THE AGE OF
EXPLORATION
EUROPE EXPLORES
THE WORLD
In the 1400s, trade, religion, and
curiosity led to a new era of
exploration.
Trade with Asia
Religion
Curiosity
• Europeans wanted
Asian spices
• Asian goods became
more expensive due
to taxes
• Merchants began
looking for a new
route to East Asia
• Christians wanted to
spread their ideas
about religion to
other parts of the
world.
• Wanted to
counteract the
spread of Islam.
• Stories of Marco
Polo
• Heard of new lands
and creatures
• What’s on the other
side of the ocean?
ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY
•Sailors now had instruments such as
the astrolabe and the compass to find
new routes.
•More accurate maps allowed sailors
to travel on the open sea and not
having to follow the coast.
•Shipbuilding made new ships with
better sails and better steering.
EXPLORING THE WORLD
1400s:
• England and France were fighting
each other
• Spain was still fighting Muslims
• Portugal began to explore first!
PORTUGUAL
EXPLORERS
PORTUGUAL
Henry the Navigator:
• prince of Portugal
• set up a research center
and invited sailors,
cartographers, and
shipbuilders to come and
help him explore the
world.
PORTUGUAL
Portuguese in Africa:
• In 1420, began trading with African
kingdoms
• discovered sugarcane
• began bringing African slaves to work
the sugarcane fields
PORTUGUAL
PORTUGUAL
Bartolomeu Dias:
• 1488 – reached the southern tip of
Africa
Vasco da Gama:
• 1497- rounded the tip of Africa and
landed on India’s coast
• a water route to East India had been
found
Bartolomeu Dias
Vasco da Gama
The first European to open a sea-based
trade route to India
SPAIN
Christopher Columbus:
• Italian navigator
• wanted to find route to Asia going
across the Atlantic
• needed someone to finance (pay) for
the trip
• turned down by Portugal, France, and
England
SPAIN
Christopher Columbus:
• Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain said
yes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raPLzhzxAeU
• he outfitted three ships:
1. Santa Maria
2. Nina
3. Pinta
SPAIN
Christopher Columbus:
• In 1492, he reached San Salvador
(island near Cuba)
• claimed the land for Spain
• he thought he was in Asia
• he never realized he had reached the
Americas
• made four trips to the Americas
SPAIN
Ferdinand Magellan:
• 1520 – he sailed completely around
the world
• sailed south along South America
• crossed the Straight of Magellan
• and entered a peaceful sea
• named it the Pacific Ocean
• headed west
SPAIN
Ferdinand Magellan:
• his sailors nearly starved
• lived off leather, sawdust, and rats
• four months later, they reached the
Philippines
• he was killed by locals, but his crew
went on
• around Africa and back to Spain
Magellan’s Ships:
Trinidad, the San Antonio,
the Conception, the
Victoria and the Santiago
Lupa Lupa
ENGLAND
John Cabot:
• 1497 – searched for a northern route
to Asia across the Atlantic
• Found Newfoundland
• headed south along coast of Canada
• he never found a path
• disappeared on his second trip
John Cabot
FRANCE
Jacques Cartier:
• sailed past Newfoundland
• entered the St. Lawrence River
Explorer Country Area Explored
Reason For
Sailed
Exploring
For
John
England Newfoundland Find northern route
Cabot
and Canada
to Asia
(1497)
(disappeared on 2nd
trip)
Jacques France St. Lawrence Find northern route
Cartier
River
to Asia
(1534)
(Huguenot vs.
Catholic wars
stopped
exploration)
EUROPEAN EXPLORERS
Henry the
Navigator
Vasco da
Gama
Christopher
Columbus
Ferdinand
Magellan
1419
Set up a
research
center in
Portugal
1497
First
European to
sail around
the south of
Africa and
reach India
1492
First
European to
sail west
searching for
a water route
to Asia
1519
Led first
expedition
to sail
around the
world
John Cabot
Jacques
Cartier
1497
1534
Encountered Explored the
Newfoundland St. Lawrence
and traveled
River
south along
Canada’s coast
Columbus Discovered America?
Leif Ericson:
• born in Iceland around 975
• sailed to Newfoundland in 1002,
almost 500 years before Columbus
The Spanish controlled the gold and
silver from the former Aztec and Inca
empires.
An English sailor named Francis Drake
began stealing gold and silver from the
Spanish ships.
The Spanish were angry with the
English and sent 130 ships, known as
the Spanish Armada, to attack England.
However, the English ships were faster
and had better weapons. They were
able to defeat the Spanish and destroy
their fleet.
This weakened the Spanish Empire and
allowed England to gain power.
A New European Worldview
The explorations brought new
knowledge and geography and proved
that some old beliefs were wrong.
Improved mapmaking, or cartography,
showed new lands and new possible
trade routes.
A New European Worldview
New trade routes gave new
opportunities for wealth and resources.
Europeans could now spread their
influence around the world.