Download European Exploration and Colonization

Why did the Europeans go exploring?
 GOLD
• New trade routes opened up new
opportunities for wealth
 GOD
• Missionaries spread Christianity
 GLORY
• Explorers considered heroes; countries
competed for colonies
The Crusades
• Military expeditions sent by Catholic church
to capture the Holy Land from Muslim Turks
• Not successful, but few positive results:
-Europeans learned how to draw better
maps and build better ships
-Exposed Europeans to spices and goods
from the East
Trade Routes
• 1400’s - major trade routes from the east to
Europe went through 2 Italian cities :Venice
and Genoa
• Italian merchants marked up prices on goods
and sold them throughout Europe
• Other European countries resented the huge
profits made by the Italians and began to look
for other trade routes to the East…
• Europeans created new trade routes to bring
products from Europe to India, Asia, and the
Spice Islands
• Portugal, Spain, England, and France expanded
their expires because of their involvement
with trade
Portugal’s Empire
• 15th century – led world in sea exploration,
explored west coast of Africa
• Portuguese wanted to find trade route around
Africa to Asia
• Could make more money if they could get
Asian goods for a cheaper price
• Wanted to spread Christianity along Africa’s
west coast
Prince Henry the Navigator
• Son of a Portuguese king
• Sent more than 50 expeditions south along
the west coast of Africa
• Wanted to establish Portuguese colonies and
break Muslim hold on trade routes
• Created naval observatory that taught
navigation, astronomy, and cartography
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator
• Unable to make money trading gold, so he
tried creating sugar plantations
• Sugar cane – very profitable crop, but very
labor intensive
• So, Prince Henry imported slaves from Africa
to work the fields
• Encouraged a slave trade that lasted another
400 years.
Portugal’s Empire
• For the next 300 years, Portuguese sailors
continued to explore east Africa
• Established forts and trading posts
• By 1571, a string of outposts connected
Portugal to Africa, India, the South Pacific
Islands, & Japan
• Portugal grew very wealthy, Brazil was the
most profitable colony
Spain’s Empire
• Spanish explorers were searching for a trade
route through or around North and South
America to Asia
• Wanted a quicker route to gold and spices in
Asia
Christopher Columbus
• An Italian
• Given ships & sailors by the Spanish monarchy
in the 1490’s
• King and Queen wanted him to find a quick
route through the Atlantic Ocean to Asia
• He discovered the Bahamas, but thought he
was in Asia, named them the “East Indies”
• Actually discovered 2 new continents that
brought great wealth to Spain
Spain’s Empire
• Huge empire that spanned the globe
• Spanish conquistadors conquered Inca and
Aztec civilizations in the 1500’s
-Looking for gold & spices
-Used missionaries to convert natives to
Christianity
• Claimed huge areas in North and South
America and ruled them for 300 years
England’s Empire
• England used to be one of three countries
(England, Scotland, and Wales)
• In the 1700’s, the three united and became
Great Britain
• British empire was largest in history
• At its peak, Great Britain controlled: Canada,
Australia, India, much of Africa, and numerous
islands
England’s Empire
• North America came under British control in
the 1700’s
– Lost American colonies in 1776
– Maintained control of Canada until 20th century
• Great Britain colonized Australia in 1788
• Used it as a penal (prison) colony to relieve
overcrowded jails in England
France’s Empire
• French possessed colonies around the world
from 1600 to 1900
• Also dominated much of the European
continent
• By 1812, France controlled much of Germany,
Italy, and France
France’s Empire
• Established other colonies in the 16th- 17th
centuries:
– Islands in the Caribbean
– Islands in the Indian Ocean,
– Islands in the South Pacific, the North Pacific, &
the North Atlantic
– Colonies in Canada, South America, Southeast
Asia, & Northwest Africa