Chapter 2 Section 3

Section Focus QuestionHow did conflicts in Europe spur explorations

in North America?Conflicts in North America

Religious ConflictsEconomic ConflictsAs the appeal of the Reformation increased, the

split between the Catholics and the Protestants increased religious and economic tensions between countries in Europe.

Religious ConflictsBy 1530s, the rulers of Sweden, Denmark,

and several European states had split with the Roman Catholic Church and set up Protestant churches in their countries.

In other areas of Europe, the teachings and writings of a Swiss thinker, John Calvin, had a great influence on the development of Protestant churches in France, Switzerland, Scotland, and the Netherlands.

King Henry VIIIHenry married Catherine of Aragon, the

daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.

Catherine did not produce a son or male heir to the English throne. Henry sought a divorce and wanted to remarry.

Catholic law does not permit divorce, so Henry asked the pope to annul (cancel) his marriage.

The pope refused and caused Henry to break with the Catholic Church.

Henry set up a Protestant Church and named it the Church of England.

Economic ConflictsReligious tensions inflamed rivalries that

already existed among the nations of Europe.Wars were common and alliances often

shifted.This uncertainty made European rulers

believe they could not depend on one another to protect their country’s security.

SpainSpain was not willing to depend on Italian

and Portuguese traders.As a result, the Spanish monarchs supported

Columbus’s search for a new route to Asia.The Spanish thought that if they could start

colonies there, goods from those colonies would make Spain wealthy and powerful.

Most importantly, Spain hoped Asian colonies would provide them with gold.

MercantilismNearly every European nation sought gold to

pay for its wars and help strengthen its armies.

Spain required one fifth of all gold that Spaniards found be sent to the king.

This requirement was part of a system widely followed at this time, called mercantilism.

Mercantilism is a system where the colonies existed to make the home country wealthy and powerful.

The Spanish ArmadaKing Henry VIII of England died in 1547.The throne was ruled by his son Edward who

died shortly after.Mary I took the throne and she planned to

restore the Roman Catholic Church in England.

Mary died in 1558 and Elizabeth I, a Protestant, took the throne.

The rule of the Protestant Queen renewed the rivalry with the Roman Catholic Spain.

Spain’s Defeat Spain’s ruler, King Phillip II hoped to make

England a Catholic nation again.In 1588, Phillip assembled a fleet of 130

warships known as the Spanish Armada.Phillip hoped to force Elizabeth from the

throne.England’s smaller and faster ships sank many

of the Spanish ships.The Spanish Armada returned to Spain with

barely half of their ships.

Changing the Balance of Power in EuropeThe defeat of the Spanish Armada changed

the balance of power in Europe.Spain was weakened and so was its control of

the seas.This enabled countries like England and

France to found colonies in the Americas.Europe’s religious and economic conflicts

were not settled by the defeat of the Armada.As England France founded colonies, these

conflicts spread to the Americas.

John Cabot Columbus’ returned from his first voyage

interested another Italian explorer, John Cabot.

Cabot decided that a more northern route to Asia would be shorter and easier.

Spain and Portugal had no interest in Cabot’s ideas but England did.

England financed Cabot’s voyage.

Cabot’s VoyageCabot left England in May 1497 with one

ship.He crossed the North Atlantic and explored

the region around Newfoundland.On a second voyage in 1498, Cabot may have

explored the North American coast as far south as Chesapeake Bay.

We cannot be sure because his ships disappeared without a trace.

Northwest PassageEuropeans soon realized that the lands Cabot

had reached were not Asia, but a land that they had never seen.

England, France, and Holland all financed voyages of exploration to North America.

These voyages focused on finding a northwest passage, or a sea route from the Atlantic to the Pacific that passed through or around North America.

Giovanni da VerrazanoIn 1524, another Italian explorer, Giavanni da

Verrazano searched for such a passage for King Francis I of France.

Verrazano explored the Atlantic coastal region from North Carolina to Newfoundland.

In doing this, he discovered the mouth of the Hudson River and New York Bay.

Jaques CartierFrench explorer, Jacques Cartier, made three

trips to North America for France.In searching for the Northwest Passage, he

discovered the St. Lawrence River and explored it as far as present-day Montreal.

Henry HudsonEnglish explorer Henry Hudson made four

voyages in search of a Northwest Passage.Two voyages in the Arctic Ocean, during

1607 and 1608, were unsuccessful.Hudson’s English backers gave up on him

but the Dutch grew interested in his activities and financed a third expedition in 1609.

Crossing the Atlantic, Hudson reached what is now New York and explored up the river that today bears his name.

Hudson BayHudson’s discoveries convinced the English

to sponsor a fourth voyage in 1610.Hudson sailed into the Arctic again looking

for the passage to the Pacific.He reached as far a Hudson Bay, which is

also named for him.