Download Unit 15 - Student Notes - Pleasantville High School

Unit 13: Age of Exploration
Age of Exploration: Overview
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From the 1400s to the 1700s, Europe experienced an “Age of Exploration”
The Crusaders brought goods and ideas back from Middle East  Europeans wanted new products. 
After Black Death and European recovery, its population grew,
demand for these goods increased
Most valuable goods were pepper, cloves, cinnamon, found in
Indonesia (Spice Islands)
The Renaissance encouraged curiosity & a desire for trade
As a result of exploration, European nations grew powerful &
spread their influence throughout the world
Motivations: Why did Europeans want to explore? (Three G’s)
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__________________________
o A desire for new sources of wealth was the main reason for European exploration
o The Crusades & Renaissance stimulated European desires for exotic Asian luxury goods
o Merchants began looking for ____________________________________________ to avoid
Muslim & Italian merchants & increase profits
__________________________
o The Renaissance inspired new possibilities for power & prestige
o Exploration presented Europeans the opportunity _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
o Kings who sponsored voyages of exploration gained overseas colonies, new sources of wealth
for their nation, & increased power
__________________________
o European Christians, especially Catholics, wanted to stop the spread of Islam & convert nonChristians to the faith
o Explorers were encouraged to spread Christianity or bring __________________________ who
would focus only on conversions
Means: How were explorers able to sail so far & make it back again?
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Before the Renaissance, sailors did not have the technology to sail very far from
Europe & return
Trade & cultural diffusion during the Renaissance introduced new navigation
techniques to Europeans
o ___________________ made sailing more accurate (Invented by Chinese)
o ____________ used stars to show direction (Invented by the Greeks; perfected by the Muslims
o Cartography – Maps were more accurate and used longitude
& latitude – ______________________________________
o European shipbuilders built a better ship; The ___________
was a strong ship that could travel in the open seas & in
shallow water
 Caravels had triangular lateen sails that allowed ships
to sail against the wind
 A moveable rudder made the caravel more maneuverable
 Cannons & rifles gave ships protection
Non-European Explorers
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Europeans were not the first to explore the oceans in search of new trade routes
Islamic merchants explored the Indian Ocean & had dominated the Asian spice trade for centuries
before European exploration
From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He led the Chinese treasure fleet on 7 expeditions to SE Asia, India, & Africa
during the Ming Dynasty
But in the late 1400s, the European sailors did what neither Muslim nor Chinese explorers could: _____
____________________________________________________________________________________
Portugal & Prince Henry the Navigator
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Portugal was the early leader in the Age of Exploration
In Portugal, ___________________________________
started a school of navigation to train sailors
o He brought in Europe’s best map-makers, shipbuilders, & sailing instructors
o He wanted to discover new territories, find a
quick trade route to Asia, & expand Portugal’s
power.
o Sponsored ships to sail down coast of Africa
and onto India
Bartolomeu Dias
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“To serve God and His Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness, and to grow rich as all men
desire to do.” – ____________________________________ sailed to tip of Africa – Cape of Good Hope
Portugal’s Empire
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Prince Henry’s navigation school & willingness to fund voyages led the Portuguese to be the 1st to
explore the west coast of Africa
____________________________________________ was the 1st explorer to find a direct trade route
to Asia by going around Africa to get to India (port of Calicut)
Portugal gained a sea route to Asia that brought them great wealth
During the Age of Exploration, Portugal created colonies along the African coast, in Brazil, & the Spice
Islands in Asia
Spain Enters the Game
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The Spanish government saw Portugal’s wealth & did
not want to be left out
More than any other European monarch, ___________
________ sponsored & supported overseas expeditions
Like most educated men of the Renaissance, Italian,
__________________________ believed the world was
round & thought he could reach Asia by sailing west
Columbus’ ships, the Nina, Pinta, & Santa Maria,
reached the Bahamas in America but thought that he
had reached islands off the coast of India
o He made 4 trips to “India” never knowing he
was in “America”
Magellan
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Despite the fact that Columbus never found Asia,
Ferdinand Magellan still thought he could reach
Asia by sailing West
Magellan became the first explorer to
_________________________________________
During the Age of Exploration, Spain created
colonies in North & South America
Spanish Conquistadors
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Spain sent explorers called conquistadors to the New World to find gold, claim land, & spread
Christianity
o Cortez conquered the Aztecs
o Pizarro conquered the Inca
The influx of gold from America made Spain the most powerful country in Europe during the early
years of the Age of Exploration
Portugal vs. SpainLine of Demarcation & the
Treaty of Tordesillas
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___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
__________________________ established the line.
Additional Explorers
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Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal
New World named America after Amerigo Vespucci
1513 – Balboa (sailing for Spain) discovers the Pacific
Ocean
France Enters the Fray
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The French explorer ____________________________
searched Canada for a northwest passage to Asia
o After failing to do so, Champlain founded the
French colony of Quebec
The French would soon carve out a large colony along
the Mississippi River from Canada to New Orleans
England Forms Joint-Stock Companies
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Unlike other European nations whose kings paid for
colonies, the English colonies were paid for
by citizens who formed joint-stock companies
English colonies formed along the Atlantic Coast of
North America by colonists motivated either by religion
or wealth
The English explorer _________________________________ was the first European to make contact
with Australia, New Zealand, & Hawaii
English Settlements
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1st – Jamestown in 1607
o Tobacco – cash crop
nd
2 – Plymouth Colony in 1620
o Pilgrims sought religious freedom
rd
3 – Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628
o Puritans sought religious freedom and wanted to establish model community for other
Christians to follow.
Dutch Join in on the Fun
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Like England, the Netherlands (the Dutch) allowed private companies to fund exploration
The Dutch had colonies in America & Africa, but the Dutch East India Company dominated trade in Asia
As a result of the Age of Exploration, European knowledge & influence of the world increased greatly
The Overall Impact of the Age of Exploration
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Overseas colonies increased the wealth of European nations, the power of kings (called nationalism)
This was especially true in Spain where the influx of gold turned Spain into one of the wealthiest &
most powerful nations in Europe
Growth of Capitalism
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The increase in trade led to the growth of capitalism, especially in
England & the Netherlands
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Citizens can invest money in companies like the British East India
Company & share in the profits
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Mercantilism Develops
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Nations developed an economic policy called
mercantilism based upon the idea that
____________________________________
____________________________________
o As a result, colonies are needed to
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
o Over time, inflation occurs – increase
in money supply value of money
declines  prices of goods increase
Due to mercantilism, a
“__________________________” developed
between Europe, their overseas colonies, &
Africa
Global Impact of the Age of Exploration
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Asia was greatly impacted by the Age of Exploration
o The Portuguese & Dutch seized trade ports in the Spice Islands & in India in order to gain exotic
goods like cotton & spices
o European merchants began to dominate trade in China & Japan & converted many people to
Christianity
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America was greatly impacted by the Age of Exploration
o Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity to the American Indians
o The introduction of new foods, plants, & animals between America & Europe was called the
_________________________________
 The introduction of potatoes &
corn helped improve the diets &
life expectancy of people
throughout the world
 The introduction of European
grains, horses, & cattle
transformed many Indian
cultures
 The introduction of European
diseases like smallpox, measles, & influenza killed as many as 90% of Native Americas
o Europeans introduced the plantation system in America; These large cash crop farms were
called __________________________________.
 Encomiendas required a large supply of workers which increased the need for slaves
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Africa was greatly impacted by the Age of Exploration
o The demand for workers on American plantations, especially in the Caribbean & Brazil, led
_________________________, a Spanish priest to suggest replacing indigenous Americans with
harder working and better equipped Africans. Thus the ___________________ was established.
o For 300 years, slaves were sold in West Africa & brought to America along a route across the
Atlantic Ocean known as the ________________________________
o The majority of African slaves worked in harsh conditions on sugar & indigo plantations or in
gold & silver mines