European ExplorersPortugal and Spain

Ms. Hunt

Unit 3

RMS IB 2012-2013

What lead to European Exploration?

• The Renaissance –spirit of adventure, curiosity, learning, and admiration of human achievement.

• Economics – The most important reason was the desire for wealth.

• The Desire to Spread Christianity – Europeans wanted to continue to fight the spread of Islam, and bring Christianity to non-Christians in Asia

• Claim New Lands – European powers wanted to start settlements and trading posts.

Portugal’s Location- Critical to Exploration

• Portugal faces the Atlantic Ocean

• Spain stopped Portugal from expanding into Europe or the Middle East.– HAD TO GO WEST!

Strong Government SupportPrince Henry the Navigator

• son of the King of Portugal.• Interested in overseas exploration during a war in North Africa• He was determined to find a water route to Asia• Goal- Wealth and spread Christianity.

• Founded a navigation school in 1419. • Taught mapmaking, instrument creation and use, ship builders, and science

Portuguese Use of Technology1. Caravels – new ship design of the 1400’s were

sturdierthan previous ships. They were about 65 feet long.

2. Lateen sails – triangular sails adapted from Arab boats,

made it possible to sail against the wind.

3. Astrolabe – Arabic invention, allowed navigators to

determine their location by using astrology

4. Magnetic Compass – Chinese invention, 220 B.C., Recently adopted in Europe as a navigational device.

Astrolabe and

Caravals

Portuguese are the First to Reach the East

• Portuguese sailors begin to sail down the west coast of Africa

• Bartholomew Diaz – 1487 reaches the Cape of Good Hope, the Southern tip of Africa

• Vasco da Gama – 1497 -1498 rounded Africa and reached India.

– He returned with a cargo valued at 60 times the cost of his voyage!

** Pedro Alvares Cabral- 1500, leading a fleet to India from Portugal, when he goes off course, and discovers Brazil.

Bartholomew Diaz Vasco De Gama

Pedro Alvares Cabral

Portuguese Explorers

The Spanish ExpeditionsThe Spanish Expeditions

• 1492 – Christopher Columbus – Italian sailing for Spain

• Columbus was convinced the world was round and he could reach the East Indies by sailing west. – Landed in present day Bahamas, which he

thought were unknown islands of the East Indies.

• Claimed the land he discovered for Spain.

• Opened up New World for Exploration!

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

• 1510- founded first permanent European settlement on the mainland of the Americas – Present day Panama

• 1513 - first European in America to see the Pacific Ocean

Ferdinand Magellan

• 1519- Portuguese captain led several ships from Spain, around the Southern tip of South America.

• Became the first voyage to circle around the globe.• Proved that the world was

round. • Claimed Philippine Islands for

Spain giving Spain an empire in the Pacific.

Hernando De Soto

• 1541 –becomes the first European to see the Mississippi River.

Explorer’s Interactive Notebook Foldable

• Each student receives 2 colored sheets of paper.

• Fold the paper to have a 1 inch margin along the long edge of the paper.

• Glue the margin down as close as possible to the spiral/ interior of your notebook

• Label each margin with 1 exploring nation– Portugal– Spain

• Draw and then cut lines along the paper creating enough tabs for the number of explorers from the country.– Portugal- 4– Spain- 4

• On each tab, write the dates, names, and significant accomplishments of each explorer we talked about.

• Neatness and creativity count. Color and illustrate it as you see fit. You will be graded on it.