Europeans Set Sail
The Vikings
 Leif Eriksson
 Son of an explorer
 His Father, Erik the Red, explored
Iceland and Greenland
 When his ship was blown off
course, he landed in Labrador
Peninsula in Canada in 1000 A.D.
Prince Henry the Navigator
 Never set out on a
voyage
 He build an observatory
 Founded a school for
navigators in early
1400’s
Reasons for exploration
 Riches of Asia
 Silk Road Monopoly
 Spices
 Religion
 Christians wanted to convert the people of Asia
 Curiosity
 Marco Polo’s travel raised awareness of Asian culture.
Technology
 The Astrolabe- A device that enabled navigators to learn their
ship’s location by charting the position of the stars
 Caravels- Using triangular sails instead of traditional sails,
ships could sail into the wind more efficiently.
Around Africa
 Bartolomeu Dias- led an expedition
around Africa
 Turned around after going around
the Cape of Good Hope
 Vasco Da Gama
 Made it all the way to India to trade
 Surprised when locals spoke
Portuguese already.
Results of Exploration
 The start of the Atlantic slave
trade
 Sale of slaves to traders
devastated the African villages by
promoting warfare and breaking
up families.
 Popularity of exploration led to a
boom in European expeditions.
Homework
 Read Chapter 2 Section Two- pp 42-45 and finish the
worksheet.
 Due Monday the 24th