Untitled September 30, 2007
UNIT 1, SECTION 3: THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
Europeans Explore the Seas
- during the Crusades, many luxury goods came from Asia to Europe - Mongol empire -
united much of Asia in the 1200s-1300s - more goods flowed to Europe
- Black Death, breakup of Mongol empire disrupted trade, but by the 1400s, more trade
goods came to Europe, especially spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper) - used as a
food preservative/flavor enhancer, used in making medicines and perfumes
- Spice Islands (located in present-day Indonesia) - main source of spices for Europeans
Motives
1. desire for wealth - Europeans wanted direct access to the riches of Asia - Portugal,
then Spain, sought a sea route to Asia that bypassed the Med. Sea
2. religion - many Christians wanted to continue a crusade against Muslims, wished to
spread their religion to other lands
3. curiosity/adventure - the Renaissance spirit fired people's desire to learn more about
lands beyond Europe
Improved Technology
1. cartographers (mapmakers) - created more accurate maps and sea charts
2. astrolabe - navigational tool used to determine latitude at sea
3. caravel - large ship used by the Portuguese - combined square (European) sails with
triangular (Arab) sails, rudder and masts of Chinese ships - added weaponry (cannon)
Portugal Sails Eastward
- by the 1400s, Portugal led the way in exploration
Mapping the African Coast
Henry the Navigator - Prince Henry of Portugal - gathered scientists, cartographers,
other experts - trained captains, crews for long voyages - sent ships to explore the west
coast of Africa
- 1488 - Bartholomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope (southern tip of Africa)
- opened the way for a sea route to Asia
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Untitled September 30, 2007
On To India
Vasco da Gama - 1497 - sailed around Cape of Good Hope, reached India in 10 months
- disastrous voyage home - many sailors died of thirst, hunger and
scurvy (disease caused by lack of vitamin C)
- he brought back spices from India, returned in 1502 - Portuguese
seized key ports around the Indian Ocean, created a vast trading
empire
Columbus Sails to the West
Christopher Columbus - navigator from Genoa, Italy - planned to sail west, hoped to
find a shortcut to Asia
- Portugal wouldn't fund his voyage, but he persuaded Ferdinand & Isabella of Spain to
finance his trip - they were seeking new sources of wealth and eager to spread
Christianity
- Aug. 3, 1492 - began voyage heading west across the Atlantic with 3 ships: the Nina,
the Pinta, and the Santa Maria - spotted land on Oct. 12 (Bahamas) - called the natives
Indians because he thought he was in the Indies (islands of SE Asia) - after returning to
Spain and making 3 more voyages, he remained convinced he had reached Asia (many
began to realize he'd reached new continents unknown to Europeans)
Line of Demarcation
Portugal & Spain - both laid claims to lands explored by Columbus - to keep the peace,
Pope Alexander VI set a Line of Demarcation dividing the non-European world into two
zones: trading/exploring rights west of the line -> Spain - east of the line -> Portugal -
recognized by both countries in the Treaty of Tordesillas - 1494
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Untitled September 30, 2007
Naming the "New World"
- 1507 - a German cartographer, reading reports written by Italian sailor Amerigo
Vespucci, labeled the new region America - islands explored by Columbus in the
Caribbean were called the West Indies
The Search Continues
Vasco Nunez de Balboa (Spain) - 1513 - crossed isthmus of Panama, came to a huge
body of water he called the South Sea
Juan Ponce de Leon (Spain)- 1513 - was searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth,
discovered Florida (Spain settlements began as a result)
Ferdinand Magellan (Spain) - 1519 - his 5 ships sailed around South America - put
down at least two mutinies - 1520 - faced brutal storms rounding the continent - strait
became known as the Strait of Magellan - entered Balboa's South Sea, renamed it the
Pacific ("peaceful") Ocean
Circumnavigating the Globe
- most of Magellan's crew wanted to return home, but he wanted to push on to the Spice
Islands - took 4 months to cross the Pacific - 1521 - reached the Philippines - Magellan
was killed there after getting involved in a local conflict - one ship, 18 sailors made it
back to Seville, Spain on Sept. 8, 1522 (3 years after voyage began) - first crew to
circumnavigate (sail around) the world
Sir Francis Drake (England) - first navigator to survive a voyage around the world
(1577-1580) - an explorer/pirate - brought gold/riches back to Queen Elizabeth I
Searching for a Northwest Passage
- English, Dutch, and French searched the coast of North America for a northwest
passage to Asia
- passage never found, but exploration led to new claims in the New World:
1. John Cabot (sailed for England) - found rich fishing grounds off Newfoundland
(Canada), claimed for England
2. Jacques Cartier (France) - explored St. Lawrence River
3. Henry Hudson (sailing for the Dutch) - explored the Hudson River
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