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Unit 15: Age of Exploration
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
Motivations:
pepper, cloves, cinnamon,
Why did
found in Indonesia (Spice
Islands)
Europeans want
The Renaissance
to
explore?
encouraged curiosity
& a desire for trade
As a result of exploration, European
nations grew powerful & spread their
influence throughout the world
Gold (Money)
began
lookingoffor
quick,was
direct
AMerchants
desire for new
sources
wealth
the
trade
routes to
to avoid
Muslim &
main reason
forAsia
European
exploration
Italian merchants & increase profits
The Crusades & Renaissance
stimulated European desires
for exotic Asian luxury goods
Glory
Kings
sponsored
voyages
of possibilities
exploration
The who
Renaissance
inspired
new
gained overseas
colonies,
new sources of
for power
& prestige
wealth for their nation, & increased power
Exploration presented Europeans
the opportunity to rise from poverty
and gain fame, fortune, & status
God
European Christians, especially Catholics,
wanted to stop the spread of Islam &
convert non-Christians to the faith
Explorers were encouraged to
spread Christianity or bring
missionaries who would focus
only on conversions
Means:
The
Age
of
Exploration
How were explorers able to sail
so far & make it back again?
Before the Renaissance, sailors did not have the
technology to sail very far from Europe & return
Navigation
Trade & cultural diffusion during the Renaissance
introduced new navigation techniques to Europeans
Magnetic compass made
Astrolabe
Cartography
used
– Maps
stars to
were
show
more
sailing more accurate
accurate
directionand
(Invented
used longitude
by the &
(Invented by Chinese)
Greeks;
latitude
perfected
– Mercator
by theProjection
Muslims
European shipbuilders built a better ship;
The caravel 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
Cannons & rifles
the caravel more
gave ships protection maneuverable
Who were
theAge
explorers,
where did they go,
The
of Exploration
& how did they change world history?
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
Early 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:
Begin global (not regional) exploration &
create colonies to increase their wealth & power
In Portugal, Prince Henry the
Navigator started a school of
navigation to train sailors
He brought in Europe’s best
map-makers, ship-builders,
& sailing instructors
He wanted to
discover new
territories, find a
quick trade route
to Asia, & expand
Portugal’s power.
Portugal was the
early leader in the
Age of Exploration
“To serve God and His Majesty, to
give light to those who were in
darkness,
and
to
grow
rich
as
all
men
Sponsored ships
desire to do.” – Bartolomeu Dias
to sail down coast
of Africa and onto sailed to tip of Africa – Cape of Good
Hope
India
Prince Henry’s navigation school & willingness
to fund voyages led the Portuguese to be the
1st to explore the west coast of Africa
Vasco da Gama 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
The Spanish government
saw Portugal’s wealth &
did not want to be left out
More than any other
European monarch,
Ferdinand & Isabella
of Spain sponsored &
supported overseas
expeditions
Like most educated men of Columbus’ ships, the
the Renaissance, Italian,
Nina, Pinta, & Santa
Christopher Columbus
Maria, reached the
believed the world was
Bahamas in America
round & thought he could
but thought that he
reach Asia by sailing west had reached islands off
the coast of India
He made 4 trips to
“India” never knowing
he was in “America”
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
circumnavigate the Earth
(go all the way around)
During the
Age of Exploration,
Spain created colonies in
North & South America
Spain sent explorers called conquistadors
to the New World to find gold, claim land,
& spread Christianity
Cortez
conquered
the Aztecs
Pizarro
conquered
Thethe
influx
Incaof gold from
America made Spain the
most powerful country
in Europe during the
early years of the
Age of Exploration
Line of Demarcation
■ Pope Alexander VI suggested establishing an
imaginary dividing line drawn north to south
through the Atlantic Ocean to keep peace.
■ Treaty of Tordesillas established the line.
Additional Explorers
■Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal
■New World named America after
Amerigo Vespucci
■1513 – Balboa (sailing for Spain)
discovers the Pacific Ocean
England, France, & the Netherlands became involved
in overseas exploration & colonization as well
After failing to do so,
Champlain founded the
French colony of Quebec
The
French
explorer
Samuel
de
Champlain
Thesearched
French would
soon
carve
out
a
large
colony
along
Canada
for
a
northwest
passage
to
Asia
the Mississippi River from Canada to New Orleans
Unlike other
European nations
whose kings paid
for colonies, the
English colonies
were paid for
by citizens who
formed jointstock companies
English colonies
formed along the
Atlantic Coast of
North America by
colonists motivated
either by religion
or wealth
The English explorer James Cook was
the first European to make contact with
Australia, New Zealand, & Hawaii
English Settlements
• 1st – Jamestown in 1607
• Tobacco – cash crop
• 2nd – Plymouth Colony in 1620
• Pilgrims sought religious freedom
• 3rd – Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628
• Puritans sought religious freedom and
wanted to establish model community
for other Christians to follow.
Like England, the
The Dutch had colonies in
Netherlands (the Dutch) America & Africa, but the
allowed private companies Dutch East India Company
to fund exploration
dominated trade in Asia
Conclusions
As a result of the Age of Exploration, European
knowledge & influence of the world increased greatly
The Impact of the Age of
Exploration
■ Group presentation directions:
– Each student group will be assigned one of
nine major effects of European exploration
– Read the placard information and complete
three tasks as a group:
•Create a summary for the placard that
completes this sentence “The Age of
Exploration impacted ___ because…”
•Create a symbol for your summary
•Pick a group member to present
1. Asian Trade
■ Led by Prince Henry, “the Navigator”, the
Portuguese were the first Europeans to explore the
west coast of Africa, to sail around the southern tip
of Africa and finally, the first to reach India.
■ The Portuguese seized trading ports in India and in
the Spice Islands. They fought the Muslim
merchants who had control of the ports. The prices
of Asian goods like spices and fabrics dropped, and
more people in Europe could afford to buy them.
■ Not only did Portuguese sailors bring back spices
and goods from the Indian Ocean (cinnamon,
pepper, porcelain, jewels and silk) but they also
brought slavery to their colony of Brazil.
2. Nationalism
■ The explorations and conquests of the
conquistadors transformed Spain. The Spanish
rapidly expanded foreign trade and overseas
colonization. For a time, wealth from the Americas
made Spain one of the world’s richest and most
powerful nations. At the height of Spain’s power it
was ruled by Philip II.
■ In the long run, gold and silver from the Americas
hurt Spain’s economy. Inflation, or an increase in
the supply of money compared to goods, led to
higher prices. Monarchs and the wealthy spent
their riches wastefully instead of building up
Spain’s industries.
3. Capitalism
■ The voyages of explorers had a dramatic impact on
European trade. As a result, more goods, raw
materials and precious metals entered Europe. New
trade centers developed, especially in the
Netherlands and England.
■ Exploration and trade led to the growth of
capitalism. This system is based on investing money
for profit. Merchants gained great wealth by trading
and selling goods from around the world. They then
could use their profits to finance other voyages and
to start trading companies. Other people began
investing money in these companies and shared in
the profits as well.
4. Mercantilism
■ European nations developed a new economic policy
called mercantilism. Kings believed that wealth
was the best way to build their countries’ power.
They tried to reduce the things they bought from
other countries and increase items sold.
■ Having colonies was a key part of this policy.
Nations expected colonies to supply raw materials
for their industries. They could also make more
money by selling finished goods to their colonies.
■ As a result, a “triangular trade” developed:
manufactured goods were made in the mother
country, raw materials were produced in the
colonies, and slaves from Africa were brought to
the colonies to produce raw materials.
5. Columbian Exchange
• Early Spanish explorations were important because it
led to knowledge of the existence of the Americas
and the creation of colonies in the “New World”.
• The Spanish gained great wealth, and crops began to
be exchanged with the “Old World” of Europe. The
introduction of Europeans plants, animals, and
diseases in America and the introduction of
American crops into Europe became know as the
Columbian Exchange
• This diffusion of
“Old World” and
“New World”
products changed
world history.
6. Colonies and Plantations
■ During the 1500s, Portugal began to establish
colonies in Brazil which greatly impacted the native
people. The Portuguese tried to get them to give up
their religion and convert to Christianity. They also
forced them to work on sugar plantations.
Missionaries sometimes tried to protect them from
abuse, but countless numbers died from overwork
and European diseases.
■ The colonization of Brazil also had an impact on
Africa. As the native population decreased, the
Portuguese needed more laborers. Starting in the
mid 1500s, for over 300 years, they brought millions
of enslaved West Africans to Brazil.
7. Disease
• To explore and conquer “New Spain,” the Spanish
turned to men called conquistadors (conquerors). The
conquistadors were allowed to establish settlements
and seize the wealth of natives. This led to conquering
of the Aztecs by Cortes and the Inca by Pizarro.
• When conquistadors arrived they brought with them
their horses, armor and guns, which helped them in
battle. But more deadly for the natives were the
deadly epidemic diseases that the Europeans carried.
Millions of natives died from diseases. For example in
Mexico, there were about 25 million native people in
1519. By 1605, this number had dwindled to 1 million.
8. Slavery
■ When native populations were wiped out because
of overwork and disease, both the Spanish and
Portuguese began to import slaves from the west
coast of Africa. Over the next 300 years millions of
slaves would be taken across the Atlantic Ocean.
■ The journey across the Atlantic was grueling and
deadly. The Middle Passage is the name given to
the journey of African slaves to the Americas.
■ Once slaves arrived in the New World they were
forced to work in harsh conditions on plantations
growing sugar and indigo and work in gold and
silver mines.
9. Christianity
■ One of the impacts of exploration on the
Americas was the introduction of
Christianity. The Spanish conquistadors
were accompanied by Catholic missionaries
looking to spread Catholicism.
■ Some natives were forced to convert by the
Spanish that were looking to win converts as
a way to fight against the Protestant
Reformation. The fierce competition of
European nations during the time period
was not limited to wealth and power, but
included religion as well.
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■Essential Question:
–What were the global impacts of the
European Age of Exploration?
■Warm-Up Question:
–What was the Columbian Exchange?
–What is mercantilism?
–What is capitalism?
The Impact of the Age of Exploration:
Europe
Europe was greatly
impacted by the
Age of Exploration
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
King Philip II
Commercial RevolutionThe increase in trade
quick change in business
led to the growth of
practices and in trade with
capitalism, especially
European nations.
in England & the
Netherlands
Capitalism is a system
in which merchants trade
& invest money in order
to make a profit; Prices
are determined
by supply and demand
Citizens can invest
money in companies
like the British East
India Company &
share in the profits
Nations developed an economic policy called
mercantilism basedMercantilism
upon the idea that national
power comes from a favorable balance of trade
As a result, colonies are needed
to supply the mother country
with cheap raw materials and to
help mother country accumulate
gold and silver.
Over time, inflation occurs –
increase in money supply
value of money declines 
prices of goods increase
Due to mercantilism, a “triangular trade” developed
between Europe, their overseas colonies, & Africa
The Impact of the Age of Exploration:
Asia, America, Africa
Asia was greatly The Portuguese & Dutch seized
impacted by the
trade ports in the Spice Islands
Age of Exploration & in India in order to gain exotic
European merchants goods like cotton & spices
began to dominate
trade in China & Japan
& converted many
people to Christianity
Catholic missionaries
introduced Christianity
to the American Indians
America was greatly
impacted by the
Age of Exploration
The introduction
of new foods, plants, &
animals between
America & Europe was
called the Columbian
Exchange
The introduction of potatoes The introduction
The introduction
of
& corn helped improve the Europeanof
grains,
European
horses,
diets & life expectancy of & cattlediseases
transformed
like
people throughout the world manysmallpox,
Indian cultures
measles,
& influenza killed
as many as 90% of
Native Americas
Europeans
introduced the
plantation system in
America; These large
cash crop farms were
called encomiendas
Encomiendas
required a large
supply of workers
which increased
the need for slaves
(Encomienda System – system of
forced labor of Native
Americans)
The demand for workers on American
plantations, especially in the Caribbean &
Brazil, led Bartolome de Las Casas, a
Spanish priest to suggest replacing
indigenous Americans with harder working
and better equipped Africans. Thus the
African slave trade was established.
Africa was greatly impacted
by the Age of Exploration
The majority of African slaves
worked in harsh conditions on
sugar & indigo plantations or
in gold & silver mines
For 300 years, slaves were sold in West Africa &
brought to America along a route across the
Atlantic Ocean known as the Middle Passage
African
The
Slave
“Coffin”
Captives
auction
SugarPosition
plantation
upon
Beingarrival
Used
Thrown
in Haiti
in
Below
America
Overboard
Desk