In this unit, we will discover how adventurous men changed the history of the world. We will learn about Prince Henry the Navigator, Columbus, Magellan, Vasco da Gama, and many others.

1. Explorers

2. Guiding Questions
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?

3. Marco Polo

4. 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.

5. Why did they go?
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
God, Glory, and Gold!!

6. Portugal & Prince Henry the
Navigator
ultimate goal—find a
water route around Africa
to India

7. 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.
The Portuguese Navigation Court
•Portugal was first country to • Early 1400s, Henry established
launch large-scale voyages of court to which he brought sailors,
exploration mapmakers, astronomers, others
•Begun largely due to efforts of • Expeditions sent west to islands
Prince Henry, son of King John I of in Atlantic, south to explore
Portugal western coast of Africa
•Often called Henry the Navigator, • Portuguese settled Azores,
not himself explorer Madeira Islands, learned more
•Patron, supporter of those who about Africa’s coast
wished to explore

8. 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

9. 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

10. Shipbuilding
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
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
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

11. Risks of exploration
Inaccurate maps!
Storms!
Diseases like scurvy! (from a lack of
fresh fruit and veg)
Running out of food entirely!
Getting lost!

12. Daily Life of an Explorer
Icky food: salt pork, cheese, fish, ale,
and stale biscuits
Possible threat of mutiny
Cramped conditions!
Low pay!
Stiff punishments for disobedience!

13. Where did they go?

14. Bartolomeu Dias
Rounded the southern tip of Africa
Sailed for Portugal

15. Vasco da Gama
Was the first European to
reach Calicut, India by sea

16. Christopher Columbus

17. Christopher Columbus
Italian Sailor Columbus’ First Voyage
• Spain also eager to seek out new • Columbus reached island in
routes to riches of East Caribbean after about two months at
• 1492, Spanish rulers agreed to pay for sea
voyage by Italian sailor Christopher • Thought he had reached Asian
Columbus islands known as Indies; called
• Columbus believed he could sail west people living there Indians
from Spain, reach China • 1493, returned to Spain with exotic
• Correct in theory, but figures he items, including parrots, jewels, gold,
presented about earth’s size wrong plants unknown in Europe
• Also had no idea the Americas lay • Spanish believed Columbus found
across Atlantic new route to Asia, hailed him as hero

20. 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

21. Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Marched through
Panama to the Pacific
Ocean

22. Magellan

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

24. Treaty of Tordesillas
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

25. Portuguese Battles!
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!

26. Portugal Crushes the Muslim-Italian
Trade
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!”

27. The English
The English Sir Francis Drake
• 1497, first major English voyage of • English soon realized they had
discovery launched reached an unknown land, not Asia
• John Cabot sailed to Atlantic coast of • Queen sent Sir Francis Drake out
what is now Canada • After stop in what is now California,
• Tried to repeat voyage; fleet Drake sailed north to seek route
vanished, presumably sunk around North America
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.

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

29. Explorers and their Routes
Chapter 16, section 1, pages 472-473

32. Scramble!
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!

33. Dutch Battles!
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.

34. The English
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.

35. Effects
Foreign influence is mostly in the port
cities.
Native culture inland is mostly
unaffected.
Globalization begins…