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Chapter 13
The Age of Exploration
Motives for Exploration

Attraction to Asia
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Economic motives
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Expand trade- spices and precious metals of the far East
Religion
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Inspired the writings of Marco Polo and his voyage to Kublai Khan’s court
Making sure natives were “introduced into the holy Catholic faith”
Sense of adventure and glory

“God, Glory, Gold”
What Made Exploration
Possible?

European monarchies increased
their power and resources

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New levels of technology

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Could focus beyond their
borders
Sailing
New global age emerges
Portuguese Explorers
Alfonso de
Albuquerque
Vasco da Gama
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Rounded the tip of Africa and
and cut across the Indian Ocean
to India
May 1498, arrived off the port
of Calicut and took on a cargo
of spices
After returning to Portugal, dd
Gamma made a huge profit

Portuguese fleets returned to the
area to take control of the spice
trade from the Muslims

Albuquerque set up a port at Goa
on the western coast of India

Then headed to the Malay
Peninsula (SE Asia) to further take
control of spice trade

Guns and seamanship made the
Portuguese the first successful
European explorers
Spanish Explorers
Christopher Columbus

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Believed he could reach Asia by
sailing West instead of East
around Africa
Oct 1492 he reached the
Americas and explored the
coastline of Cuba and the island
of Hispaniola (Hati/ DR)
Columbus believed he reached
Asia but in his four voyages, he
reached all major Caribbean
islands and Honduras
Ferdinand Magellan

Set sail Sept 1519 down coast of S.
America in search of a sea passage
through the America

Oct 1520 he passed through
waterway (Strait of Magellan) into
the Pacific Ocean

Fleet reached Phillipines but
Magellan was killed by natives

Although only one of his ships
returned to Spain, he is known as
first person to circumnavigate the
globe
Strait of Magellan
Treaty of Tordesillas

Spain and Portugal both feared
that other countries might try to
lay claim to the lands they had
discovered

Treaty of Tordesillas: called for a
line of demarcation extending
from north to south through the
Atlantic Ocean and the
easternmost part of the S.
American continent
 Unexplored territories east of
the line would be controlled
by Portugal and west of the
line by Spain
Other Explorers
John Cabot

Venetian seaman who explored
the New England coastline for
England
Amerigo Vespucci

Florentine

Letters describing the lands he
saw led to the use of the name
America (after Amerigo)
Encomienda

Right of landowners to use Native Americans as laborers

Holders of encomienda supposed to protect natives but instead…

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Forced labor, starvation and disease

Mexico: 25 million down to 1 million
Monks converted and baptized hundreds of thousands of natives

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Developed parishes, schools, hospitals
Native American political and social structure torn apart and replaced by
European systems
Mercantilism

Set of principles that dominated economic thought in 17th ce

Led by Portugal and Spain, European nations began est trading posts and
colonies in Americas and the East

According to mercantilists the prosperity of a nation depended on a large
supply of gold and silver

Colonies considered important as both source of raw materials and as
markets for finished goods
Destroyed Civilizations

Conquistadors: Spanish conquerors whose firearms, organizational skills,
and determination brought them incredible success

Cortes had a relationship with the Aztecs

Modern weapons of the Spanish gave them an advantage over the natives

Many Aztecs fell sick and died from new diseases such as smallpox

Spanish leveled pyramids and temples to build gov’t buildings and churches

Within the 30 years after the fall of the Aztecs, Spanish expanded their
control to all of Mexico

Same situation happened with Francisco Pizarro and the Incas
Columbian Exchange

Exchange of plants and animals
between Europe and the
Americas

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Transformed economic
activities in both worlds
Colonists est plantations and
ranches to raise sugar, cotton,
vanilla, livestock, and other
products to export to Europe
Increase in the
volume and area
of European
trade
Produced a new
age of
commercial
capitalism
Development of
the world
economy through
trade empires
Trade, Colonies, and
Mercantilism

Colony: settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the
parent country by trade and direct government control

Balance of trade: the difference in value between what a nation imports
and what it exports over time

When the balance is favorable, the goods exported are of a greater value than
those imported

To encourage exports, gov’t granted subsidies (payments) to new
industries and improved transportation systems

Placed high taxes on foreign goods to keep them out of their contry
Favorable Balance of
Trade
Colonies
Colonies were
considered
important both as…
Source of raw
materials
Markets for finished
goods