European Explorers

Why did it take place?

• The Age of Exploration was rooted in new technologies and ideas growing out of the Renaissance.

Why was exploration important to Europe?

• European traders traveled across the Mediterranean in search of spices and riches.

• Spices were used to

preserve food before there were refrigerators.

• Improve flavor

Why was there a need to explore?

• European merchants knew that if they could trade directly with Asia (people who had spices) they could make enormous profits.

• Began to search for new routes to Asia• Needed a shorter and more direct route

Other reasons for exploration . . . • Review . . .

• Need for trade routes to Asia• Desire for spices• Curiosity about new areas developed from the Renaissance

• Desire for new land• Nations of Europe competed with each other in the 1400’s for

political and economic power.• In order to improve their economic strength, they needed more

natural resources. • Establishing colonies provided new markets for their goods.

• Gold, God & Glory• Some explorers desired fame and riches• Others – mostly Catholics – wanted to spread their religion

• Decrease the influence of Muslims – Spread their culture through trade . . . Who brought the spices to Europe first?

Summarizing Activity

• Match the reason for exploration with the correct description . . .

1. New Land2. Spice Trade3. Renaissance

Movement4. God, Gold & Glory

A. Spirit of curiosity about the world

B. Spread of ReligionC. Motivation to find

new routes to AsiaD. Improved economic

strength and influence

Who were the leaders in exploration?Portugese Explorers

• Prince Henry the Navigator (1394 – 1460)• From Portugal

• Began worldwide exploration

• Believed a path around Africa would be a shortcut to Asia

• Founded a School of Navigation in 1450• Teach new methods of traveling across

the seas• Plan expeditions using latest maps, tools

and knowledge of ocean winds and currents

• Paid mapmakers to create detailed maps of new explorations.

Summarizing Activity – Think, Pair, Share

• List four accomplishments of Prince Henry the Navigator.

1.

2.

3.

4.

• Bartholomew Dias (1450 – 1500)• Rounded the southern tip of Africa

in 1488• Named it the Cape of Good Hope

• Vasco de Gama (1469 – 1524)• Reached the coast of India

• Took 317 days and 13,500 miles

• First European to discover a sea route to Asia

By the time Prince Henry the Navigator died in 1460, the Portuguese had ventured around the great bulge of western Africa and reached India.

They control the seas.

• Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

• Italian who sailed for Spain

• Believed the shortest way to Asia was to sail directly west – tried in 1492

• One of first Europeans to discover the Americas – The Bahamas

• Was responsible for beginning European exploration to the New World

• Voyages led to the eventual establishment of colonies in the New World

Who were the leaders in exploration?Spanish Explorers

Christopher Columbus’ First Journey

• Ferdinand Magellan (1480 - 1521)• His crew was the first to

circumnavigate the globe – which proved the Earth was round.

• It took 3 years to return to Spain

• He was killed before they got home – died in the Philippines.

• Circumnavigate• To sail completely around• Animaniacs - Ballad of Magellan

Astrolabe

used to measure the position of the sun and

stars in relation to the horizon

Ferdinand Magellan’s Trip Around the World

Other Famous Explorers…• Amerigo Vespucci

• From Italy• Explored South America

• Marco Polo • From Italy• Traveled the Silk Road to China

• Jacques Cartier • From France• Explored the St. Lawrence

Seaway

• Leif Erickson • From Norway• Explored Newfoundland, in

Canada

• Pedro Cabral • From Portugal• Discovered the first sea route

to Brazil

• Hernando Cortes • From Spain• Explored Latin America

• Ponce de Leon • From Spain• Searched for the Fountain of Youth

in Florida

• Francisco Pizarro• From Spain• Explored Latin America

• Hernando Desoto • From Spain• Discovered the Mississippi River

• Vasco de Balboa • Spain• Crossed the Isthmus of Panama• 1st to see the Pacific Ocean from the

New World

What countries held the major colonial empires?

France

SpainPortugal

Great Britain

Portuguese Empire

• West Coast of Africa• Gold and Slaves

• South America• Brazil • Gold and Sugar

• Africa and Asia• Important trading posts in coastal areas• Focus was on trade vs. taking over new lands

Spanish Empire

• South America• Pacific Islands (Philippines)• Caribbean

• Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic

• North America (Western USA, Mexico)• Central America

Spanish Empire• Largest and Strongest Empire

• Latin America • Mexico, Central America and South America• Conquered the Aztec and Inca

• Made money from gold and silver found in the Americas• Used to finance military wars & buy Asian silk and spices

• Spread Catholic religion major part of exploration

• North Africa• Established in late 1400’s and early 1500’s• Protect trade interests• Claimed the Phillipines for King Phillip II – location of

Magellan’s death

Summarizing Activity – True or False

• Portugal• Portugal’s rulers had no

interest in exploration or in using the seas for trade.

• Portugal was more interested in conquering a land and its people than in trade.

• Spain• Brazil was conquered by

Spain.

• The Philippine Islands were named after a Spanish queen.

• Spain was interested in spreading the Catholic religion.

• Spain established a large settlement in southern Africa to protect its trade interests.

British Empire

• Australia & New Zealand• Asia (India)

• North America (Canada, USA)• Caribbean (Bahamas, Jamaica)• Africa

British Empire• One of the most powerful empires in history.

• Controlled 1/5 of the world’s land at its peak in the 1900’s.

• 1600-1700’s• Est. tobacco plantations in the Caribbean• Colonies along the coast of North America

• Colonists came seeking religious freedom

• 1600 – Chartered the East India Company• Traded in the East Indies – India and SE Asia• 1858 – India became a colony of Great Britain

• Late 1600’s – first explored Australia• Strong colonial presence in late 1700’s after American independence.

• Major reason for colonization• Mercantilism – economic policy where the colonies helped the mother

country by providing valuable natural resources and a market for goods

French Empire

• North America • Central USA (Louisiana)• Eastern Canada• Caribbean (Haiti)

• India and SE Asia

• Africa & Madagascar

• Samuel de Champlain founded the colony of Quebec as a trading post in 1608.

• Similar to the Spanish, the French were very interested in spreading their religion to the lands they colonized.

Summarizing Activity

• In which 2 areas did Great Britain establish colonies in North America?

• What company established trade between England, India and SE Asia?

• Which country became a colony of England in 1858?

• What is an economic policy where colonies exist to increase the wealth of the mother country?

• Which colony became more important to England after losing the American colonies?

• Samuel de Champlain founded a trading post where in 1608?

• What was the name of the French territory in central North America?

IndiaCaribbeanLouisiana

Atlantic coastAustraliaEast India

MercantilismQuebec

What were the effects of exploration?

• Imperialism• One country controls the government

or economy of another country – in order to form an empire.

• Indigenous populations were forced to change their cultural traditions to those of the conquering country.

• Indigenous – born and living in a place, rather than coming from somewhere else

• Religious Conversion• European monarchs were

Christians• Sent missionaries to convert

indigenous people

• Spread of Disease• Explorers spread disease to indigenous people

because they didn’t have immunity (natural resistance to disease)

• Smallpox – only disease to be completely eradicated today• Malaria – spread by mosquitoes• Measles – can spread through fluids (nose/mouth) or

airborne presents as a rash

• Slavery• Increase in slave trade

• Purchased to work the land and replace many indigenous (native) people who had died from European diseases.

• Estimated 10-12 million Africans forced into slavery between 1500-1800.

What were the effects of exploration on Europe?

• European countries founded many new colonies• Imperialism

• As new lands = new natural resources • Fertile soil, furs, etc.

• European countries became very competitive with one another• Each trying to become the MOST powerful • Most land, most resources, most money, largest military