Age of Exploration
4 CAUSES
4 DETAILS
a b
c
d
4 FIGURES
4 EFFECTS
Age of Exploration
Using a blank piece of paper, make four boxes, each with four boxes inside of them.
Label the boxes like this, follow along, and list 4 causes, 4 figures, 4 events & 4 effects.
4 CAUSES
4 DETAILS
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
4 FIGURES
4 EFFECTS
1
2
3
4
1
2
3
4
Age of Exploration
4 CAUSES
a
1) Christianity
Jesus gave his
early followers the task of
spreading the gospel to
all peoples and all
nations of the world. As
a result of this Great
Commission, Catholics
and Protestants alike saw
the unknown parts of the
world as a mission field
by the 1500s.
Age of Exploration
4 CAUSES
a
2) Scientific Revolution
The quest to
understand the world came
out of the scientific
revolution. Scientific
principles were applied to
map-making (cartography),
to compasses and
navigation, and to
technology (e.g. designing
better, safer, faster ships).
Age of Exploration
4 CAUSES
a
3) Portugal and the Caravel
In Portugal, a prince
named Henry the Navigator
developed sailing schools,
which began to look at
safer ways to travel the
seas. They developed a
safer, faster ship called the
caravel that became the
prototype for all ships from
the Age of Exploration.
Age of Exploration
4 CAUSES
a
4) God, Gold & Glory
For God! For Gold!!
For Glory!!! This slogan
pretty much summarizes
the main reasons for
Europeans exploring the
world. For God, refers to
the missionary calling
described earlier. For Gold
refers to a quest for riches
(either individual or for
country). For Glory refers
to accomplishments and
building a legacy.
Age of Exploration
4 FIGURES
b
Vasco Da Gama is famous
for rounding the southern tip of
the African continent and
reaching India. Da Gama has a
mixed legacy as he was known
to ruthlessly slaughter and
dismember Indians and other
non-Christians.
1) Vasco Da Gama
Age of Exploration
4 FIGURES
b
2) Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus is
arguably the most famous figure
from the Age of Exploration. He
made four trips across the
Atlantic Ocean, believing he was
in Asia. It wasn’t until later that
people began to realize he was
in a “New World”.
Age of Exploration
4 FIGURES
b
Unlike Columbus,
Amerigo Vespucci knew that he
was exploring new continents,
and knew he was NOT in Asia.
In fact, the continents in
America (both North and South)
are named after Vespucci’s first
name.
3) Amerigo Vespucci
Age of Exploration
4 FIGURES
b
4) Ferdinand Magellan
Although he was killed
halfway around the world (in the
Philippines), Ferdinand Magellan
made history be leading the first
expedition around the Earth.
Only one of the five ships made it.
Age of Exploration
4 DETAILS
c
1) Henry’s Navigation Schools
Henry never
personally explored Africa,
but the results of his
sailing schools were
Portuguese sailors making
it further and further down
the coast of West Africa.
Portugal began
establishing some of the
first colonies of the Age of
Exploration on the African
coast.
Age of Exploration
4 DETAILS
c
2) New water route to Asia
Marco Polo was
famous in the 1200s for
traveling on land via the Silk
Road from Europe to Asia.
But Vasco Da Gama showed
that the same trip could be
made at sea. His trip from
Portugal to India opened the
way for later travelers to do
the same. The Suez Canal
(joining the Mediterranean
Sea to the Red Sea) made
this trip even shorter.
Age of Exploration
4 DETAILS
c
3) Finding a “New World”
The continents of
North and South America
were not any newer than
Europe, Africa or Asia, but
to Europeans, it was
certainly a “New World”.
The New World contained
diverse people groups
and vast empires such as
the Inca of the South
American Andes, or the
Aztecs of Central America.
Age of Exploration
4 DETAILS
c
4) Circumnavigating the Globe
Magellan’s voyage
around the world cost him
his life, but the 20 or so
crewmen who survived the
trip proved once and for all
that the Earth was indeed
round. It also showed the
need for an international
dateline since the crew
was one day off from the
rest of Europe upon their
return three years later.
Age of Exploration
4 EFFECTS
c
1) Colonialism
With European
nations exploring other
parts of the globe came an
age of colonialism.
Colonies are simply
regions of land claimed by
another nation. Early in the
Age of Exploration,
Portugal and Spain
dominated the competition
for colonies, while England
and France dominated later
in the Age of Exploration.
Age of Exploration
4 EFFECTS
c
2) Mercantilism
Mercantilism refers
to an economic system
where individual sailors
explore, claim land, and
practice trade for the sake
of the host nation (e.g.
Portugal, Spain, England,
France, Belgium).
Mercantilism promoted
competition between
European countries for
colonies and resources.
Age of Exploration
4 EFFECTS
c
3) Columbian Exchange
The Columbian
Exchange refers to the
introduction of new
animals, plants, ideas,
and even diseases
between the Old World
(Europe) and the New
World (America). Things
like tomatoes, potatoes
and corn came to Europe,
while things like horses,
cattle and citrus fruits
came to the Americas.
Age of Exploration
4 EFFECTS
c
4) Nationalism, Competition
As the quest for
colonies and resources
heated up, a sense of
national competition and
national pride emerged.
This is called nationalism.
And ultimately, the
competition grew so
fierce that it became one
of the causes of World
War One in 1914.
Age of Exploration
4 CAUSES
4 DETAILS
a b
c
d
4 FIGURES
4 EFFECTS
Christopher Columbus