PORTUGUESE EXPLORATION
Directions: Be an intellectual explorer! You may use the text book (pages 409-410) or the Internet
to explore the following concepts about Portuguese Exploration. Fill in as many notes as you can.
We will come back together as a class to share our discoveries and you will have the opportunity to
add or change ideas.
THE PORTUGUESE TRADING EMPIRE
· Prince Henry The Navigator (Who was he? What was important about him? Where did he
travel? How did he contribute to Portuguese exploration?)
Prince henry was a portuguese explorer, prince and soldier. Because of Prince Henry, Portuguese
explorers were the first to sail to Africa’s Gambia River, he sent many expeditions from Portugal to
the west coast of Africa.
o The Gold Coast, Africa (Where is it? How was it named? Why was it important to Portuguese
exploration? What happened after people visited there for the first time?)
The gold coast was a region of west Africa and now is a nation of Ghana. It was first named
Portuguese coast but then it was named after the resources there “gold”. It was where they
discovered gold. Prince henry sent soldiers to go there and those soldiers found the gold.
· Bartholomeu Dias (Who was he? What was important about him? Where did he travel? How
did he contribute to Portuguese exploration?)
Bartholomeu Dias was Portuguese explorer that was a nobleman of the Portuguese royal
household. He wanted to sail around the southern tip of Africa to find a trade route to India. The
voyage went from south to the west coast of Africa. The passage was important because for the
first time Europeans realized that they could trade with India.
· Vasco da Gama (Who was he?
Vasco da Gama was one of the most famous and celebrated explorers from the discovery ages.
What was important about him?
· He was important because he was the first to reach India by sea and found spices for food.
What did he accomplish? His discovery was very significant because by doing this he
accomplished the way to allow Portuguese to establish a long lasting colonial empire in Europe.
Where did he travel?
He travelled to India.
How did he contribute to Portuguese exploration? By finding the way to travel to India by sea.
o Port of Calicut (Where is it? Why was it important to Portuguese exploration?)
It is in the state of Kerala, India. It was the place where people traded for spices on the west coast
of India during the medieval period.
· Portuguese fleets vs. Muslim shipping routes/spice trade (What happened between the two
groups? Why was this significant? How did this affect Portuguese exploration?) *Think 1509…
· Admiral Alfonso de Albuquerque (Who was he? What was important about him? What did he
accomplish? Where did he travel? How was he successful? How did he contribute to Portuguese
exploration?)
He was known for the “great conqueror” in melaka. He was the first European to enter the Persian
Gulf and led the first voyage by a European fleet.
o Goa (Where is it? Why was it important to Portuguese exploration?)
Goa is India’s smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population.
o Melaka (Where is it? Why was it especially important to Portuguese exploration?)
third smallest state,
o Moluccas (Where is it? Why was it especially important to Portuguese exploration?)
Indonesia Maluku known as the Spice Islands
· Treaty with China (What was the treaty called? When was it signed? What did it say? Why is it
important to Portuguese exploration?)
It is called Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking, it was signed in December 1, 1887. It was a treaty
about
Why were the Portuguese the first successful European explorers?