up the price of Asian Silk and spices due to supply and demand (less supply, a lot of demand, jack-up the prices because you know you can make a profit)
Economic opportunities created a challenge

3. How Did Technology Enable European Exploration?
Because land travel was not an option, countries needed to travel by sea to trade
Travel by sea had many risks:
Ships were slow and difficult to steer
Losing sight of land may get you lost
Bad weather could end your journey, or life
Thought the world was flat so they were terrified

4. How Did Technology Enable European Exploration?
To overcome some of these risks, Europeans began:
designing ships that were faster and easier to manoeuver.
Used navigational instruments previously developed by the ancient Greeks, Arab and Chinese sailors
Astrolabe – estimate your location using the stars and sun
Compass- tells you direction (north, east, south, west)
The Portuguese were the first to put these new techniques to use.

5. Why Did Europeans Arrive in the Lands that Became Canada?
Because the Mediterranean was already widely used, and mapped very well, the Portuguese knew they could not reach Asia by sailing west.

6. Why Did Europeans Arrive in the Lands that Became Canada?
The Portuguese (because of the fear that the earth was flat, and falling off the ends was a possibility) decided to still sail east.
Bartholomew Diaz sailed south-east, around the Cape of Good Hope on Africa’s southern most tip, eventually making it to India.
The Portuguese did not want to share their newly discovered route, so they did their best to control the eastern sea route to Asia.

7. Why Did Europeans Arrive in the Lands that Became Canada?
Spain wanted in on the wealth, but new they could not use the Portuguese trade route.
Ferdinand and Isabella (king and queen of Spain) made a deal with Christopher Columbus; if he succeeded in finding Asia, Spain would take 90% of the profits and he could keep the rest.
Columbus braved the western route, and the ends of the earth on his expedition.

8. Why Did Europeans Arrive in the Lands that Became Canada?
Columbus did not find Asia.
Instead, he landed in the Caribbean, then on to Central and South America.
Here, he came in contact with the Aztec people.
He plundered the Aztec and Incan Empires, enslaved the people to work in the mines and took all their gold.
This made Spain the most wealthy, and most powerful country of the time.

9. Why Did Europeans Arrive in the Lands that Became Canada?
Britain, France and the Netherlands became interested in western exploration after learning about Spain’s success.
Because Spain dominated the south-west route, these countries elected to take a north-west route
Italian sailors were the most experienced in Europe, so Britain, France and the Netherlands often recruited them to head up their ventures.

10. Why Did Europeans Arrive in the Lands that Became Canada?
Italian sailor and merchant, Giovanni Caboto landed in Newfoundland and claimed it for Britain
Here, he witnessed the vast amount of cod in the waters and reported back to Britain.
Britain returned with ships to fish off the coast (of what will in the future, be Canada)
The ships arrived in summer and left in the winter.
Here, they met the Mi’kmaq and the Beothuk which had both positive and negative results.