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THE AGE OF EXPLORATION

 MOTIVES FOR EXPLORATION:
Early Motives:
-Before 1400, Europeans had little contact with people outside Europe.
-The Crusades introduced Europeans to the riches of the East.
-Europeans also read the accounts of Marco Polo (Description of the World)
-Polo left Italy for the East in 1271 with his father & an uncle - three years later he reaches Mongol ruled
China (Kublai Khan) by ship & camel - travels around China for 17 years - returns home after 24 years
(traveled 15,000 miles total) - writes a book about the riches he witness in China
-Europeans wanted to obtain spices (used in food & medicine), gems, silk, jewels, & other riches
-These items were very costly, especially in Northern Europe - (price increases because of middle men in
Italy & the Middle East. Overland routes are also costly & dangerous.)
-Europeans wanted to find a more direct way to India, China, & Asia without paying the middle men.
Later: the 3 G’s
1. God: convert native peoples to Christianity
2. Gold: search for riches
3. Glory: new discoveries make the explorers very famous

 NEW TECHNOLOGY AT SEA:
-Before the 1400’s, Europeans used larges ships called Galleys - (50 to 60 oars slaves & prisoners)
-rudders were located on the side - clumsy ships - could not sail against the wind or for from land
-The Compass: indicates direction by pointing north
-Europeans learned about the compass during the Crusades (Chinese invention) - perfected in 1300’s
-The Astrolabe & Quadrant: applies geometry & astronomy to navigation
-allows sailor to determine latitude (North & South) by the height of the stars & planets
-The Caravel: designed in Portugal
-ships were thinner & longer than galleys - rudder at rear of the ship - triangular sails
- these improvements allow you to sail faster & against the wind
-other improvements such as Map Making as well
*These improvements in technology combined allow Europeans to sail further from the coast & out to sea

 PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR OF PORTUGAL:
-3rd son of John I (King of Port.) - distinguished himself during the capture of Ceuta (N. Africa)
-Henry hoped to acquire gold for Portugal & begin another Crusade with Pastor John (legend)
-became very interested in navigation
-began a school of navigation at Sagres (1419)
-established an observatory and gathered other navigational data
-Henry sends sailors out to search for a new route to Asia
-sail west to the islands of Madeiras & the Canaries
-later the Portuguese would primary focus on the exploration of Africa
-They believed that Asia could be reached by sailing south around the tip of Africa
-know one knew for sure how far south Africa extended
-Portuguese explorers sail down and explored the west coast of Africa – set up trading posts
-Although Henry was interested in the advancement of knowledge, glory for Port., & the spread Christianity,
most sailors were more interested in trade ($$$)

 BARTHOLOMUE DIAS:
-first to sail around the southern tip of Africa (1488)
-did not sail to India - large storm forced him to turn back
-he named the southern tip of Africa The Cape of Storms - later renamed Cape of Good Hope

 VASCO DE GAMA:
-first to sail around Africa and reach India (1497)
-4 ships with orders to find spices
-returned with riches & spices after 3 year trip - much cheaper than land routes

*The Portuguese would later sail to the East Indies & established trading posts throughout Asia

 EUROPEANS & AFRICA
-large African civilization located in Mali (others along the coast)
-Portuguese’s traded with these civilizations for gold (Gold Coast), ivory, slaves

 SPANISH EXPLORATION

 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS:
-son of a weaver - born in Genoa, Italy in 1451 - father wanted him to become a weaver as well
-sailed around the Mediterranean as a young man
-planned to sail to England, but his ship sunk off the coast of Portugal (battle)
-worked as a chart maker in Lisbon - married
-began to sail again (Iceland, the Equator, the Azors)
-Columbus believed that he could reach Asia by sailing West for 2 months - Port. would not finance him
-Portuguese attempted their own western trip, but had to turn back
-Columbus moved to Spain & tried to convince Ferdinand & Isabella to finance his trip
-finally after 6 years he was able to convince Isabella to finance the voyage
-Columbus demanded 3 things from the king & queen
1. the title Admiral of the Ocean Sea 2. governor (Vicroy)of all new lands
3. 10% of all riches (heirs as well)

 THE VOYAGES OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS:
1st Voyage:
-August 3, 1492 Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain with 3 ships (Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria)
-stopped in the Canaries for repairs & supplies
-sailed west for a month - faced mutiny by crew - kept two logs (one to deceive the crew)
-landed in the Bahamas October 7, 1492 (actual location is unknown)
-Columbus names the island were he landed San Salvador & claimed in for Spain
-Columbus believed he was in Asia (India) - he called the native peoples (Arawaks) Indians
- never realized his mistake
-Columbus was puzzled not to find the riches Marco Polo wrote about
-Columbus thinking that China was near by explored Hispaniola & Cuba before returning to Spain
-He returned to with only two ships - 40 men left behind on Hispaniola - Ft. La Navidad
-He also returned with some riches & native peoples. - given highest honors

 OTHER VOYAGES BY COLUMBUS:
-Columbus would make four voyages never realizing he had discovered a New World
-SECOND VOYAGE: 1493 - given 17 ships, over 1000 men, livestock & cattle - intention of colonizing
-discovered new islands in the Caribbean (Virgin Island, Puerto Rico, Others)
-return to Hispaniola to find that La Navidad had been burned & his men killed
-local chief claimed a nearby tribe had raided - retaliation for Spanish actions
-Columbus doe not retaliate - establishes new colony named La Isabela
-sailed to Cuba (thinking it was China) then Jamaica
-Columbus becomes ill - returns to Spain
-THIRD VOYAGE: mission on exploration - problems on the trip to the New World
-crew lands on Trinidad & are the first Europeans to see South America
-Columbus returns to Hispaniola were colonists were upset at the lack of gold
-revolt against Columbus - new governor appointed by King & Queen
-Columbus is arrested returns home in shackles & humiliated
-FOURTH VOYAGE: 1502 - 140 men - looking for a straight that Marco Polol spoke of
-linked Atlantic to Indian Ocean -the actual straight is located near Singapore
-not welcomed in Hispaniola - not allowed to stop
-explored Central America - found natives who spoke of another ocean & had gold
-established a fort in Panama - attacked by Indians - forced to leave
-ships were damaged - Columbus was marooned in Jamaca
-after several months a new ship was sent to rescue him from Hispaniola
-returned home to Spain - in obscurity - dies 1506 never realizing what he had discovered

COLONIES: a group of people settled in a distant land who are ruled by the government of their native land

 THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE:
-The interaction & clash of cultures between the Old World (Europe) & the
New World (Americas) changed the way people on both sides of the ocean lived.
-interaction involved the movement of products, plants, animals, & diseases
-Gold & silver were mined in the New World & sent to Spain making them powerful ($$$)
-Foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, beans, corn, others were introduced to Europe for the first time
-Cattle, horses, & smallpox were seen for the first time in the New World.
-other exchanges as well

 AMERIGO VESPUCCI:
-Italian explorer from Florence who sailed for Spain & Portugal
-followed Columbus’s route to New World (South America) 1499
-unlike others he realized that he was not in Asia, but in an entirely new land
-wrote a letter describing population, plants, & animals in the New World
-1508 a German Map maker read the letter & named the New World “America” after Amerigo

 LINE OF DEMARCATION:
-Spain & Portugal begin to claim land in the New World & Africa - some conflicts
-in 1493 Pope Alexander VI sought to resolve the conflicts by dividing the world between Spain & Portugal
-the Treaty of Tordesillas - gave the rights of all new lands to Spain & Portugal
-Brazil accidentally discovered by Port. & the line is moved further west into Brazil
-Portugal gets all the new land East of the line - Spain gets all the new land West of the line
-Pope gave land to them, because they remained Catholic nations

 VASCO NUNEZ de BALBOA:
-First European to see the Pacific Ocean 1513
-in the early 1500’s, Spanish explorers looked for a passage through the new continents
-Balboa heard stories of a large body of water to the west while in Panama
-Set out with 190 Spaniards & hundreds of Indians through the jungles of Panama
-the isthmus (narrow strip of land that connects two larger pieces of land) was only 45 miles wide
-Balboa names the Pacific “The South Sea”

 FERDINAND MAGELLAN:
-first man to circumnavigate (sail around) the globe
-a Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain
-1519 Magellan & 5 ships left Spain for South America
-sailed along the Eastern Coast to the Southern tip (Straights of Magellan)
-He entered a calm ocean he named the Pacific (South Sea - Balboa). - (after the Latin word for peaceful)
-Magellan sails westward to the Philippines & claimed them for Spain
-had few supplies - crew ate rats - dirty water
-Magellan is killed during a battle on the Philippines - never completes the trip
-one of his ships (18 crew member) eventually makes it back to Spain.

 THE CONQUISTADORES: the conquerors
-natives were fascinated by Spanish - some believed to be Gods - natives were tricked & cheated
-had never seen some common items, metal weapons, horses, guns
-natives had very poor technology
-”. . . with fifty men they could all be subjected & made to do all that one wished.” Columbus
-Spanish generals forced native tribes to accept the rule of the Spanish monarch
“If you do so . . ., we shall receive you in love & charity”
-those tribes that resisted were decimated (killed) by military force & driven from their homes
“We shall powerfully enter into your country, and . . . shall take you, your wives, & your children, & shall
make slaves of them . . . The death & loses which accrue from this are your fault!”
-”The Conquistadores behaved like the most cruel tygres, wolves, & lions enraged with a sharp & tedious
hunger.” Bartolome de las Casas
-they had driven the Moors out of Spain - adventurous - serve God, the King, & get rich
-authorized to set up outposts in the Americas by the King of Spain
-agree to give Spain 1/5 of all the treasure they find
*Spain would grow very rich and become a world power

 HERNANDO CORTEZ
-landed on the Eastern coast of Mexico in 1519 - with an army of 500 men (16 horses)
-heard about the might Aztec Empire & wanted to conquer it
-the Aztecs lived in central Mexico -
-news of Cortez’s landing reached Montezuma the Aztec leader
-they reported fair skinned men from the East - had never seen horses - believed they were Gods
-Montezuma did not know what to do - thought Cortez was a God - Quetzacoatl
-Montezuma welcomes Cortez as a guest - Cortez is really holding Montezuma hostage
-for more than 6 months this continued - finally Montezuma kicks Cortez out of the city
-1521 Cortez with his army, & the help of another native tribe attack & defeat the Aztec Empire

 FRANCISCO PIZARRO:
-marched with Balboa & heard of a large rich empire known as the Inca
-The Inca Empire was located in S. America in the Andes Mountains in what is now Peru
-Pizarro led 180 men 37 horses over the mountains from Panama to Peru
-Inca believe Spanish to be Gods
-Pizarro forces the Inca leader Atahualpa to fill a room with gold & silver - promises to leave
-He forces the Inca to melt their gold art & mold them into bars for transportation.
-Once the room was filled, he forced Atahualpa to convert to Christianity & then had him strangled to death
and his body burned. (This violated Inca religion)  -Pizarro destroys the Inca Empire (1535)

 WHY WERE THE CONQUISTADORES ABLE TO DEFEAT THESE MIGHTY EMPIRES WITH ONLY A SMALL ARMY?
1. Aztecs & the Incas believe that the Spanish are Gods
2. The Spanish have much better weapons (guns, cannon, metal) - vs. bows, arrows, & spears
3. Aztecs & Incas had never seen horses - frightened
4. diseases: the Natives had no immunity to small pox, measles, chicken pox, influenza

OTHER SPANISH CONQUISTADORES:

 PONCE DE LEON:
-named the island of Puerto Rico (rich port)
-put down a native (Taino) rebellion on Puerto Rico - named governor (Vicroy)
-heard stories about the Fountain of Youth (makes you young forever)
-1513 explored Florida - did not find the fountain - took native slaves back to Puerto Rico

 FRANCISCO CORONADO:
-1540 explored what would become New Mexico

 HERNANDO DI SOTO:
-explored what is now the Southeastern USA 1539-1542

*These two were looking for the rumored Seven Cities of Gold, but found none


OTHER EUROPEAN NATIONS EXPLORE THE NEW WORLD:

 NORTHWEST PASSAGE:
-quick routes to Asia in search of spices were still more valuable that land in the New World
-Magellan’s route was too dangerous
- England, France, & Dutch searched for a waterway through or around the America’s to the Pacific

 FRENCH EXPLORERS:

-GIOVANNI da VERRANZANO (Italian) was sent by France to find the Northwest Passage
-1524 sailed into New York Harbor - (Verranzano Bridge stands their today)

-JACQUES CARTIER:
-1530’s sailed up the St. Lawrence River
-met the Iroquois who told him of a rich kingdom near by (lie)
-Cartier searched but later returned to France

 ENGLISH EXPLORERS:

-MARTIN FORBISHER: searched for the Northwest Passage in Canada
-1576-1578 - found fool’s gold

 HENRY HUDSON:
-explored in far North America (Canada)
-discovered Hudson River (sailing for the Dutch) 1609
-another trip for England explored Hudson Bay - set afloat by crew - never heard from again

 RIVALRIES AMONG EUROPEAN NATIONS:
-In 1517, Martain Luther starts the Protestant Reformation
-Before Reformation, all Christians were Catholic
-Spain was the strongest Catholic nation - England the strongest Protestant nation

-THE ENGLISH SEA DOGS:
-English pirates who robed Spanish treasure ships
-encouraged to operate by Queen Elizabeth I - England was no match for Spain militarily at the time

 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE:
-most famous Sea Dog
-1577 took Magellan’s route - raided Spanish in Peru - returned to England
-received as a hero - knighted by the Queen
- infuriated Spain - prepared for war

 THE SPANISH ARMADA: 1588
-Spain built a huge fleet to attack England
-although the English were outnumbered, their ships were faster
-Armada was defeated by British ending Spanish power
-Spain would still maintain colonies, but could not dominate the New World
-now other nations would begin establishing colonies

(Columbus' first voyage was daring, bold, and frightening. He had to contend with bad weather, a mutinous crew, and the possibility of never finding land.  In the end his determination brought him success!) 

 *Download a Printable copy of the Review Questions

1. WHO WAS THE 1ST EUROPEAN TO SAIL AROUND THE TIP OF AFRICA?

2. WHAT WAS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT MALI?

3. WHAT IS THE SOUTHERN MOST TIP OF AFRICA CALLED? OF SOUTH AMERICA CALLED?

4. WHO WAS THE 1ST EUROPEAN TO SAIL TO INDIA?

5. WHAT IS A QUADRANT, A COMPASS, AND AN ASTROLABE?

6. IN WHAT DIRECTION DID COLUMBUS SAIL TO THE NEW WORLD?

7. WHAT PRODUCTS DID EUROPEANS WANT FROM ASIA?

8. WHAT MOUNTAIN RANGE CAN BE FOUND IN SOUTH AMERICA?

9. WHAT WAS THE LINE OF DEMARCATION?

10. WHY DO NATIONS ESTABLISH COLONIES?

11. WHAT DID EUROPEANS TRADE FOR IN AFRICA (3 THINGS)?

12. WHAT IS A CARAVEL? WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?

13. WHAT IS A CARTOGRAPHER?

14. WHO WAS AMERIGO VESPUCCI?

15. WHERE WAS COLUMBUS BORN?

16. COLUMBUS SAILED FOR WHICH COUNTRY?

17. WHAT DID COLUMBUS BELIEVE ABOUT THE WORLD?

18. WHO WERE THE KING & QUEEN OF SPAIN IN 1492?

19. IN WHAT MODERN NATION DID COLUMBUS LAND?

20. WHO WAS PRINCE HENRY?

21. COLUMBUS NAMED THE ISLAND HE FIRST DISCOVERED?

22. THE SPANISH FORT WAS HISPANIOLA WAS CALLED?

23. HOW DID COLUMBUS FEEL ABOUT THE NATIVE AMERICANS?

24. WHY WAS COLUMBUS A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE?

25. WHERE IS COLUMBUS BURIED?

26. WHAT WERE THE NAMES OF COLUMBUS'S SHIPS?

27. WHO WAS BALBOA? CORTEZ? PIZARRO?

28. WHO SEARCHED FOR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?

29. WHO WAS CABOT? VARRENZANO? CARTIER? HUDSON? FROBISHER?

30. WHAT IS AN ISTHMUS?

31. WHAT IS THE NORTH WEST PASSAGE?

32. IN WHAT MODERN NATION DID THE AZTECS LIVE? THE INCA? WHO WERE THEIR LEADERS?