Exploration 1415-1796
The Search for Spices- Moluccas (Indonesia)




Europeans explore oceans in search for spices.
Romans paid as much as $125 for 12 oz. of pepper.
Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper were most valuable.
Preserve food, add flavor, medicines, and perfumes.
Improved Technology




Cartographers (Map Makers) – more accurate maps and sea charts.
Astrolabe- instrument to determine latitude at sea.
Larger and better ships designed (Caravel Sails Designed)
More Weaponry- cannons
Portugal- Leading country in exploration
 Prince Henry “The Navigator” 1394-1460 He was the younger son of King
John I
 Goals were to spread Christianity and search for African gold.
 Bartholomeu Dias 1488: Rounded southern tip of Africa, Cape of Good
Hope, Cape-point of land running out into sea
 Vasco de Gama: 10 months traveled around Cape of Good Hope to reach
coast of India, returned with cargo of spices (sold at 3000% profit;
$25=%18,750), seized key sea ports around Indian Ocean to create trading
empire.
 Christopher Columbus (Italian Navigator)
o Portugal refused to fund trip
o Columbus looking for shorter route to Indies
o Sailed west across the Atlantic; he underestimates size of earth and 2
continents in way
o August 3, 1492 with Spain financial support 3 ships sail west on the
Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria
o Oct. 12 landed on Island in Caribbean (thought he’d reached Indies)
o Made 3 other voyages-still convinced that he had reached the Indies.
 Naming America: German Cartographer read reports by Italian Sailor
(Amergo Vespucci) about a “New World” –labeled the region America
 Ferdinand Magellan – Portuguese noble
o Began Journey Sept. 20, 1519 with 5 ships
o Sailors died of hunger, thirst, and scurvy (disease caused by a lack of
Vitamin C)
o Mutiny:
o Reached coast of South America – searched each bay looking for
route to Pacific Ocean
o Nov. 1520- Strait of Magellan (southern tip of S. America)
o Magellan named Ocean Pacific- “Peaceful Ocean”
o Crew wants to return home
o Magellan pushes on- expects to reach East Indies in 3 weeks.
o 4 months later reach Phillippines.
o Magellan killed in conflict in Phillippines.
o 1 ship and 18 sailors circumnavigate the world on Sept 18, 1522
(nearly 3 years after journey began)
Explorers for Spain
o
o
o
o
Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475-1519)
A Spanish conquistador and explorer who was the first European to see the
eastern part of the Pacific Ocean
In 1500, Balboa sailed from Spain to Colombia, South America.
They searched for treasures along the northern coast of S. America.
Balboa was charged with treason against Spain and was found guilty and
publicly beheaded in Jan. 1519
Juan Ponce de Leon (1460-1591)
o He was a Spanish explorer and soldier who was the first European to set
foot in Florida.
o He also established the oldest European settlement in Puerto Rico and
discovered the Gulf Stream (a current in the Atlantic Ocean)
o Ponce de Leon was searching for the legendary fountain of youth and other
riches.
Explorers for France
Jacques Cartier (1491-1557)
o He as a French explorer who led three expeditions to Canada, in 1534,
1535, and 1541.
o He was looking for a route to the Pacific through North America, but did not
find one.
o Cartier paved the way for French exploration of North America.
Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635)
o He was a French explorer and navigator who mapped much of northeastern
North America and started a settlement in Quebec.
Explorers for Italy
Marco Polo (1254-1324)
o An Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to
travel across Asia through China.
Explorers for England
John Cabot (1450-1498)
o
o
o
o
He was an Italian born English explorer and navigator.
Cabot was born in Italy but moved to England in 1495.
At the request of King Henry VII of England, Cabot sailed Canada in 1497
Cabot’s expeditions were the first of Britain’s claims to Canada.
Sir Francis Drake (1545-1596)
o He was a British explorer, mayor of Plymouth, England, and naval officer.
o Drake led the second expedition to sail around the world in a voyage lasting
from 1577 to 1580 (Magellan led the first voyage around the world)
o In North America, he claimed the land for the Queen.
o They then crossed the Pacific Ocean and sailed by Indonesia, through the
Indian Ocean, past the Cape of Good Hope, and back to Plymouth, England,
in 1580.
Henry Hudson (1565-1611)
o He was an English explorer and navigator who explored parts of the Arctic
Ocean and northeastern North America.
o The Hudson River, Hudson Strait, and Hudson Bay are named after him.
European Exploration-Causes and Effects
Causes
1. Desire for wealth and power. European explorers hoped to find riches in
distant countries and to discover a sea route to Asia.
2. Religious Aims. Europeans hoped to spread Christianity and to drive
Muslims out of other lands.
3. Renaissance Spirit. European adventurers wanted to test the limits of
human ability and to explore the unknown.
4. Improvements in technology. Europeans began to build stronger, faster
sailing ships. They developed better navigational instruments and more
accurate maps.
Immediate Effects
o
o
o
o
o
o
Sailors learned more about geography and improved navigation.
The Portuguese built plantations and trading posts in West Africa.
The Portuguese discovered a sea route to India.
Columbus was the first European to reach the Americas.
Magellan’s crew sailed around the world.
The Line of Demarcation was established to prevent disputes over newly
discovered lands. Spain was given possession of lands west of Europe,
while Portugal could claim lands to the east of the line.
Long-Term Effects
o European Nations competed to establish colonies in the Americas and
greatly expanded their wealth and power.
o Europe established sea trade with India.
o The slave trade expanded.