Explorers

Why did they go exploring? How did they explore?

What did they explore? Where did they explore?

How did the Crusades and Renaissance encourage exploration?

How does exploration affect us today? Who benefits from modern-day

exploration?

Guiding Questions

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant who traveled with his father and uncle to China in 1271.

There, he met with Kublai Khan who employed Marco to travel the province and make reports.

After many years, the three men return to Venice, but are not recognized by their family.

Marco Polo is captured during a Venetian – Genoese battle and put into prison where he meets a writer who records his amazing adventures.

Marco Polo

Spices: nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, pepper Goods: silk and gold Land to claim for crown Religious converts To bypass Venetian and Muslim trade

monopoly and high prices

Why did they go?

God, Glory, and Gold!!

Portugal & Prince Henry the Navigator

ultimate goal—find a water route around Africa to India

As a result of their location facing the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and Spain were well suited to kicking off the Age of Exploration.

• Portugal was first country to launch large-scale voyages of exploration

• Begun largely due to efforts of Prince Henry, son of King John I of Portugal

• Often called Henry the Navigator, not himself explorer

• Patron, supporter of those who wished to explore

The Portuguese• Early 1400s, Henry

established court to which he brought sailors, mapmakers, astronomers, others

• Expeditions sent west to islands in Atlantic, south to explore western coast of Africa

• Portuguese settled Azores, Madeira Islands, learned more about Africa’s coast

Navigation Court

Explorers from Portugal and Spain

Ready, Set…

Advances in Technology• Whatever reasons for exploring, Europeans could not have made

voyages of discovery without certain key advances in technology• Some advances made in Europe during Renaissance• Others borrowed from people with whom Europeans had contact,

especially Chinese, Muslims

Navigation • Sailors needed precise means to calculate location • Compass brought to Europe from China, let know sailors know

which direction was north at any time• Europeans learned to use astrolabe from Muslims• Navigators could chart location based on sun, stars in relation to

horizon

How did they explore?

Astrolabe: used to determine altitude of the sun and position of the stars. Sextant:

used to find latitude and longitude

Caravel: small sailing ship with 2 or 3 masts and triangular sails

Improvements • Just as important as advances in navigation were advances in

shipbuilding• Europeans learned to build ships that rode lower in water than

earlier ships• Deep-draft ships could withstand heavier waves; also had larger

cargo holds

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

Caravels • Caravel, light, fast sailing ship; two features made it highly

maneuverable• Steered with rudder at stern, rather than with side oars• Also lateen, triangular, sails; could be turned to catch wind from

any direction

Shipbuilding

Risks of exploration

Inaccurate maps! Storms! Diseases like scurvy! (from a lack

of fresh fruit and veg) Running out of food entirely! Getting lost!

Icky food: salt pork, cheese, fish, ale, and stale biscuits

Possible threat of mutiny Cramped conditions! Low pay! Stiff punishments for

disobedience!

Daily Life of an Explorer

Where did they go?

Rounded the southern tip of Africa Sailed for Portugal

Bartolomeu Dias

Was the first European to reach Calicut, India by sea

Vasco da Gama

Christopher Columbus

• Columbus reached island in Caribbean after about two months at sea

• Thought he had reached Asian islands known as Indies; called people living there Indians

• 1493, returned to Spain with exotic items, including parrots, jewels, gold, plants unknown in Europe

• Spanish believed Columbus found new route to Asia, hailed him as hero

Columbus’ First Voyage

• Spain also eager to seek out new routes to riches of East

• 1492, Spanish rulers agreed to pay for voyage by Italian sailor Christopher Columbus

• Columbus believed he could sail west from Spain, reach China

• Correct in theory, but figures he presented about earth’s size wrong

• Also had no idea the Americas lay across Atlantic

Italian Sailor

Christopher Columbus

Results of Voyages

Columbus—three more voyages to Americas

Still believed he had reached Asia Error not realized until about 1502

Explorer Amerigo Vespucci sailed coast of South America, concluded it was not Asia

Mapmakers later named land America in his honor Knowing they had found new land, Spanish

set out to explore it

Marched through Panama to the Pacific

Ocean

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Magellan

After Balboa’s discovery, the Spanish realized they needed to cross another ocean to reach Asia.

• What Spanish did not know was how large ocean might be

• Daring adventurer, Ferdinand Magellan decided to sail west around world

• 1519, Magellan set out from Spain with five ships, 250 men

West Around World

• 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

Perilous Voyage

Ferdinand Magellan

Spain and Portugal competing for new territory

Pope tries to keep the peace between the two by dividing up the new territory using longitude

Spain focuses all it’s efforts in the New World, west of the treaty line

Portugal sends most of it’s fleet to Asia

Treaty of Tordesillas

European ships battle the local peoples as well as each other!

Portugal extends control over the Asian territories. They defeat the Muslim traders because they added cannons to their ships!

Portuguese build an important trading fort an Hormuz which blocks the Muslim traders!

They win the city of Malacca (Malaysia) giving them control of the Spice Islands!

Portuguese Battles!

Alfonso de Albuquerque, a Portuguese sea-captain preps his crew for attack by saying, “If we deprive them (Muslims) of this their

ancient market there, there does not remain for them a single port in the whole of these parts, where they can carry on their trade in these things…I hold it as very certain that if we take this trade of Malacca away out of their hands, Cairo and Mecca are entirely ruined, and to Venice will no spiceries…be…conveyed except that which her merchants go and buy in Portugal!”

Portugal Crushes the Muslim-Italian Trade

The weather was too cold, and he ended up heading west around the world to get back to England. He became the second man to

circumnavigate the globe.

• 1497, first major English voyage of discovery launched

• John Cabot sailed to Atlantic coast of what is now Canada

• Tried to repeat voyage; fleet vanished, presumably sunk

The English

The English

• English soon realized they had reached an unknown land, not Asia

• Queen sent Sir Francis Drake out

• After stop in what is now California, Drake sailed north to seek route around North America

Sir Francis Drake

• England wanted to find shorter route to Asia than Magellan found• England sent Dutch-born sailor Henry Hudson• 1607, Hudson set out to north • Hoped to find Northeast Passage around Europe• Found nothing but ice, returned to England• Later made two more voyages for English, one for Dutch

• Also wanted to find passage to Asia

• Sent explorers to look for Northwest Passage

• 1534, Jacques Cartier sailed past Newfoundland into St. Lawrence River, claimed land as province of New France, now Canada

The French• 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

The Dutch

The English and Henry Hudson

Explorers and their Routes

Chapter 16, section 1, pages 472-473

Noticing how rich the Portuguese and Spanish are getting, the other European countries now begin in earnest to grab up the new territories and establish trading forts!

Each country begins building more ships. The Dutch, English, and French establish

their own East India Companies. These companies the power to mint

money, make peace treaties, and even raise their own armies!

Scramble!

Since Portugal has now become the clear leader in Asia, the other countries attack their ships or trading posts.

The Dutch and English fleets attack the Portuguese.

The Dutch now have the largest fleet of ships in the world.

The Dutch make their home base on Java Island and begin to put pressure on the Portuguese.

They take the port of Malacca and the valuable Spice Islands from the Portuguese.

Dutch Battles!

As the Dutch expand in the Asian area, the English focus on expanding trade in India.

The English developed a successful trade of Indian cloth in Europe.

The English

Foreign influence is mostly in the port cities.

Native culture inland is mostly unaffected.

Globalization begins…

Effects