Download The Beginnings of Our Global Age The Search for Spices

Age of Exploration
• In the 1400’s European sailors began a dramatic
new period of Exploration…mostly in search of
spices.
• Spices – used to preserve food, flavor meat,
make medicines and perfumes.
• Primary source of spices – Moluccas or Spice
Islands in modern day Indonesia.
Age of Exploration
• Prince Henry the Navigator
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– Created a school for
sailors and the first
organized trip to sail around
Africa and on to the east.
Henry died before he could
sail around the tip of Africa
Bartholomeu Dias – In 1488
successfully sailed around
the tip of Africa- became
known as the Cape of Good
Hope.
Henry the Navigator
Age of Exploration
• Vasco de Gama- first to
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establish a sea route to
India from Europe in
1497.
In his first trip:
– Lost half his ships
– Most of his sailors due to
scurvy – lack of vitamin C
• De Gama turned Portugal
into a world power!
Age of Exploration
• Christopher Columbus – explored a western
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route to the Indies.
Financed by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, he
sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.
He reached the Caribbean Islands thinking he
was in the Indies.
Line of Demarcation- Established by Pope
Alexander VI.
East of line belonged to Portugal, West belonged
to Spain.
Age of Exploration
• “Northwest Passage”- Sea
•
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route to Asia- did NOT
exist!
Vasco Balboa- discovered
Pacific Ocean – he called
it the South Sea.
Ferdinand Magellan- he
and his crew were the
first to circumnavigate
(sail around) the world.
– Pacific- Latin for peaceful.