Voyages of Discovery: European Exploration in the 1400s and 1500s

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2. Voyages of Discovery Main Idea During the 1400s and 1500s European explorers—inspired by greed, curiosity, and the desire for glory, and aided by new technologies—sailed to many previously unknown lands. • Essential Questions • What were the foundations upon which the Age of Exploration was built? • What discoveries were made by explorers from Portugal and Spain? • What drove explorers from the rest of Europe?

3. Gold & God Glory & Curious New Routes • Search for wealth • Europeans desired expensive luxury goods • Other explorers hoped to spread their faith into new lands • - Some set out to find fame, glory • - Another motive—simple curiosity • - Writings intrigued many with tales of exotic lands, peoples • Hoped to find new, faster routes to Asia to gain trade foothold Foundations of Exploration • Renaissance spirit of discovery and innovation in Europe • Period is sometimes called the Age of Exploration

4. Advances in Technology • Whatever reasons for exploring, Europeans could not have made voyages of discovery without certain key advances in technology • Some advances made during renaissance & others borrowed from people with whom Europeans had contact (Chinese, Muslims) • Navigation • Sailors needed precise means to calculate location • Compass brought to Europe from China • Europeans learned to use astrolabe from Muslims • Navigators could chart location based on sun, stars in relation to horizon

5. Shipbuilding • Improvements • Just as important as advances in navigation were advances in shipbuilding • Europeans learned to build ships that rode lower in water, to withstand heavier waves; also had larger cargo holds • Caravels • Triangular-shaped sails; could sail against the wind • Multiple sails = made ships faster • Popular for Exploratory Voyages • Caravel would also be equipped with weapons, including cannons • Ships could face off against hostile ships at sea • Maneuverability, defensive ability made caravel most popular for exploring

6. Summarize How did advances in technology aid exploration? Answer(s): new ships faster and more maneuverable, could better handle sea voyages; navigational instruments allowed for voyages of exploration

7. The Portuguese Navigation Schools • Portugal was first country to launch large-scale voyages of exploration • Begun largely due to efforts of PrinceHenry the Navigator, not himself explorer • He was a supporter of those who wished to explore • Henry established schools to which he brought sailors, mapmakers, astronomers • Expeditions sent west to islands in Atlantic, south to explore western coast of Africa Explorers from Portugal and Spain As a result of their location facing the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and Spain were well suited to kicking off the Age of Exploration.

8. Exploration Attempts • Water Route to India • Prince Henry’s ultimate goal—find water route around Africa to India • 1488, Bartolomeu Dias became first to sail around southern tip of Africa • da Gama and Cabral • 1497, Vasco da Gama set out for India, stopped at several African ports • da Gama’s trip inspired another expedition to India, led by Pedro Cabral • Sailed west; sighted, claimed land that became known as Brazil Results - Portugal established trading centers; became rich, powerful European nation

9. 3 More Voyages Italian Sailor • Still believed he had reached Asia • Error not realized until about 1502, when explorer Amerigo Vespucci sailed coast of South America, concluded it was not Asia • Knowing they had found new land, they set out to explore it • Núñez de Balboa became first European to see Pacific Ocean • - 1492, Spanish rulers agreed to pay for voyage by Italian sailor Christopher Columbus • Columbus believed he could sail west from Spain, reach China, he was correct in theory, but figures he presented about earth’s size wrong • Columbus reached island in Caribbean after about two months at sea • Believed he found new route to Asia, hailed him as hero The Spanish

10. West Around World Perilous Voyage • What Spanish did not know was how large ocean might be • Ferdinand Magellan decided to sail west around world • 1519, Magellan set out for Spain with five ships, 250 men • Journey long, difficult; some men mutinied, rebelled • Magellan killed in fight with Philippine natives; his men sailed on • 1522, 18 survivors of original fleet arrived back in Spain, first to circumnavigate world Ferdinand Magellan After Balboa’s discovery, the Spanish realized they needed to cross another ocean to reach Asia.

11. Analyze What did da Gama, Columbus, and Magellan accomplish? Answer(s): da Gama—reached India via sea; Columbus—landed in the Americas; Magellan—circumnavigated the earth

12. The English Henry Hudson • 1497, English voyage of discovery launched John Cabot, he sailed to Atlantic coast of Canada • Sir Francis Drake sailed north to seek route around North America • Sent Dutch-born sailor Henry Hudson to find shorter route to Asia • Hoped to find NE Passage around Europe, but failed Explorers from the Rest of Europe • By early 1500s the English, French, & Dutch were exploring northern parts of the Americas.

13. The French The Dutch • Also wanted to find passage to Asia • Sent explorers to look for Northwest Passage • 1534, Jacques Cartier sailed into St. Lawrence River, claimed land as province of New France, now Canada • By 1600s Netherlands powerful trading nation, hoped to find new products, trading partners • 1609, Henry Hudson set out to find Northwest Passage • Did not find passage, but did explore river now named for him French & Dutch

14. Find the Main Idea What did English, French, and Dutch explorers hope to find? Answer(s): a shorter route to Asia