VOYAGES OF

DISCOVERY
CANTERAS
DRIZ
The Age of Exploration
Before the age of
exploration people
believed:
Earth was flat,

Sea monsters,

Europe at centre,

Boiling sea in south,

World was smaller.

What was the Age of Exploration?
1. A time period when
Europeans began to
explore the rest of the
world.
2. Improvements in
mapmaking, shipbuilding,
rigging, and navigation
made this possible.
3. Blue water sailing, not
just coastal boats.
4. Policy of mercantilism
drives the exploration.
What was Mercantilism?
. Policy that said there was a limited amount of
money in the world.
Each country needs to grab what they can
before it is gone.
Export more than you import. More money in
your pocket.
Colonies and markets were needed to keep
everything in the system.
Why people wanted new sea routes:

Wealth for country

Wealth for explorer

To avoid Arab controlled trade routes

Spread Christianity

Inspired by spirit of Renaissance and The

Travels of Marco Polo
Prester John
What were the new technologies
that enabled explorations?
The caravel was a new, faster, more maneuverable ship

Older ships had square sails, caravels had triangular sails

(easier to change direction)

Bilge pump system enabled ship to float higher (less likely

to run aground, easier to explore coasts and rivers)

Compass, astrolabe, maps and other technologies from

Islamic culture all helped make explorations possible
EXPLORERS: PORTUGAL
How did these Explorations Begin?
The first to encourage new ship
explorations was Prince Henry of
Portugal, known as Prince
Henry the Navigator
3rd son of the King of Portugal,
Started an institute for seafaring
and exploring
Combined ship technology learned
from Islam with new European
innovations
Padroas (stone pillars) marked each
journey
By the time of his death in 1460,
Portuguese had sailed as far south
as the Gold Coast of West Africa
Bartholomew Diaz
Portuguese.

Blown off course by a Storm.

Discovered Cape of Good Hope

Sailed around Cape of Good

Hope at southern tip of Africa.

Found route to Indian Ocean

Trade can go from Europe to

Asia by sea.
Vasco da Gama
Portuguese. Landed in
India in 1498
Important trade route from
Europe to India and East
Indies.
Reached Calicut after 2-
year voyage.
Portuguese got control of
this valuable sea route.
Set up trading posts.
Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese.
Charles V of Spain supported him.
He would be made governor of all new
lands discovered and 5% of the profits.
5 ships (Trinity, Conception, San
Antonio, Santiago and Victoria)
Aim of the voyage was to avoid the
Portuguese trade route by sailing west.
El Paso or the Straits of Magellan.
Discovered the Pacific ocean
Magellan Killed on the Philippine
Islands.
Del Cano and 17 others out of 260
came home after 3 years.
EXPLORERS: SPAIN
 Christopher Columbus (special study)
Born Genoa. Believed world was
round. Wanted to sail west to China
and Japan. Underestimated the
distance by 3. Failed to get support in
England and Portugal.
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in
good form having driven out Muslims.
In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean
Blue. King and Queen promised to
make him governor of new lands and
title of Admiral of the Ocean.
3 ships, Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria
and 90 men. He kept 2 logs. San
Salvador in the Bahamas. Built a fort
out of the wrecked Santa Maria and left
40 men behind. Brought back gold,
pineapples, parrots and 6 Indians.
Christopher Columbus (special study)
3 more voyages. Those left
behind were killed. Explored
other islands like Cuba. Brought
over settlers. Such great cruelty
against natives that Columbus
was brought back in chains.
Died disappointed. Never
admitted he had not reached his
goal. Amerigo Vespucci proved
that Columbus had discovered
America. The discoveries of
Columbus led to a dispute with
the Portuguese. The Treaty of
Tordesillas gave Brazil to
Portugal and Spain got the rest
of South America.
 Hernando Corts

Conquistador.
Aim was gold and silver. 500
men.
Got help from other tribes to
attack the Aztecs (angry
with taxes, slavery and
human sacrifices).
Horses were new.
Conquest of the Aztecs
Tenochtitlan (Mexico
City).
Montezuma killed by
his own.
Spaniards escape and
return with 100,000
men.
Slaughter and victory.
Francisco Pizzaro.
Spanish Conquistador.
Wanted Gold and silver.
Arrived with only 170 men.
Captured Atahualpa
(Incan King)
Demanded Room full of
gold. Killed Atahualpa
anyway.
Took Cuzco, the capital
city.
Pizzaro killed by his own.
 Motivations:
Why did Europeans want to explore?

GOD GOLD GLORY!

is a phrase giving the reasons why the early Italian
explorers went to the Americas. When you think of the
actual trip the Spanish had to endure to reach America from
Italy, they had to have very important reasons to risk
starvation, drowning, disease, and murder.
 GOD
Some went believing that they must
bring their religious beliefs to the
peoples of the Americas, and that God
would reward them for doing it. Religion
was very important to people, and many
explorers left their own country to
spread their religion to new lands.
 GOD
European Christians,
especially Catholics,
wanted to stop the spread
of Islam &
convert non-Christians to
the faith
Explorers were
encouraged to spread
Christianity or bring
missionaries who would
focus only on conversions
 GOD
Europeans have always felt it was their godly duty
to spread Christianity and convert non-believers
to their form of Christianity.
After the Protestant Reformation, competition will
spring up to convert people to their form of
Christianity
Colonization of the new world will become a race
to convert native peoples to a particular brand of
Christianity
Jesuits (Catholics) are some of the most active
People came to the New World to be able to
practice their religion without fear of persecution
GLORY
Kings who sponsored voyages of
exploration gained overseas colonies,
new sources of wealth for their nation, &
increased power
Exploration presented Europeans the
opportunity to rise from poverty and gain
fame, fortune, & status
Glory was a relatively new idea in
Europe
Came out of the Renaissance ideal of
Humanism, and the focus on individual
achievement
With the rise of the printing press, the
idea of gaining fame for ones actions
was more possible The Triumph of Fame, a Flemish tapestry
Also, individual kings wanted glory for from 1502.
their kingdoms, competition spreads
 GOLD
The Crusades & Renaissance stimulated
European desires for exotic Asian luxury
goods
Gold was a hot item that explorers were
looking for, but remember that it is really
wealth ($$$), not just literal gold that
explorers were after.
Europe needed gold (and silver) to fuel
the rising banking system
Europeans also desired spices
Other natural resources would come to
be sold for profit as well (timber, sugar,
tobacco, ivory, etc.)
This competition will be enhanced by the
idea of mercantilism, the idea that there
is only so much wealth in the world, and
that to make your kingdom strong you
must have more gold and wealth than
the other kingdoms
 Effects of European Exploration
Spanish Explorers claimed New Spain
which is present day Mexico.
France set up Fur trade with the Native
American in New France which was Ohio
River valley to the Mississippi River and up
into Canada.
England (Great Britain) claimed the land
along the Atlantic Ocean called it the
thirteen colonies.
 Exploration led to colonization of the new world
which shifted wealth and power away from
Mediterranean region to the countries of Western
Europe toward Spain, England and France.
Spain was enriched by American gold and silver.
Spanish colonies were very successful in bringing
wealth and pride to Spain. This led to England
and France to start Exploration and colonization.
England rulers desired to stake a claim for lands
and riches to match Spains wealth.
France set up a fur trade with Native American to
gain wealth.
 COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE

Columbian Exchange : exchange of plants, animals and

diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres
that occurred after 1492
What did the Americas have to offer
to the people
Pushing them out of Europe
Pull towards America
What was pulling people
What did Americans
away from Europe and
have to offer?
pushing them to the New
World? Religious freedom
Less restricted government
Religious persecution Beginning of self-rule
Strict government rule Untapped resources
Less resources Could purchase cheap land
King nobles owned land
Tons of opportunities
Very few opportunities
The Political, economic, religious and social
reasons for English Exploration
Results of the Age of
Exploration.
Geographical knowledge
Cultures destroyed
Many died of European
diseases
Many enslaved, tortured and
murdered
New slave trade to new
world from Africa.
Countries other than Italy
became rich and powerful.