 Hook Video
AGE OF EXPLORATION
1400 - 1800
REASONS FOR EUROPEAN
EXPLORATION

European demand
for gold, spices,
natural resources

Support for
diffusion (spread)
of Christianity

Political &
economic
competition
between European
empires
WHY ARE SPICES IMPORTANT?
Europeans want spices
 preserve & improve food,
make medicine, cosmetics
& perfumes


“SPICE ISLANDS” –
East Indies (present
day Indonesia,
Malaysia &
New Guinea), & India
WHERE DO THE SPICES GO?
Video 

Muslims/Arabs trade spices,
with Italians, then…

Italian traders get spices & travel west across
Mediterranean to sell for 40x original price!

Portugal & Spain seek new route to Asia  no
more Muslim middlemen (Ottomans)
REMEMBER: 3 G’s and a T

MAIN REASONS FOR
EXPLORATION
GOLD: some seek
riches/power

GLORY: Some want to learn
about new people/ideas &
take credit

GOD: some want to spread
Christianity

TECHNOLOGY: made
voyages possible
TECHNOLOGY: MERCATOR
PROJECTION

Cartographers
make maps

New kind of map
that showed true
direction
(latitude/longitude)
TECHNOLOGY: ASTROLABE

Used to determine
latitude at sea

Originally used by
Ancient Greeks,
then improved by
Muslims

Brass circle w/
adjustable rings 
sights stars for
direction
TECHNOLOGY: CARAVEL

larger, faster, & more
maneuverable

Multiple masts,
triangular sails & new
kind of rudder enabled
sailors to steer into the
wind

Cannons on side
Video
TECHNOLOGY: COMPASS

Magnetic

First developed by
Chinese &
Europeans
improved it for
sailing
WHO STARTS SAILING FIRST?
 PORTUGAL
leads the way
 Prince Henry (“the Navigator”)
 builds school for navigators,
cartographers & explorers
 sponsored voyages along west coast of
Africa  searching for route to Asia for
spices & gold from Africa
Video (stop at 4 min) 
BARTOLOMEU DIAS

rounded southern tip of
Africa  Cape of Good
Hope
(they were hopeful they
would find a route to
Asia; good “hope” they
were still alive)

Got beaten up by a
storm & had to go back
VASCO DA GAMA

1497 - sails around Cape of Good Hope
all the way to Calicut, India

buys spices (like pepper & cinnamon) &
sells them at 4,000X the original price!
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

Spain joins the race! Hires Columbus
(Italian) to sail west hoping to hit EAST
INDIES

Instead reached WEST INDIES
(Bahamas off Florida)

But thought he reached Asia  tensions
growing between Spain & Portugal
MORE ON COLUMBUS

Made several more
voyages through
Caribbean islands

Wrote King
Ferdinand & Queen
Isabella (Spain) that
native people, the
Tainos, were easy
to convert &
enslave
Video 
Discovery of America Videos
The Mutiny video:
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christophercolumbus/videos/columbus-faces-down-the-mutinouscrew?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=fals
e

In a nutshell video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7HxCsPho34&in
dex=8&list=PLA4RH8KVy9m7QvjHxif8bDzQ8QtG01n
eG

The Real Story of Columbus video
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christophercolumbus/videos/christopher-columbus-man-and-myth

FERDINAND MAGELLAN

In search of westward route to “Spice Islands”

1519 – reaches water passage at southern tip
of South America (Strait of Magellan)

Connects to Pacific Ocean & his crew
CIRCUMNAVIGATES the globe

He dies in Philippines

Out of 237 men, only 18 make it home
JACQUES CARTIER

1534 French explorer

Reached a gulf off east coast of Canada

Led to a river he named
“St. Lawrence” & he
followed it inland to
Mont Royal (Montreal)

Helped to start New France
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

1580’s English captain

Raided Spanish ships & colonies
Eventually leads British
navy to victory over
Spanish Armada in 1588

NATIONALISM

The Dutch
(Netherlands) create a
bustling trading empire
throughout Indian ocean

Pride in your country

Driving force behind competition for exploration

Colonies set up in newly conquered lands to
establish control (harsh)

All leads to decimation of indigenous (native)
peoples
Music Videos
Discovering America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWY50m
H5awQ

I Can’t Wait to Colonize
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsyEGQ
mcmzE
I’m Spanish and I Know It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAxX5Ic
OOI