Download Renaissance and Discovery II Unit VI God, Glory and Gold: The Age

RENAISSANCE AND DISCOVERY II
UNIT VI
GOD, GLORY AND GOLD: THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
The tremendous increase in trade during the Renaissance had contributed to the wealth of Europe. Now in this new age
of wealth, European nations began to dominate world affairs with a network of trade. However, when Constantinople
was conquered by the Muslim Turks, the overland trade routes were cut off forcing Europeans to find another way to the
riches of Asia that fueled European trade and began to consider a route to Asia by sea.
EXPLORATION
For a thousand years European trade had focused on imports of luxury goods from the East (Asia) attracted there for its
riches and spices and the tales of Marco Polo. Now with that route cut off by the Ottoman Empire, Europeans took to the
seas searching for more than just a sea route; the searched from fame, fortune, and faith.
“God, Glory, and Gold” – the three major reason for start of the Age of Exploration and why so many Europeans took
to the seas
God – spreading Christianity to the natives of distant lands
Glory – eternal fame and glory at being the first to discovery something and the sense of adventure that came
with exploring the unknown
Gold – being the first to find new land is one thing, but finding gold could bring an explorer and his nation
wealth, riches and power
Armed with reasons, early exploration wouldn’t have been possible without maps (newly discovered Ptolemy map) and
new technologies such as the quadrant and astrolabe allowing sailors to determine their position along with new oarless ships that used sails and wind power allowing the interior of the ship to hold more supplies for long voyages.
RIVALS AT SEA
By the end of the 15th century, the European nations of the Mediterranean lost their dominance of sea trade in favor to
those nations on the Atlantic seaboard. The first of these upstarts became rivals at sea attempting to gain control of
valuable sea routes to achieve sea trade dominance.
Portuguese – take the lead in European exploration in 1420 when Prince Henry the Navigator began sending sailors
south to explore the western coast of Africa
Bartholomeu Dias (1488) – rounds the tip of Africa called The Cape of Good Hope due to the great optimism
caused by the opening of a sea route to Asia
Vasco da Gama (1498) – sails across the Indian Ocean to India where trading seaports are set up along the
Indian, and later Chinese, coast as a European trade route to Asia by sea is finally established
- when he returned to Portugal with his cargo, it was worth sixty times the cost of the voyage!
Spanish – with the eastern route around Africa taken by the Portuguese the Spanish believe a western route could be
taken and rush to control the route
1492 – the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, persuades the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to
finance an expedition west across the Atlantic, which departed in August
- in October he reaches the Caribbean Islands and explores the coastline of Cuba and the island of
Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic)
- after three more voyages, Columbus reached the major islands of the Caribbean and a small section of
Central America
- believing to be on the outskirts of India, he calls these islands the Indies and the natives Indians
Since it was believe that Columbus had discovered a short cut to Asia, the Portuguese feared their monopoly over Asian
trade routes might be jeopardized by Spanish exploration and new trade routes. In response, since both nations were
Catholic, the matter was decided by the pope with the Treaty of Tordesillas
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) – treaty that sets up an imaginary line through the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern part of
South America that settled claims of unexplored territories
East of the line – Portuguese control  full control of the Eastern/Africa route
West of the line – Spanish control  full control of the Western/ soon to be American route
- while this line satisfied both parties, it was largely ignored by other European nations.
Renaissance and Discovery II 1
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
European’s understanding of the world was limited by the inaccurate and distorted maps of the ancient Greek Ptolemy
that represented the world with only two oceans (West and Indian) and three large continents (Europe, Asia and Africa)
that took up most of the world. Explorers who came after Columbus soon began to challenge this view with experience.
Amerigo Vespucci (1501) - an Italian merchant, explorer and cartographer (map maker) who helped show the unrealized
significance of Columbus’s voyage
- after exploring the large land mass south of the Caribbean, he soon discovered that the land and islands of
the Caribbean were not the Indies but a whole new continent naming it the New World
(a German cartographer later publish a map using America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci)
Ferdinand Magellan (1519) – sails a fleet down the eastern coast of South America, around the southern tip (known as
the Strait of Magellan) into calming waters he called the “Peaceful Sea” (Pacific Ocean)
- after 3 months at sea, his fleet reaches the Philippines where Magellan is killed by natives before discovering
the Spice Islands (eastern Indonesia) and returning to Spain in 1522 under Juan Sebastián Elcano
- credited as the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean by a western route and the first European to
circumnavigate the earth (Juan Sebastián Elcano finished the voyage)
Together, these men revealed two important facts that had long been unknown to those of the Old World. Vespucci
revealed the existence of new continents in the west and the Magellan’s voyage revealed the true size of the world.
SPANISH CONQUEST OF AMERICA
Once Columbus trail blazed the route to the New World, other Spaniards known as conquistadors (conquerors) soon
followed and explored the interior of Mexico conquering any resistance including the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas.
Hernando Cortéz (1519) – a conquistador who lead and force of 1,000 soldiers to Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and
conquered the power Aztec Indians, led by their emperor Montezuma (Cortez was also able to gain Indian
allies against the Aztec)
-- established a Spanish capital in the former Aztec capital  present day Mexico City
Francisco Pizarro (1532) – a conquistador who lands a Spanish force on the western coast of South American in
modern-day Peru where he discovers the Incan civilization  an empire that rivaled the size of China and the
Ottoman Empire
- inspired by Cortez’s example, he explores the Andes Mountains and conquers the Incas
The Spanish conquistadors are able to conquers the natives in three major ways: mobility, economics, and disease
mobility – horses and ships allow the Spanish to move troops very quickly
economics – huge wealth was able to supply, ship, and equip massive armies with food, steel weapons, guns,
cannons  metal weapons and horses were new to the Aztec
disease – the Europeans brought the invisible killer of disease with them  while Europeans had built resistance
to diseases such as small pox the American natives had becoming the most devastating killer of the natives
These conquests of the Aztec and the Inca are among some of the most brutal and dramatic events in modern history
marking a turning point in world history as entire civilizations with huge social, architectural, and technological
advancements are conquered and destroyed by small military forces transforming South America into Latin America.
Columbian Exchange – the exchange or plants and
animals between Europe and the Americas that
takes place during the Age of Exploration
- for thousands of years these plants and
animals developed separately, but once linked
by trade they would change the world and the
global economy
European Contributions
American Contributions
horses
cattle
wheat
metal weapons
DISEASE
potatoes
cocoa
corn
tomatoes
tobacco
No longer ignorant of a whole new world across the ocean and seeing the profit that could be made from exploration,
other European nations join in the race to claim territories in the New World and begin to build mighty trading empires
that see Europe rise as the most powerful continent in the world.
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