Download Exploration #1

Age of
Exploration
The Discovery of
Overseas Empires
Portugal and Spain
Reasons for European
Exploration:
1.
To find a better trade route to Asia.
2.
Their desire for gold and glory.
3.
To spread the beliefs of Christianity.
Portuguese Contributions
1. Prince Henry the Navigator (son of Portugal’s King
John I) had a number of influences on exploration.
Prince Henry’s contributions included:
a.
b.
c.
Map making by people called cartographers.
Built smaller and faster ships called caravels.
Started a navigation school.
Portuguese Contributions
2. Portugal became the 1st country to lead explorations.
3. In 1488, the Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias
was able to prove that ships could reach Asia by
sailing around the tip of Africa.
4.In 1497, the
Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama
became the 1st
explorer to reach India
by sailing around the
tip of Africa.
Spanish Contributions
1.The 1st explorer for the Spanish became Christopher
Columbus in 1492. Columbus wanted to reach India
by sailing west; instead he ended up discovering South
America and the Caribbean Islands.
Spanish Contributions
2. The Spanish and Portuguese were soon fighting
over lands of the world.
3. In 1493, the pope drew the line of demarcation,
which was an imaginary line dividing territories
between the two countries.
Spanish Contributions
4. In 1494, the two countries
signed the Treaty of
Tordesillas, which moved the
line farther to the west.
5. The Spanish explorer
Vasco de Balboa discovered
Panama and became the 1st
explorer to see the Pacific
Ocean in 1513.
Spanish Contributions
6. Spanish conquerors were known as conquistadors.
7. Hernando Cortes arrived in Mexico around 1519.
He eventually defeated the Aztecs led by Montezuma.
Spanish Contributions
8. Francisco Pizarro conquered the
Incas of modern day Peru, and killed
their leader Atahualpa.
Spanish Contributions
9. Ferdinand Magellan wanted to
find a water route to Asia in 1519.
He ended up finding the Straight of
Magellan on the southern tip of
South America. Some members of
his crew led by Juan Cano ended up
making it back to Spain completing
the worlds 1st circumnavigation, or
circling of the globe.