The Age of Exploration
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Table of Contents
I. Sailing beyond the Horizon…………….….…
II. Portugal……………………………………………..
III. Spain……………………………………………….…
IV. England……………………………………….……..
V. Spices and Wealth……………………………….
VI. Technology………………………………………
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Unit Guided Questions
1. What motivated Europeans to explore the “New World”?
2. What were the effects of the Columbian Exchange?
3. How did the migration of Europeans effect cultural
changes in the “New World”, both past and present?
4. How did differing points of view, self-interest, and global
distribution of natural resources play a role in conflict
over territory in the “New World”?
5. What were some similarities and differences of different
nations and individuals that explored the “New World”?
(e.g. regions explored, successes, failures, motives, ad
etc…)
6. How did European technology allow them to sail to the
New World and subdue the Native populations?
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Prince Henry the Navigator
Bartholomew Diaz
Christopher Columbus
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Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal
In 1415, Prince Henry, with his father King
John I and his brothers, conquered the Muslim
port city of Ceuta to stop attacks on Portugal by
Barbary pirates.
Afterward, Prince Henry dedicated himself to
exploring the trade routes of Africa to increase
Portugal’s wealth. He inspired generations of
explores.
He also began searching for the legendary
Prester John.
Today Ceuta is an autonomous city
within Spain.
King John I and Philippa of
Lancaster
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The legend of Prester John
The legend of Prester John (Presbyter Johannes) told
of a Christian king ruling a kingdom somewhere in
Ethiopia, Asia, or both.
Prester John was said to be a descendent of one of
the Three Magi (the three wise men of the Bible).
Inside his kingdom were the Gates of Alexander, the
Fountain of Youth, and the entrance to the biblical
paradise.
The story circulated throughout Europe between the
12th and the 17th centuries.
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Prince Henry’s Expeditions
Prince Henry sponsored many
expeditions of discovery.
He hired Jehuda Cresques, a
famous Jewish cartographer, to map
the new discoveries.
Prince Henry was responsible for
the development of the caravel, a
ship designed for exploration.
Caravel
Below: Monument to Prince Henry
and other Portuguese maritime
explorers, Lisbon
Under Prince Henry’s direction,
many Portuguese settlements were
established along the African
coast:
1419: Madeira Islands
1427: The Azores
1435: Cape Verde (Cap-Vert)
1446: Bissau
1456: Cape Verde Islands
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Bartholomew Diaz
Bartholomew Diaz was
a Portuguese explorer
and the first European
to sail around the Cape
of Good Hope in 1488.
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Bartholomew Diaz
King John II of Portugal directed Diaz to
lead an expedition to discover a sea route
to India, which would allow direct trade
between the two countries.
Clockwise from top: King John II,
Diaz rounds the Cape, man-ofwar, Bartholomew Diaz
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Diaz lost sight of the coast at Port Nolloth.
His ship was driven by a storm until he reached Mossel Bay in South
Africa on February 2, 1488.
He continued up to the Great Fish River, which flows into the Indian
Ocean.
Diaz noticed the change in current and the north-easterly trend of
the coast and concluded that he had reached the Indian Ocean.
Port Nolloth
Great
Fish
River
Mossel
Bay
Indian
Ocean
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Zheng He
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Zheng He
A Person of Extraordinary Ability
Zheng He is China's most famous maritime explorer. His extraordinary ability
and vision found brilliant expression in the great achievements of his life,
including maritime exploration, foreign diplomacy, and military affairs.
Shortly after Zhu Di ascended the to throne as the Yongle Emperor, he assigned
Zheng He to the area of maritime affairs. Zheng He first conducted an
exhaustive study of existing nautical charts, celestial navigation, eastern and
western almanacs, astronomy and geography, marine sciences, piloting, and
shipbuilding and repair
Between the third year of the Yongle reign period (1405) and the eighth year of
the Xuande reign period (1433), Zheng He led seven great western maritime
expeditions, crisscrossing the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean into the
Persian Gulf and Red Sea, and reaching as far west as the east coast of Africa.
There is evidence of Zheng He's visits in over thirty Asian and African countries
and regions. These seven voyages, unprecedented in size, organization,
navigational technology, and range, demonstrated not only the power and
wealth of the Ming Dynasty, but also Zheng He's extraordinary command ability
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Christopher
Columbus
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Christopher Columbus’ Map
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Columbus Needed Money for the Expedition
Columbus first presented his planned expedition in 1485 to
John II, king of Portugal, but the king refused to finance it.
The king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and
Isabella I of Castile, agreed to fund Columbus' expedition in
1492.
John II of Portugal
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain
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Spain and Portugal, 1492
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The expedition’s flagship, the
Santa Maria, was a carrack. The
Niña and Pinta were caravels.
Historical replicas of Columbus’ ships:
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Niña
Pinta
Santa Maria
The Santa Maria compared
to modern ocean vessels
Top: The USS Nimitz
Below: A replica of Columbus'
flagship the Santa Maria in
front of the cruise ship
AIDAblu
Chart of comparative sizes
•USS Nimitz (blue): 333 meters
•AIDAblu (orange): 245 meters
•Santa Maria (green): 18 meters
Replica of the
Santa Maria
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On October 12, 1492,
Columbus landed on what is
now Watling's Island in the
Bahamas. He named it San
Salvador.
He sailed on to the islands of
Cuba and Hispaniola.
Columbus left the New World
on January 16, 1493, and
arrived in Spain on March 15.
The Pinzón brothers:
• Alonso Pinzón (left) was the
captain of the Pinta.
•Vicente Yáñez Pinzón (right)
was the captain of the Niña.
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Watling’s
Island
Hispaniola
Today
Nautical chart of Hispaniola
and Puerto Rico, 1639
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Columbus was appointed governor and viceroy over the new
lands he had claimed for Spain.
•Second voyage: September 25, 1493, Columbus left from Cádiz,
Spain, on a voyage of discovery with 16 ships and about 1500 men,
including Juan Ponce de León. He found several islands, including
Puerto Rico.
•Third voyage: May 30, 1498, he left Sanlúcar with six ships,
exploring the gulf between Trinidad and Venezuela.
•Fourth voyage: May 11, 1502, he left Cádiz with four ships,
exploring the Caribbean coast of Central America.
•In 1500 upon returning to Spain Columbus was arrested for
exceeding his power as governor of Hispaniola. He was acquitted by
Ferdinand and Isabella who funded his fourth voyage.
•Columbus died in Spain on May 20, 1506.
Columbus before Queen
Isabella of Spain
Ferdinand and Isabella
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Columbus' tomb inside
the Seville Cathedral
The Columbian Exchange
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Columbian Exchange Continued…
http://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=
HQPA5oNpfM4
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