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The Past Today together with its companion The Past Today Skills & Resources
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THE PAST TODAY
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Complete Junior Certificate text for both Ordinary and Higher Levels (including options)
Promotes the idea of the student as an historian
New and updated! content to reflect recent historical research
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Third Edition
THE PAST
TODAY
Complete Junior Certificate History
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The Author
Dermot Lucey is an experienced teacher of History and an active member of the Cork History
Teachers’ Association. He is the author of a number of History textbooks, including Modern
Europe and the Wider World and Shortcuts to Success History Exam Guide for Leaving Certificate.
Dermot Lucey
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www.gilleducation.ie
ISBN 978-0-7171-6520-9
9 780717 165209
The Past Today FULL COVER.indd 1
Cover design by Martin O’Brien www.obriencreative.ie
Cover image © Dan Huntley Photography/Getty Images
Dermot Lucey
15/07/2016 12:00
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Gill Education
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www.gilleducation.ie
Gill Education is an imprint of M.H. Gill & Co.
© Dermot Lucey 2015
978 07171 6520 9
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The Past Today prelims.indd 2
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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. ix
Year 1 How We Find Out About the Past
Historians at Work – How We Find Out About the Past
1 The Job of the Historian ..................................................................................................... 2
2 The Work of the Archaeologist ........................................................................................ 12
Our Roots in Ancient Civilisation 1: Ancient Ireland
3 The Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age) .................................................................... 23
4 The Neolithic Period (New Stone Age) . ......................................................................... 27
5 The Bronze Age .................................................................................................................. 36
6 The Iron Age and the Celts . ............................................................................................. 42
7 Early Christian Ireland ...................................................................................................... 52
Our Roots in Ancient Civilisation 2: Ancient Rome
8 Ancient Rome . .................................................................................................................. 60
The Story of Rome . ...................................... 60
The Romans at Work .................................. 66
Roman Towns and Houses . ...................... 61
Roman Art and Architecture ................... 68
Family and Food . .......................................... 63
Funerals and Burial Customs . ................. 69
Leisure and Entertainment ...................... 64
The Decline of the Roman Empire ........ 71
iii
Medieval Society
9 Medieval Society: Castle, Church and City . ................................................................... 74
What were the Middle Ages? . ................. 74
Medieval Cities and Towns . ..................... 84
Medieval Society . ......................................... 75
Monastery and Parish ................................. 87
Medieval Castles ........................................... 76
The Decline of the Middle Ages . ............ 91
The Manor and Village Life ...................... 81
Renaissance Art and Society
10 The Renaissance ...............................................................................................................
What was the Renaissance? ..................... 94
Changes in Art and Architecture ........... 96
Renaissance Lives:
Lorenzo de Medici (1448–91) and
Patronage . .................................................. 99
Gutenberg (1398–1468) and the
Printing Press . ........................................ 100
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) – Painter,
Sculptor, Scientist: The ideal
‘Renaissance Man’ ................................. 101
94
Michelangelo (1475–1564) – Sculptor,
Painter, Poet and Architect ................ 103
Dürer (1471–1528) – Artist of the
Northern Renaissance ......................... 106
Galileo (1564–1642) – Scientist,
Astronomer: The ‘Father of Modern
Science’ . .................................................... 108
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) –
Dramatist and Poet ............................... 110
Year 2 Studies of Change
Ordinary Level students may concentrate on the Special Studies in Second Year
Changes in the European View of the World: Exploration
11 The Age of Exploration .................................................................................................... 116
Why People Wanted New Sea Routes . 116
The Voyage of Magellan . ......................... 128
What Made the Voyages Possible . ....... 118
The Spanish Conquest of the
New World . ............................................. 130
The Portuguese Voyages .......................... 121
Special Study – A Voyage of Exploration:
The First Voyage of Christopher
Columbus ................................................ 124
iv
The Results of the Age of
Exploration . ............................................ 134
Religious Change: Reformation
12 The Reformation . ............................................................................................................ 139
What was the Reformation? .................. 139
The Reformation in England and
Ireland ....................................................... 147
Special Study – The Life of a Reformer:
Martin Luther ........................................ 141
The Catholic Counter-Reformation .... 150
Calvin’s Reformation in Geneva . ......... 145
The Results of the Reformation ............ 153
Changes in Land Ownership: Plantation in Ireland
13 Plantations in Ireland .....................................................................................................
Ireland in 1500 . ........................................... 158
158
Efforts to Conquer Ireland: Why the
Land Changed Hands . ........................ 160
Special Study – Land and Conquest
in Ireland: The Plantation of
Ulster ......................................................... 166
The Plantation of Laois–Offaly ............. 161
The Cromwellian Plantation ................. 170
The Plantation of Munster . .................... 162
The Results of the Plantations . ............. 173
Political Change: Revolutionary Movements
14 The American War of Independence ............................................................................. 177
Background and Causes . ......................... 177
Special Study – The Life of a
Revolutionary: George Washington
and the American War of
Independence ........................................ 180
15 The French Revolution .................................................................................................... 188
Background and Causes . ......................... 188
Robespierre and the Terror ..................... 194
16 The Results of the American War of
Independence ......................................... 185
The Results of the French
Revolution ............................................... 195
Ireland in the Age of Revolutions ................................................................................. 198
Causes of the 1798 Rising . ...................... 198
The Rising of 1798 . .................................... 201
Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen . .. 199
The Results of the 1798 Rising .............. 206
v
Social Change in 18th-and 19th-Century England and Ireland
17 From Farm to Factory . .................................................................................................... 207
18 The Agricultural Revolution ................. 207
Manufacturing Inventions ..................... 213
The Transport Revolution . ..................... 210
What Caused the Industrial Revolution
in Britain? A Summary . ................ 215
Special Study – Contrasting Lifestyles c. 1850: Industrial England and
Rural Ireland ..................................................................................................................... 218
Industrial England in the 1840s:
Working Conditions . .......................... 218
19 Living Conditions in the Cities . ........... 222
Rich and Poor ............................................... 225
Special Study – Rural Ireland in the 1840s . ................................................................. 229
The Great Famine, 1845–50 . .................. 231
The Results of the Famine . ..................... 236
Year 3 Understanding the Modern World
Ordinary Level students may study Political Developments in Ireland in the 20th Century
(Chapters 20–22) or Social Change in 20th-Century Ireland (Chapter 23)
Political Developments in Ireland in the 20th Century
20 Towards an Independent Ireland, 1900–22 ................................................................. 242
Political Groups in Early 20th-Century
Ireland ....................................................... 242
21 vi
The Rise of Sinn Féin . ............................... 257
The Home Rule Crisis, 1912–14 ............ 247
The Independence Struggle,
1919–21 . ................................................... 258
Reaction to World War I .......................... 250
The Anglo-Irish Treaty, 1921 . ................ 263
The 1916 Rising . ......................................... 253
The Irish Civil War .................................... 265
The New State ................................................................................................................. 272
Cumann na nGaedheal in Power,
1923–32 . ................................................... 272
The First Inter-Party Government,
1948–51 . ................................................... 283
Fianna Fáil in Power .................................. 276
Seán Lemass and the 1960s . ................... 285
The Emergency: Ireland during
World War II ........................................... 279
Years of Uncertainty, 1966–85 ............... 286
Northern Ireland, 1920–85
22 From Foundation to Attempts at Peace, 1920–85 ...................................................... 293
The Foundation of Northern Ireland ..... 293
Northern Ireland During and After World
War II ......................................................... 296
O’Neill, Civil Rights and the
Troubles .................................................... 299
Attempts at Peace ....................................... 303
Social Change in 20th-Century Ireland
23 Social Change in 20th-Century Ireland ....................................................................... 308
Sources for Social Change . ..................... 308
The Status of Women ............................... 323
Rural Life . ...................................................... 309
Leisure and Entertainment .................... 329
Rural Work . .................................................. 312
Transport ....................................................... 334
Urban Life . .................................................... 315
Communications ....................................... 338
Urban Work .................................................. 318
International Relations in the 20th Century
Ordinary Level students may study
International Relations in the
20th Century Part 1 or 2 or 3 or 4
Higher Level students may study
International Relations in the 20th
Century Part 1 and Part 2 or 3 or 4
24 Part I: Peace and War in Europe, 1920–45 .................................................................... 343
World War I .................................................. 343
Versailles: The Tragic Peace .................... 344
The League of Nations .............................. 347
Democracy and Dictatorship:
The Rise of Fascism, 1920–33 ........... 348
Hitler and Nazi Germany:
The Rise of Nazism in Germany,
1920–33 . ................................................... 356
Hitler in Power ............................................ 360
The Drift to War in Europe, 1933–39 .... 364
Faciest Italy:
Mussolini’s Rise to Power .................. 350
World War II in Europe, 1939–45:
German Victories, 1939–42 . ............. 370
Mussolini’s Italy . ........................................ 352
The Allies Turn the Tables, 1942–45 . . 376
Mussolini’s Foreign Policy ...................... 353
vii
25 Part 2: The Rise of the Superpowers, 1945–91 ............................................................. 388
What Was the Cold War? . ...................... 388
Case Study 1: The Berlin Blockade,
1948–49 . ................................................... 392
Case Study 3: The Cuban Missile
Crisis, 1962 . ............................................. 400
The Cold War Comes to an End . .......... 403
Case Study 2: The Korean War,
1950–53 . ................................................... 396
26 Part 3: Moves towards European Unity ...................................................................... 406
27 Origins: The Desire for European
Unity .......................................................... 406
The European Economic
Community . ........................................... 408
Steps to European Unity .......................... 407
The Growth of the European Union ... 409
Part 4: Asian Nationalism after 1945 – Gandhi and Indian Independence . ........... 415
European Empires: The Colonial
Background ............................................. 415
The Independence Movement
After 1945 . ............................................... 416
Independence Movement ....................... 416
Post-Independence Problems . ............... 417
India in World War II . .............................. 416
Decolonisation – The End of
Empires ..................................................... 419
Revision Plan for the Junior Cert Examination .................................................................... 422
Answering Junior Cert History Questions ........................................................................... 424
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................... 431
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 436
viii
Year 2
Studies of Change
Chapter 11 | How we find out about the past |
115
Changes in the European View of the World: Exploration
11 The Age of Exploration
what you will learn
At the end of this chapter you should understand . . .
• The causes (or reasons for) the Age of Exploration.
• The changes in navigation which made this possible.
• The Portuguese voyages to India and the East.
•
•
•
•
The first voyage of Columbus.
Magellan’s voyage.
The Spanish conquest of the New World.
The results of the Age of Exploration.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans began to explore other parts of the world.
In doing so, they spread European culture to other continents.
Why People Wanted New Sea Routes
What Was the Age of Exploration?
Over a period of 350 years – from about 1400 to 1750 – the European view of the world changed.
This happened because of the Age of Exploration. During that time, Europeans explored many
areas of the world for the first time.
Europeans had certain ideas about
the world before explorations
began. Many believed:
(i) The earth was flat.
(ii) It had people with strange
shapes.
(iii) The seas further south were
boiling.
(iv) The seas were full of monsters.
(v) The world was smaller than
it is.
All of these views changed because
of the Age of Exploration.
116 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
A drawing from the Travels of Sir John Mandeville, which led people to
believe there were strange people living in faraway lands.
How do we know about the Age of Exploration?
Letters of the explorers such as Columbus and those who went on the
voyages with them.
Agreements between explorers and the rulers, for example, between
Columbus and Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.
Logbooks of the voyages.
Government records.
Books written at the time about the treatment of the native people.
Artefacts and buildings of the time.
Why did the Age of Exploration begin at this time?
1 NEW TRADE ROUTES
There were trade links for many
centuries between Europe and Asia. Silk
and jewels came from China and spices
from the Spice Islands. The spices were
very important in Europe for preserving
and flavouring food, for some medicines
and for making perfume. The silk and
jewels came overland along the Great
Silk Road from China to Turkey. Spices
came to ports along the Mediterranean
coast. Arabs controlled this part of the
trade.
The silk, jewels and spices were brought
by Italian merchants to Italy and
transported to other parts of Europe.
Since the Arabs and Italians controlled
the trade (had a monopoly), other
countries, such as Portugal and Spain,
wanted to find new routes to Asia to
break the Arab and Italian control (see
map on p. 96).
2 WEALTH FOR COUNTRIES
WEALTH AND FAME
The voyages of exploration were funded
mainly by governments in Portugal,
Spain, England, France and the
Netherlands. The rulers hoped that the
new lands would add to the wealth and
power of their countries, create glory for
themselves and increase their own power.
Causes of
the Age of
Exploration
3 FOR THE EXPLORERS
The leaders of the voyages
hoped that they would
gain new riches and titles
for themselves. Examples
of these leaders include
Vasco da Gama and
Columbus, whom you will
read about later.
4 MARCO POLO
Marco Polo was the son of a Venetian trader.
He spent almost twenty years in China in
the 13th century, where he was employed by
the Emperor Kublai Khan. When Marco Polo
returned to Europe, his story was published
as The Travels of Marco Polo. He mentioned
great palaces and empires. His book
encouraged explorers to find new routes
to the great wealth of the East.
6 THE INFLUENCE OF THE RENAISSANCE
People questioned old ideas during the Renaissance. Ptolemy’s
Geographia, which was a compilation of the geographical knowledge
of ancient Greece and Rome, was rediscovered in the 14th century. It
became more widely available when the printing press was invented
in the 15th century. The information it provided encouraged explorers
to learn new ideas and discover new information. The Renaissance
spirit led Europeans to explore other parts of the world.
5 RELIGION
Europeans wanted to defeat and conquer the
Muslims, who controlled North Africa and the trade
routes, and who had also invaded Europe. The
explorers also wanted to convert people of the
new lands to Christianity. The explorers often took
priests with them to convert the native people.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
117
Asses sing Your Learn ing
Age of Exploration?
1. What ideas did Europeans have about the world before the
of Exploration?
2.What part did each of the following play in causing the Age
s (iii) Marco Polo
(i) The influence of the Renaissance (ii) New trade route
Religion
(iv) Wealth for countries (v) Wealth for explorers (vi)
s during the Age of Exploration.
3. Give two reasons why rulers were prepared to sponsor voyage
What Made the Voyages Possible
Improvements in Ships and Navigation
We know why the explorers wanted to find new sea routes. But they could not have gone on voyages of
exploration without improvements in ships and methods of navigation.
Ships
New ships called caravels were built. These ships brought together the best qualities of ships that
sailed in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea:
(i) They were carvel-built. The boards on the side of the ship (hull) were fitted edge-toedge. Carvel-built ships could be made longer than clinker-built ships (with overlapping
boards), and carry more masts.
(ii) They used both square sails and lateen
(triangular) sails. Square sails were used
to sail faster with the wind following
behind. Lateen sails were used to sail
against the wind. They were also useful
for exploring bays and river mouths.
(iii) The caravels were steered by rudders.
This gave more control over the steering.

skills & resources
Square sail
Lateen
sail
Bow sail
(iv) They had castles (raised structures) on
the decks at the front and back. From the
castles, sailors could sight enemy ships
more easily and take defensive action.
A larger ship, the carrack or nao, was later
developed to undertake longer voyages along
the coast of Africa and across the Atlantic
Ocean.
Rudder
Castle
Carvel-built
A caravel.
Navigation
Compasses
Compasses were used to tell sailors which direction they
were sailing in. But the compasses were often unreliable
because iron objects on the ship affected them.
118 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
A compass for
finding direction.
Quadrants were pointed at the sun or the North Star to tell the
latitude.
Astrolabes were pointed to the North Star to tell the latitude.
Latitude and Longitude
Sailors could work out the latitude of the ship, that is, how
many degrees north or south of the Equator it was. They
used astrolabes, quadrants and cross-staffs to do this. But
longitude – degrees east and west – could not be worked
out, because explorers did not have an accurate clock, called
a chronometer, until the 18th century.
Maps
The earliest maps used by sailors were called portolan
charts. They showed places along the coasts joined
by straight lines. These lines gave the course or
direction, which the sailors followed by compass.
Soon mapmakers had to develop new ways of
drawing maps that included the whole world. They
developed maps to show true direction, correct
area and the shape of land masses, which helped
later discoveries.
The cross-staff was used to work out latitude.
Lead and line used for
measuring depth.
Log and line used for
measuring speed.
Speed
Speed was measured using a log and line and a
sand-glass. The line, with a log tied to the end of it,
was thrown out of the ship. The line was marked
by knots, with an equal distance between each
knot. The speed of the ship was calculated (worked out)
Portolan chart based on compass directions.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
119
by measuring the time it took the knots on the line to
pass through a sailor’s hand. Today, a ship’s speed is
given in ‘knots’ (nautical miles).
Depth
When ships were sailing in the
shallow water of sea inlets or
around islands, the sailors needed
to check the depth of the water.
This was done using a line with a
lead weight at the end. The line
was dropped into the water and
the depth called out.
The Logbook
The logbook was used to record
details of the voyage – the direction,
distances, winds and currents. This information
could be used again on later voyages.
Improvements in Ships and Navigation
Direction
Compass
Latitude
Quadrant, astrolabe, cross-staff
Speed
Log and line
Depth
Lead and line
Ships
Caravels, carracks (naos),
carvel-built
Sails
Lateen, square
Steering
Rudder
Time
Sand-glass/hour-glass
The sand-glass for
measuring time at sea.
Life on Board Ship
Life on board ship was difficult. Officers came from the better-off
classes, while the sailors came from the poorer classes. At the start
of a voyage, more sailors were taken on board than were needed
because the captain knew that many would die.
Food was mainly dry and salted. Sailors ate ship’s biscuit – a flat
loaf that was baked slowly until it was hard. Cooking was done in a
firebox on deck if the weather was suitable.
There were prayers in the morning and in the evening. The sailors
spent the day mending sails, repairing the ship or helping with
navigation. In the early voyages they slept on deck or with the
cargo in the hold. On later voyages sailors used hammocks, which
Europeans saw for the first time in the New World.
Food was cooked in
a firebox.
Discipline was strict, and punishment was severe.
Sailors could be flogged or put in chains,
and some were executed. But one of the
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and how did these
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e Age of Exploration?
improvements help th
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and weakness due to lack of vitamin C.
how did sailors: (i) me
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itude; (iii) measure th
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the 18th century that a cure for scurvy –
water?
s of exploration?
citrus fruit – was proposed.
for sailors on voyage
3. What was life like
g the Age of
faced by sailors durin
4. Give two dangers
Exploration.
r in 1550 than it
y sea travel was easie
wh
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5.
had been in 1300.
120 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
The Portuguese Voyages
Reasons for the Voyages
1. Wealth: The Portuguese led the way in the Age of
Exploration, which began in the 15th century when
they drove the Muslims out of their country. They
attacked Muslim strongholds in Africa and heard about
gold mines further south.
2. Myths and religion: They also heard about a great
Christian kingdom in Africa, led by a king called Prester
John. The Portuguese thought that if they could join
forces with Prester John, then the two Christian armies
would defeat the Muslims.
3. Trade: The Portuguese believed that if they found ‘any
harbours where men could enter without peril [danger]’,
they would profit from trade ‘because there would be no
other persons to compete with them’.
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator, who organised the
early Portuguese voyages of discovery.
The leader of the Portuguese explorations was Prince Henry the Navigator,
third son of the King of Portugal. He believed in the legend of Prester John and he
wanted to conquer the Muslims. Henry set up a school for navigation in Sagres
in southern Portugal. He invited mapmakers, shipbuilders and astronomers to
plan the voyages along the coast of Africa. They gathered information on the
navigation instruments – the astrolabe, the quadrant and the crossstaff – and
contributed to the development of the caravel.
FactFile
The Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos
Descobrimentos) looking out on the river Tagus in Lisbon.
At the front of the monument is the figure of Henry the
Navigator carrying a carrack.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
121
Prince Henry sent ships south along the African coast. The captains kept records
of their voyages. They kept these records secret from other European countries
that also wanted to find a sea route to the east. The captains set up stone pillars
on the coasts, called padrãos, to mark the end of each voyage. They returned with
slaves and gold to help pay for the voyages.
When Prince Henry died in 1460, the Portuguese had sailed beyond Cape Bojador
in modern-day Morocco, and gone as far as Sierra Leone. The Portuguese also
discovered the Azores, the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands.
However, they still had a long way to go before rounding the southern tip of
Africa. But in two great voyages led by Bartholomew Diaz and Vasco da Gama,
the Portuguese rounded Africa and sailed on until they reached India.
source
analysis:
picture
This picture is an artist’s impression for Expo Lisbon
1998 of the Court of Prince Henry the Navigator.
(i) From the picture, identify one aid to
navigation which made voyages of discovery
possible during the 15th and 16th centuries.
(ii) What name is given to the type of boat
marked X?
(iii) Mention two features of this boat which made
it faster and stronger than other sailing ships
of its time.
x
(iv) Is this a primary or a secondary source for
studying Henry the Navigator? Explain your
answer.
Diaz Rounds the Cape
Bartholomew Diaz was about thirty years of age when he left Lisbon in 1487 with
two caravels and a store ship. He followed the coast of Africa until he reached the
mouth of the Orange River.
Soon afterwards his ships were caught in a fierce storm that blew them
southwards for nearly two weeks. When the storm stopped, Diaz sailed eastwards
to reach the African coast. But it was not there. Instead he turned northwards until
he reached Africa. He knew then that he had rounded the continent. He called
the great headland in southern Africa the Cape of Storms after his experiences
and erected a padrão (stone pillar) there. King John of Portugal gave the cape a
new name – the Cape of Good Hope – because the Portuguese had turned the
southern coast of Africa. They hoped to reach India and the Spice Islands.
Da Gama Reaches India
It was another ten years before the Portuguese eventually reached India. The man
chosen to lead the expedition was Vasco da Gama. On 8 July 1497, da Gama and
122 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
170 men walked in procession through
the streets of Lisbon to the docks.
Priests, friars and the people of Lisbon
walked with them.
Da Gama sailed with four ships: his
flagship, the San Gabriel, and three
others. After reaching the Cape Verde
Islands, he sailed southwards into the
Atlantic Ocean and far away from the
coast of Africa to avoid the northerly
current and winds. He was out of sight
of land for ninety-six days before he
reached the African coast. He used the
lines of latitude to work out when he
should sail eastwards to reach the coast.
Portugal
Azores
Lisbon
Sagres
Canary Islands
Cape Bojador
Slave Coast
Cape
Verde
Ivory Coast
Islands
Gold Coast
Calicut
Malindi
Equator
Indian Ocean
To India
Da Gama then rounded the Cape of
Good Hope. He stayed close to land as
he sailed northwards along the east
coast of Africa. At Malindi, in presentday Kenya, he hired an Arab pilot, who
guided him across the Indian Ocean to
Calicut. The Portuguese said, ‘We come
in search of Christians and spices.’
India
Africa
Sofala
Orange River
Atlantic Ocean
Cape of Good
Hope
Bartholomew Diaz
Vasco da Gama
The voyages of Diaz and da Gama.
Da Gama returned to Portugal after
a two-year voyage. He was given a
title, pension and lands by the king.
Very soon the Portuguese sailed all
the way to the Spice Islands. Now the
Portuguese could gain from trade with
the East.
Results of the Portuguese
Voyages
1. They set up trading posts and forts
in Africa, India and the Spice Islands.
2. They defeated the Arabs and took
Bartholomew Diaz.
control of the spice trade between
Asia and Europe.
3. There was an increased supply of spices in Europe which reduced the price of
the spices; as an example, the price of pepper in Lisbon fell to one-fifth that in
Venice.
4. Portugal established a large empire in Africa, Asia and Brazil and grew rich
and powerful (see map p. 133).
Vasco da Gama.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
123
5. The Portuguese language and culture spread to parts of Africa and to Brazil.
6. In the 17th century, a series of wars between the Portuguese and the Dutch
resulted in the Dutch taking over the spice trade in Indonesia, including the
Moluccas or Spice Islands.
rn in g
As se ss in g Yo ur Lea
in
of the following play
What part did each
ges of exploration?:
the Portuguese voya
e Navigator
(i) Prince Henry th
az
(ii) Bartholomew Di
ma
Ga
(iii) Vasco da
FactFile
special study A Voyage of Exploration:
The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus
The Spanish Voyages of Exploration
While the Portuguese sailed around Africa to reach India and the
Spice Islands, the Spanish sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean.
The inspiration for this came from Christopher Columbus.
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in Italy. He became a
sailor and gained experience in many voyages along the Atlantic
coast. He sailed as far north as Ireland and Iceland, and south along
the African coast.
Why Columbus Sailed West
On his voyages he heard stories that led him to believe that there
was land to the west. He studied the writings of Ptolemy, the
Greek geographer, and Marco Polo. He believed that this land
was Asia or islands off Asia. He believed that the world was round,
and he thought that if he sailed west, he would reach Cathay
(China) or Cipango (Japan). He worked out the distance as 4,500
kilometres, when it is really more than three times as long as that.
Ferdinand and Isabella
Columbus tried to persuade the kings of Portugal and England to support him in a voyage
of discovery, but he failed. Instead he won the support of King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain. They had just defeated the Muslims in Spain and now wanted to
compete with the Portuguese for the rich spice trade. They sponsored ships and provided
men and supplies. They also said that Columbus would become governor of all the lands
he discovered and would receive the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea.
124 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
Christopher Columbus.
‘In 1492, Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue’
On 3 August 1492, Columbus set sail with a carrack and two caravels, the Santa
María, the Niña and the Pinta, from the port of Palos in Spain ‘half an hour before
sunrise’. The Santa María was the flagship. The ships carried about ninety sailors,
including a surgeon, cooks and servants. There were no women or priests on board.
JAPAN
NORTH AMERICA
North Pole
North Pole
‘Japan’
ASIA
Atlantic Ocean
Col
u
mb
us
149
2
EUROPE
AFRICA
Columbus’s world
ASIA
We
st
Ind
ies
Col
um
b
us
The actual world
Atlantic Ocean
149
2
EUROPE
AFRICA
Columbus’s Ships and Crew
Columbus’s three ships were small. The Santa María was the largest of them, but
it was only about 18 metres in length. It had two square sails and a lateen sail. The
ships travelled slowly, averaging about 160 kilometres a day.
The crew of almost ninety came mostly from around Palos. Many were experienced
seamen. The rest of the crew were freemen attracted by promises of fame, riches
and the sight of ‘gold-roofed’ houses. Ferdinand and Isabella offered freedom to any
convicts who would sign up for the voyage, but only four did so.
Columbus thought the world was
smaller than it actually is. He
believed that by going west he
would reach the east. He thought
he had discovered the islands off
Asia. Instead he had discovered a
new continent.
The crew were fed one hot meal a day, which was cooked in the firebox on deck.
They also had wine or water. The ships also carried gunpowder and cannonballs,
as well as mirrors, beads and pins that could be used for trading.
Across the Atlantic
Columbus stopped at the Canary Islands for repairs and fresh supplies of water
and food. Then, in September, he headed out into the unknown waters of the
Atlantic Ocean. However, Columbus was lucky because he was helped by the
following winds (now called the trade winds).
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
125
Reaching San Salvador, Columbus kneeled to thank God.
Columbus needed to calm his crew, who feared that if
they travelled too far they would not be able to find their
way back. So he kept two logbooks – one recorded the
true distance he had travelled, while the other recorded a
shorter version of the distance covered.
When land was still not in sight after four weeks at sea, he
told his crew that the birds they saw were proof that land
was nearby. Eventually, Columbus was forced to promise
to return home if he did not reach land within a few days.
San Salvador
On the morning of 12 October 1492, the Pinta fired
a cannon shot – this was a pre-arranged signal that
land was in sight. Columbus and his crew landed
on San Salvador in the Bahama Islands. ‘The
Admiral went ashore in the ship’s boat with the
royal flag displayed … Having given thanks to Our
Lord, kneeling on the ground … the Admiral arose
and gave the island the name San Salvador.’
He later explored Cuba and Hispaniola (now
divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
He thought he had found Cipango, but he was
puzzled that there were no great cities similar to
the ones written about by Marco Polo. The Santa
María ran aground and was badly damaged. With
the help of native people, Columbus and his men
unloaded the ship. The timber of the ship was
then used to build a fort called
La Navidad in Hispaniola.
A cross-section of the Santa Maria,
Columbus’s flagship, showing the
main mast, the lateen sail and
storage below deck.
Atlantic Ocean
WI
N
Azores
NORTH AMERICA
126 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
Lisbon
Palos
Sargasso Sea
San Salvador
SPAIN
Canary Islands
AFRICA
Jamaica
Hispaniola
D
CUBA
W
IN
Columbus left about forty
officers and men behind to
man the fort, and he set sail for
Spain in January 1493. After
a stormy voyage, he returned
to Palos and later to the court
of Ferdinand and Isabella in
Barcelona. He and his sailors
brought back gold, pineapples,
parrots and six of the men
whom Columbus now called
Indians. He was honoured and
praised by the king and queen.
D
Return Home
The first voyage of Columbus.
Later Voyages
Columbus made three more voyages to ‘the Indies’, as he called
them. On his second voyage, he found that the men he had left
in the fort in Hispaniola had all been killed in clashes with the
islanders. He explored Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the coast of South
America, but he still thought that he had found Asia.
FactFile
He brought settlers to live in Hispaniola and sugar cane to grow
on the islands. The settlers were often very cruel to the Indians.
They forced the Indians to search for gold, and tortured and killed
many of them. Columbus was a poor ruler, and after his third
voyage he was brought back to Spain in chains. Even though
he returned to the new continent once more, he died a bitter
and disappointed man.
The new continent that he found is now named after another Italian explorer,
Amerigo Vespucci, who stated that this was not Asia. Gradually, Europeans
realised that they had discovered a New World.
The Treaty of Tordesillas
The discoveries of Columbus led to conflict with the Portuguese. To prevent
a war, the pope persuaded the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs to sign the
Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This drew a line on the globe from north to
south. Land discovered to the west of this line was Spanish, and land to the
east was Portuguese. In this way most of South America became Spanish,
while Brazil was given to the Portuguese.
The Line of Tordesillas which divided the world between the Spanish
and Portuguese.
Results of Columbus’s
First Voyage
• Columbus discovered a
new continent, later
called America.
• Spain created a great
empire and grew rich
and powerful.
• Spanish culture was
spread to the new
continent.
• The Treaty of
Tordesillas was agreed.
Line of Tordesillas
West Indies
Cape
Verde
Islands
Spanish
rn in g
As se ss in g Yo ur Lea
bu s’s Fir st
Ch ri st op he r Co lu m
Vo ya ge
want to explore?
1. Why did Columbus
2. Who helped him?
?
3. What were his ships
4. Where did he sail?
sults of his voyage?
5. What were the re
Portuguese
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
127
The Voyage of Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal. He became a soldier in the
king’s service and went on many expeditions to the new Portuguese
empire in Asia and Africa.
When he had a dispute with the Portuguese government, he looked
to Spain for support. He proposed to King Charles V that the Spice
Islands were in the Spanish half of the world. He promised he would
find a new route by sailing south around the new continent of America.
He believed that there was a strait – ‘El Paso’ – which would take him
into the great South Sea, which the Spanish had seen from Panama.
King Charles gave him five ships. He appointed Magellan captaingeneral of the expedition (fleet), made him governor of all the
lands he would discover, and promised him 5 per cent of the profits
of the voyage.
The Voyage Begins: From Spain to the Straits
In 1519, Magellan sailed from Seville with the five ships – the
flagship, Trinity, as well as the San Antonio, the Conception, the
Victoria and the Santiago. He had a crew of 260 men, mostly Spanish.
There was tension between Magellan and three of the other
captains, who were Spanish. Antonio Pigafetta, a crew member
who later wrote an account of the voyage, said, ‘The captains of the
other ships did not love him.’
Emperor Charles V, who sponsored
Magellan’s voyage.
Magellan headed for the Canary Islands for fresh supplies of water
and food. He then decided to sail along the coast of Africa before
heading across the Atlantic Ocean. When he reached the coast of
South America, he began his search for ‘El Paso’. He was forced
to spend the winter in Port St Julian on the coast of present-day
Argentina. He was faced with a mutiny, which he put down, and
with the desertion of one ship which headed back to Spain.
Soon after beginning his voyage again, he found ‘El Paso’, which
ran between the mainland of South America and an island,
Tierra del Fuego (‘Land of Fire’).
The Peaceful Ocean
After sailing through ‘El Paso’, now called the Straits of Magellan,
Magellan headed in a north-west direction towards the Spice
Islands. But the voyage took three months in the calm and peaceful
waters that Magellan named the Pacific Ocean. The food ran out,
and the water went bad. The sailors ate whatever they could,
including insect-infested biscuits, sawdust and rats. Many died
from scurvy.
128 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
Ferdinand Magellan, who was born in
Portugal but sailed for Spain.
Seville 1519
Seville 1522
End
The Philippines,
the death of
Magellan
Victoria reaches
Cape Verde islands
Indian Ocean
Spice Islands
Atlantic Ocean
Start
Pacific Ocean
1521 many sailors die
from hunger and
disease (scurvy)
Rio de Janeiro
Pacific Ocean
Cape of Good Hope
Rio de la Plata
‘El Paso’
March 1520 St Julian’s Bay
1520 Straits of Magellan
Magellan’s voyage.
Llama, penguins and hammocks seen on
Magellan’s voyage along the coast of South
America. Hammocks were later used on ships.
Magellan cleaned the hulls of his
ships at low tide.
Death of Magellan
Eventually Magellan reached the Philippine
Islands, where he converted one of the chiefs
to Christianity. But Magellan was killed
when he helped the chief in a war with
another island.
The remaining crew headed for the Spice
Islands with two ships, the Trinity and the
Victoria. Only the Victoria, now captained
by Sebastian del Cano, was in good enough
condition to sail for Spain.
Del Cano sailed round the southern tip of
Africa in Portuguese-controlled waters. Food
and water were scarce, and many of the sailors
died of hunger and scurvy. Finally, on
7 September 1522, eighteen exhausted sailors and four Indians, ‘weaker than men
have ever been before’, reached Spain with a ship full of spices.
Death of Magellan in the
Philippine Islands.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
129
Results
Magellan and his crew had sailed west to reach the
East. In doing so, they made the first complete
voyage around the world (circumnavigation). This
gave full proof that the earth was round. Magellan’s
voyage extended the Spanish empire to include the
Philippine Islands (called after King Philip II). But the
voyage also proved that the Spice Islands were in the
Portuguese half of the world.
rn in g
As se ss in g Yo ur Lea
Magellan
East?
go west to reach the
1. Why did Magellan
hat were his ships?
2. Who helped him? W
What was ‘El Paso’?
3. Where did he sail?
the Pacific Ocean?
4. What happened in
?
5. How was he killed
after Magellan?
6. Who was captain
yage?
sults of Magellan’s vo
re
e
th
re
we
t
ha
W
7.
The Spanish Conquest of
the New World
According to the Treaty of Tordesillas, all the land of the new
continent, except Brazil, belonged to Spain. Spanish adventurers now
began the conquest of these lands. These adventurers were known
as conquistadors (conquerors). They were seeking gold and silver.
Hernando Cortés was responsible for the defeat of the Aztec Empire
in Mexico, and Francisco Pizarro for the defeat of the Incas in Peru.
Cortés and the Aztecs
Hernando Cortés was born in Spain in 1485. He was
a soldier and adventurer who settled in Cuba. He
volunteered to head an expedition to the mainland of
South America. He was put in charge of an expedition of
Aztec sacrifices of captured enemy tribesmen.
Cortés, conqueror of the Aztecs.
Pizarro, conqueror of the Incas.
130 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
eleven ships and 500 men to Mexico in 1519. He landed at
Vera Cruz, where he destroyed his ships to show he was
not turning back. As he marched inland, he was helped by
native tribes who had been conquered by the Aztecs. They
did not like the heavy taxes and slavery imposed on them
by the Aztecs. Many were also sacrificed to the Aztec gods.
The Aztecs believed that one day their god, Quetzocoatl,
would return. When Cortés landed, many Aztecs believed
that this was the return of their god. They thought that the
Spaniards on horses were six-legged and two-headed gods.
As Cortés came near the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, the
Aztec emperor, Montezuma, came to greet him.
Cuba
Expedition of Cortés (1519)
Tenochtitlán
(Mexico City)
Expedition of
Pizarro (1531–33)
Amazon
Cajamarca
Cuzco
The Spaniards were allowed into the city, but soon trouble
broke out between them and the Aztecs. Montezuma was
taken prisoner. But his own people, who thought he had
Aztec Empire of Mexico
betrayed them, killed him. Cortés and the Spaniards then
Inca Empire of Peru
escaped from Tenochtitlán and got help from neighbouring
tribes. He led 100,000 people against the Aztecs and captured
the city. The city was destroyed, and the Aztecs were forced
to work as slaves in mines or in the fields. Cortés later
rebuilt Tenochtitlán as Mexico City. Soon the Spaniards
The conquests of Cortés and Pizarro which
brought cattle, plants, ploughs and hundreds of priests to
created a Spanish empire in the New World.
establish a colony in the Aztec lands, and renamed them
New Spain.
Pizarro and the Incas
Francisco Pizarro was sixty years of age when he set out to
conquer the Inca Empire in Peru. He left Panama in 1531 with
two ships and 170 men. He also had horses, two cannon and
three muskets.
FactFile
After landing, Pizarro and his men headed further south
into the Inca Empire. At Cajamarca, they met the Inca
emperor, Atahualpa, and his army. The Spaniards attacked
by surprise and captured Atahualpa.
The captured emperor offered to fill a room full of gold
and silver if they would free him. Very quickly, Inca
people brought gold and silver and filled the room. But the
Spaniards killed Atahualpa, who was looked upon as a god
by his own people.
Pizarro and his men then marched south into the Andes Mountains and captured
the city of Cuzco, the Inca capital. They seized the Inca treasures and melted them
down for gold. But the Spaniards also fought among themselves, and Pizarro was
killed by his own soldiers.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
131
The Spaniards later discovered gold and silver mines. For the next 100 years,
gold and silver was mined by Incas, who died in their thousands. Peru and
Bolivia supplied about 65% of the gold and silver sent to Spain in the 16th
century. As a result, Spain became very wealthy. Spanish ships sailing
between the New World and Spain were attacked by English ships, eventually
leading to war between the two countries.
1489
Diaz rounded the
Cape of Good Hope
1492
Columbus’s first voyage
A Wider World
By the middle of the 16th century, France, Britain and Holland were also
exploring the world. Some explorers wanted to find a north-west passage,
north of Canada, to reach the East. Others wanted to find a north-east passage,
north of Russia. Great voyages by Cartier for France, Drake and Cook for
England and Tasman for Holland led to the exploration of most of the world
by Europeans by the middle of the 17th century. Europeans had also begun to
explore the interior (inside) of the continents and to settle in (or colonise) some
parts of the world, especially North America (see map opposite).
New foods brought to Europe from America in the Age of Exploration.
Turkey
Tomatoes
132 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
1497–8
John Cabot, an Italian, explored
the coast of North America on
behalf of England
1498
Da Gama reached India
1519
Magellan’s voyage began
Coffee
Tea
1519
Cortes and the Aztecs
1532
Pizarro and the Incas
Potatoes
Sugar
1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
1502
First shipment of African slaves
to Cuba and the New World
Pepper
Maize
c.1420
Prince Henry the Navigator
began organised voyages
down the coast of Africa
1434
The Portuguese rounded
Cape Bojador
rn in g
As se ss in g Yo ur Lea
Conquistadors
uistadors?
1. Who were the conq
re the
conquer and what we
2. Where did Cort¶s
sts?
results of his conque
nquer the Incas?
3. How did Pizarro co
nquests?
sults of Pizarro’s co
4. What were the re
Pineapple
Timeline of the
Age of Exploration
Chocolate
1545
Silver discovered at Potosi,
Bolivia
GREENLAND
Northwest
Passage
North-east Passage
ICELAND
Bristol
Amsterdam
St Malo
Lisbon
Palos
NEW SPAIN Cortés
Tenochtitlán
Vera Cruz
Pacific Ocean
CHINA
ARABIA
San Salvador
WEST INDIES
INDIA
Cape Verde
Calicut
Indian Ocean
JAPAN
PHILIPPINES
SPICE ISLANDS
Atlantic Ocean
Cape of Good Hope
Spanish explorations
Christopher Columbus
(1492–93)
Ferdinand Magellan
Strait of Magellan
Portuguese explorations
Bartholomew Diaz (1487)
Vasco da Gama (1497)
Spanish possessions
Portuguese possessions
French explorations
Jacques Cartier (1534)
English explorations
John Cabot (1497)
French possessions
European voyages of
exploration and the growth
of empires.
Effects on the Colonies
Effects on Europe
• Destruction of empires – Aztecs,
Incas
• Rise of European empires –
Portugal, Spain, England, France
• Destruction of cultures
• Decline of Mediterranean Sea/
rise of Atlantic trade and ports
• Slavery
• Spread of European diseases/
decline of native population
• Spread of European languages/
culture
Key Terms
William Barents (1596–97)
English possessions
Impact of the Age of Exploration
• Spread of Christianity
Dutch explorations
• Diseases from new lands
• New foods and raw materials
rn in g
As se ss in g Yo ur Lea
pean countries,
1. What other Euro
se and Spanish,
besides the Portugue
here did they
explored the world? W
explore?
ct of the Age of
2. What was the impa
rope; (ii) on
Exploration (i) on Eu
a?
America and/or Afric
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
133
1
Rise of Empires
Portugal and Spain were the first
European countries to establish great
empires. But they were soon followed
by England, France and Holland. Over
the next few centuries, thousands of
Europeans migrated to the colonies
and settled there. Wars between the
countries decided which were the
most powerful countries in the world:
Anglo-Spanish War 1585–1604; FrancoSpanish War 1595–98; Dutch–
Portuguese War 1602–63; Seven Years’
War (Britain & France) 1756–63.
The Results of
the Age of
Exploration
2
Decline of Mediterranean/Rise of the Atlantic
The Arab and Italian control of trade was broken. The Mediterranean Sea
declined in importance, and Italian cities such as Venice and Genoa lost
their wealth. Most trade now shifted to the Atlantic Ocean. England,
Holland and France became great trading countries. Cities such as
London, Seville and Amsterdam traded with their empires. New foods –
such as maize and potatoes – and raw materials – such as dyes, wood and
cotton – were brought from the explored lands.
3
Decay of Empires
The great empires of the Aztecs in
Mexico and the Incas in Peru were
destroyed. The European settlers used
the native Indian people as slaves on
their estates or in mines. Thousands of
Indians were worked to death or, more
likely, died from the spread of European
diseases, such as the cold or influenza
(flu) and smallpox from which they had
no immunity (protection).
4
7
Europeans imposed their culture on
the new lands. The settlers, or
colonisers, of the new empires brought
their language, laws, art and
architecture with them. In Spanishcontrolled south and central America,
Spanish became the main language
and remains so today; Roman
Catholicism became the dominant
faith; Spanish-style churches and
public buildings were built in the main
cities and towns; the Spanish land
system based on the hacienda – a very
large estate – was used to control and
tax the native people.
6
134 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
Slavery
Shortages of native people to work on the estates of the Europeans in
the New World led to slaves being brought from Africa. Portuguese,
Spanish and, later, English and French ships transported African slaves
to work on cotton and sugar estates or plantations, in mines or as
domestic servants
in central, south
and later north
America. This slave
trade continued
for over 300 years.
European culture
Spanish-style architecture in the
cathedral in Mexico city.
Death from smallpox.
Spread of Christianity
All the European countries
were Christian. Spain,
Portugal and France spread
the Catholic faith. England
and Holland spread
Protestant faiths. In this way,
Christianity took root among
the native peoples
of North and South America
and Africa.
5
Geographical
Knowledge
All the main land areas of
the world were explored.
New continents were
discovered. Soon better
maps, showing all the new
lands, were produced. The
old ideas Europeans had
about the world (p. 116) were
shown to be wrong.
people
in history
A named explorer
during the Age of Exploration
Christopher Columbus was an explorer in the Age of Exploration.
He was born in Genoa and got experience sailing in the Mediterranean
Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
He wanted to sail west to reach Asia. He believed that the world was
round. He wanted to convert the native people to Christianity. He got
three ships from the rulers of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella. These were
the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María. Two were caravels and the
Santa Maria was a carrack, each with a rudder, carvel-built hull, square
sails and lateen sails. He set sail from Palos in Spain and headed for the
Canary Islands, where he got fresh supplies of water and food. He used
the wind and currents of the Atlantic to sail westwards. The crew were
fed one hot meal a day, which was cooked in the firebox on deck. Their
food consisted of ship’s biscuit, meat, dried peas, cheese and fish. He
used a compass for direction, a quadrant for latitude, a log and line for
speed and an hourglass (or sand-glass).
He also kept two logbooks – one recorded the true events of the
voyage and one gave a false account. He did this because he did not
want to frighten his crew, who were afraid that if they travelled too far
they would not be able to find their way back. He said that birds they
saw at sea were a sign that land was near. But he had to promise to
return home if they didn’t reach land within a few days.
Read More
Marc Aronson, The World Made
New: Why the Age of Exploration
Happened and How It Changed
the World, National Geographic
Society, 2007.
Peter Crisp, Christopher Columbus,
Explorer of the New World,
Dorling Kindersley, 2006.
Rupert Matthews, Explorer,
Eyewitness Guide, Dorling
Kindersley, 2012.
On the Web
The Columbus Navigation
1492. He later explored Cuba and Hispaniola. Columbus thought he had
Homepage – www.
columbuslandfall.com/ccnav/
found Cipango (Japan), but he was puzzled that there were no great
index.shtml
cities, which Marco Polo had described.
Columbus landed on San Salvador in the Bahama Islands in October
The Santa María ran aground and was wrecked. The timber from the
ship was used to build a fort, La Navidad. Columbus left forty men in the
fort and headed back to Spain.
He returned to Palos and later to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella
in Barcelona. His great voyage had found a new continent, which made
Spain a wealthy empire and led to the spread of Christianity and
Conquistadors – www.pbs.org/
opb/conquistadors/mexico/
mexico.htm
The Story of the Conquistadors –
www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/
tudors/conquistadors_01.shtml
Spanish culture.
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
135
The Age of Exploration –
Assessment
exam questions
people in history
1. A sailor on a voyage of discovery during the Age of
Exploration.
2. A native of a land discovered by Europeans during
the Age of Exploration.
3. A named leader of a voyage of discovery during the
Age of Exploration.
longer questions – higher level
4. Study the map below and answer the questions that
follow.
(i) (a) Name the leader of each of the voyages of
exploration marked at A, B and C.
(b) Identify the straits marked X; Identify
the cape marked Y; Identify the islands
marked Z.
(c) Name the civilisation in the area marked
1 that was conquered by Hernando Cortés
in 1521.
(d) Name the civilisation in the area marked
2 that was conquered by Francisco Pizarro
in 1531.
(ii) (a) Give one reason why the voyage of
exploration marked C took place some years
after the voyage of exploration marked B.
136 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
(b) Name the rulers of Spain who sponsored
the voyage of exploration marked B.
(iii) Select one of the voyages of exploration A, B or
C above, or any other exploration of your choice,
and discuss:
(a) Why the exploration was undertaken.
(b) The main consequences/results of the
exploration.
5. (i) Give two reasons why rulers were prepared to
sponsor voyages of exploration.
(ii) Give one reason why the development of the
caravel helped to make voyages of discovery
possible.
(iii) Name two instruments that helped sailors to
navigate while at sea during the Age of
Exploration.
(iv) Write an account of Portugal’s contribution to
the Age of Exploration.
(v) ‘Europe benefited, while the newly discovered
lands and their peoples were exploited terribly.’
Do you agree? Write an account explaining your
answer.
Explain the purpose of two of these aids to
navigation: Astrolabe; Logbook; Log and Line;
Sand-Glass.
Identify two features of the caravel, which made
it better than other sailing ships.
(iii) Write an account of the contribution to the Age
of Exploration of two of the following:
(a) Portugal’s contribution to the Age of
Exploration.
(b) Hernando Cortés and the conquest of
Mexico.
(c) The main effects of the voyages of
exploration.
6. (i) (ii) 7. This is an extract from an account written by
Amerigo Vespucci (1452–1512). It is about his first
voyage in 1497. It describes one of the tribes in the
land that he had discovered. Read the extract and
then answer the questions that follow.
that they had any
Amongst those people we did not learn
, and they are
Jews
nor
rs
Moo
d
calle
be
law, nor can they
not observe that they
worse than pagans: because we did
a house of prayer:
they
offered any sacrifice: nor even had
rious: their
luxu
be
to
e
their manner of living I judg
ses made in the style
hou
r
thei
and
:
mon
com
dwellings are in
tructed with very large
of huts, but strongly made, and cons
es, secure against
-leav
trees, and covered over with palm
y are] of so great
[the
es
plac
e
som
storms and winds: and in
le house we found there
breadth and length, that in one sing
of thirteen houses
were 600 souls: and we saw a village
s: every eight or ten
soul
where there were four thousand
when asked why
and
ns:
tatio
habi
years they change their
soil which, from
the
of
use
beca
]
was
it
said
they did so: [they
upted, and that
corr
y and
its filthiness, was already unhealth
us a good
to
ed
seem
ch
it bred aches in their bodies, whi
that which
with
d
ente
cont
are
and
reason ... in fine, they live
our
this
we enjoy in
nature gives them. The wealth that
other
and
ls,
pear
ls,
, jewe
Europe and elsewhere, such as gold
them
have
they
ough
alth
riches, they hold as nothing: and
ur to obtain them, nor do
in their own lands, they do not labo
they value them.
Give one reason why
source
analysis:
document
Vespucci said that the
people whom he had
discovered were ‘worse than
pagans’.
Why did they change ‘their habitations’
every eight to ten years?
(iii) What is the difference in attitude to wealth
between the Europeans and the people
described in the extract?
(iv) Is Vespucci’s account biased? Explain your
answer.
(v) What would Europeans think of the people
of the New World after reading that
account?
B. Select one named voyage that you have studied and
answer the following questions about that voyage.
Write the name of the voyage at the top of your
answer.
(i) Name the ruler(s) who sponsored the voyage.
(ii) Name the sailor(s) who led the voyage.
(iii) Describe the consequences (results) of the
voyage.
8. Study the documents and answer the questions
below.
SOURCE A
olic Majesties
Privileges Granted by Their Cath
mbus, 30th of April
FERDINAND and ISABELLA to Colu
1492.
some of our vessels
You, Christopher Columbus, with
discover and subdue
(ships) and men, are commanded to
ocean … Therefore it is but
some Islands and Continent in the
expose yourself to such
just and reasonable, that since you
rded for it.
danger to serve us, you should be rewa
mbus, shall be our
Colu
r
phe
isto
Chr
,
Our will is, that you
the Islands and Continent
Admiral, Viceroy, and Governor in
for the future, your sons
you discover and conquer … and that
Dons, Admirals, Viceroys,
and successors may call themselves
may freely decide all
and Governors of them; and that you
l think fit in justice, and
causes, civil and criminal, as you shal
nders.
that you have power to punish offe
SOURCE B
source
analysis:
document
A. (i) (ii) x
Christopher Columbus returns to the Spanish Court, 1493.
A. Source A
(i) What command was given to Columbus?
(ii) What rewards did the King and Queen grant
Columbus?
(iii) Why were rulers such as Ferdinand and Isabella
of Spain willing to sponsor voyages of
exploration?
Chapter 11 | The Age of Exploration |
137
(iv) Mention two dangers faced by sailors on
voyages such as these.
(v) Name two instruments which helped sailors to
navigate while at sea during the age of
exploration.
B. Source B
(i) Columbus returned to Spain with some
inhabitants of the land he discovered (marked
X). Why did Columbus call these men Indians?
(ii) Name two new products brought from the New
World to Europe by explorers or traders.
(iii) Suggest two effects which voyages of
exploration had on the native people of the New
World.
C. Write an account of one of the following topics:
(i) Achievements of the Portuguese voyages of
exploration.
(ii) The conflict between European powers as a
result of the voyages of exploration.
(iii) The Spanish conquest of either Mexico or Peru.
FOCUS TASK 1
Summarise
Draw up a table in a page of your copybook with the heading ‘Columbus’s First Voyage’ or
‘Magellan’s Voyage’. Fill in the information in short note form opposite each of the categories.
columbus’s first voyage
Reasons
Sponsors
Ships
Incidents on the voyage
Results of the voyage
Origins – Research
Write one sentence on each of the following, explaining the origin of the names and their
connection to the Age of Exploration:
(i) Amazon (ii) New York (iii) San Francisco (iv) Tasmania
FOCUS TASK 2
Historical Investigation and Analysis
rk
up wo
< Gro
< Class debate
Who was the greater explorer, Columbus or Magellan? Use your textbook and the internet to
present the case, for and against, both Columbus and Magellan.
138 | Year 2 | Studies of Change
Bridging the gap towards the New Junior Cycle, this new edition
of The Past Today includes a focus on key skills and assessment.
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The Past Today together with its companion The Past Today Skills & Resources
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FREE eBook with this textbook! Turn to the inside front cover to get your code.
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Promotes the idea of the student as an historian
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The Author
Dermot Lucey is an experienced teacher of History and an active member of the Cork History
Teachers’ Association. He is the author of a number of History textbooks, including Modern
Europe and the Wider World and Shortcuts to Success History Exam Guide for Leaving Certificate.
Dermot Lucey
●
www.gilleducation.ie
ISBN 978-0-7171-6520-9
9 780717 165209
The Past Today FULL COVER.indd 1
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Dermot Lucey
15/07/2016 12:00