CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS€¦ · Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for the Spanish crown. As a teenager, Columbus sailed on many merchant ships where he learned

2304 red diamonds rule

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for the Spanish crown. As a teenager, Columbus sailed on many merchant ships where he learned the basics of navigation. Once a grown man, Christopher Columbus dreamed of using his sailing skills to find the highly-coveted water route to Asia. For years, explorers had sought to find a quicker way to reach the vast spice markets of India. However, Columbus’ view of reaching the Far East was different from all other explorers at the time - Columbus believed he could sail west (instead of east) to find the water route to Asia.

After convincing King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his journey, Columbus set sail west for India. In October 1492, Columbus landed on an island of what he believed was an extension of India. He called the people “indians” and proclaimed himself the royal governor. Columbus returned three more times to explore the islands, but Columbus never realized he had discovered an entirely new continent. Just twenty years later, the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci proved the land was not India but in fact a “new world.”

©HistorywithMr.E-ASocialStudiesProfessionalSpecializinginAmericanandWorldHistoryforlateElementary,Middle,andearlyHighSchool


VASCO DA GAMA

Born in 1460, Vasco da Gama

was a Portuguese explorer who

discovered an ocean route

from Portugal to the Far East. The route took

travelers around the African continent (around the

Cape of Good Hope) to reach India and China at a

much faster pace than on foot. Most people

doubted da Gama’s discovery because they did not

believe the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean were

connected.



FERDINAND MAGELLAN

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition that sailed completely around the Earth. The journey started in 1519 and ended in 1522. Magellan is also credited for naming the Pacific Ocean (the prefix “pac” means calm, peaceful. Magellan was amazed by the calmness of this ocean compared to the Atlantic).

While Magellan is often remembered for being the first person to circumnavigate the globe (travel completely around), most people do not realize that he did not actually make it. Magellan was killed in the Philippines by native tribes before he made it back to Spain. It was the remainder of Magellan’s crew that should hold the honor!

Early in his career, Magellan sailed to India and to the Far East many times. Magellan used the route made popular by Vasco da Gama to reach India, around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. As a young man Magellan sailed for his native Portugal, however Magellan was accused of illegally trading with the Moors of Morocco and Portuguese King Manuel II turned against him. After this incident, Magellan moved to Seville and sailed for Spain.



HENRY THE NAVIGATOR

Prince Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese explorer, soldier and prince. Although Prince Henry rarely participated in explorations, it was because of Henry that Portugal played such an influential role in the Age of Exploration.

First, Prince Henry personally financed many expeditions for Portugal to learn more about the outside world. These expeditions succeeded in mapping much of the Africa’s western coast.

Second, Henry greatly impacted Portuguese in the Age of Exploration through his navigation schools. In 1419, Prince Henry started the first school of navigation at Sagres, Portugal. The school’s mission was to train people to become expert navigators. Students learned how to read the night sky for directions and to create accurate maps for their life on the seas.



JUAN PONCE DE LEON

Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer who, in 1493, sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second expedition to the Americas. Eventually, Ponce de León led his own expedition. León’s first expedition took place just after Columbus‘ death in 1506. Like most Spanish explorers he wanted to find the vast amounts of gold that was believed to exist in the New World. On his first journey León explored a Caribbean island named Borinquen. Here, he found large deposits of gold.

When León showed King Ferdinand of Spain the gold he discovered, the king sent him back for more! In 1511, Ponce de León set out on a second voyage. This time, however, he landed in Cuba. While in Cuba, León became mesmerized with native stories of a magical “fountainof youth.” The natives told León that water from the fountain could cure all illnesses and keep a person young forever. In his adventures to find the fountain, León discovered the peninsula of Florida and led the Spanish to eventually establish a fort in St. Augustine.



FRANCISCOPIZARRO

Born in 1478, Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish explorer who traveled through much of the northwestern coast of South America in what is now modern day Peru. Pizarro is best known for his disturbing encounter with the Incan empire. Upon discoveringthe empire, Pizarro quickly set out to conquer the Inca. Hebefriended their leader, Atahualpa, only to later ambush himand steal the empire’s massive hoards of gold and silver.

After looting and destroying the Incan capital of Cuzco, Pizarro founded the “Cuidad de los Reyes”, which means "City of the Kings". This city was later renamed Lima and today it is the capital of Peru. Pizarro administered his empire from this city until his assassination in 1541.



HENRY HUDSONBorn in the 1560s, Henry Hudson was an English explorer who, like other explorers, sought cheaper and more efficient ways to reach the Far East. In 1607, Hudson was hired by the English Muscovy Company to discover a northeastern sea passage that led to the spice islands of India and China.

Henry Hudson reached the eastern coast Greenland on his first voyage, but could not advance and was forced to turn around due to ice blocking his path. A second voyage by Hudson was also unsuccessful; this led to the English Muscovy Company dismissing him. However, Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1609 because they still had faith in a northeastern route. Once he departed Holland, Hudson decided to ignore the Dutch East India Company’s instructions and sailed in the other direction, across the Atlantic Ocean to North America. He hoped to find a “Northwest Passage” to the Far East.

While he discovered three major waterways and named them all after himself (the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait), he failed to find the Northwest Passage to Asia. On his final voyage, Hudson's crew grew tired of his orders and left Hudson and his son to fend for himself on a small boat. He was never heard from again.



JOHN CABOTBorn in Italy in 1450, John Cabot was an Italian explorer who became fascinated with exploration at a very young age. Like many other Italian explorers (including Christopher Columbus), however Cabot was employed by another country - in his case, it was England! Looking for land to expand their empire and anxious to explore the land just discovered by Christopher Columbus, King Henry VII of England sent Cabot on his first expedition in 1497.

Cabot spent many journeys trying to find a “Northwest Passage” around the huge landmass that Columbus stumbled upon. In his explorations, Cabot reached and explored Newfoundland, Canada in the late-15th century (Cabot called it a “new found land”). This discovery allowed England to claim what is now Canada. However, Cabot’s desire to find the route to Asia would ultimately be his destruction - on his last voyage in 1501, Cabot and his men were lost at sea and never seen again.



HERNAN CORTES´ ´Born in Spain in 1485, Hernán Cortés first served as a soldier in the Spanish army. After helping seize Cuba in 1511, Cortés became hungry for conquest of his own. In 1519, he ignored orders from his generals and traveled to Mexico with hopes of seizing the mighty Aztec Empire. Cortés felt confident that his 500 men and 11 ships could easily conquer the Aztecs, but the tribe actually drove the Spanish from their capital of Tenochitilán.

In 1521, Cortés returned to defeat the Aztecs. He allied himself with some of the natives who opposed the local leadership. Eventually, Cortés was able to wear down the Aztec warriors and, with brute force, took their leader Montezuma hostage. Before dying in 1547, Cortés spent many years receiving praise and admiration for his work in Mexico from King Charles I.



Born in 1491, Jacques Cartier was one of the few French explorers who participated in the Age of Exploration. Cartier made it his life goal to find the Northwest Passage, or a route through North America that led to the Pacific Ocean. This was the same passage that plagued the adventures of John Cabot and Henry Hudson.

JACQUES CARTIER

As a young man, King Francis I of France hired Cartier to explore the Americas, particularly in Brazil. Cartier impressed the king and, in 1534, was hired to search for a water passage to Asia that went through the Americas. In his first voyage, Cartier explored Newfoundland (already discovered by John Cabot) and discovered Prince Edward Island. Cartier’s work impressed King Francis and his second voyage began the next year in 1535. On this expedition he discovered a large river further west of Newfoundland. This was the mighty St. Lawrence River; Cartier believed this was the route he was looking for, but he was wrong. On his third and final trip, Cartier and his men established a fort near Quebec - a feat that established France’s presence in North America.


Documents

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS€¦ · Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for the Spanish crown. As a teenager, Columbus sailed on many merchant ships where he learned