The Age of Exploration

Europe Encounters the World

 Why did explorations happen when
they did?
► A variety of factors all came together to
make the time period (1450-1700) the “Age
of Exploration”
► Some of these factors were agricultural and
other resources they wished to have (gold,
silver, spices, precious stones, etc.)
► Some were pulls, motivations and things
that attracted the Europeans
 What factors were pushing
Europeans to explore?
► Decline of Mongol
Empire in 1400s made
goods from the east
harder to get, more
expensive
► Fall of Constantinople
to the Ottoman Turks
in 1453 was a major
block to trade
Ottoman Turks (Muslim) Empire
 What is the easiest way to
remember it all?
► The Three G’s:
▪ Gold
▪ Glory
▪ God
► Although a little
simplistic, this
mnemonic is a great
way to remember the
main motivations of
the European
explorers.
 The First G: Gold
► Gold was a hot item that explorers were looking
for, but remember that it is really wealth, not just
literal gold that explorers were after.
► Europe needed gold (and silver) to fuel the rising
banking system
► Europeans also desired spices (Da Gama’s voyage
to India made him a 3000% profit!)
► Other natural resources would come to be sold for
profit as well (timber, sugar, tobacco, ivory, etc.)
► This competition will be enhanced by the idea of
mercantilism that emerges, the idea that there is
only so much wealth in the world, and that to
make your kingdom strong you must have more
gold and wealth than the other kingdoms
 The second G: Glory
► Just like the first G, Gold,
Glory was a relatively new
idea in Europe
► Came out of the
Renaissance ideal of
Humanism, and the focus
on individual achievement
► With the rise of the
printing press, the idea of
gaining fame for one’s
actions was more possible
► Also, individual kings
wanted glory for their
The Triumph of Fame, a Flemish kingdoms, competition
tapestry from 1502. spreads
 The third G: God
► As members of a universalizing religion, Europeans
had always seen spreading Christianity as a good
thing
► Especially after the Reformation, competition will
spring up
► Colonization will become a race to convert native
peoples to a particular brand of Christianity
► Jesuits (Catholics) are some of the most active
What were the new technologies
that enabled explorations?
► The caravel was a new,
faster, more maneuverable
ship
► Older ships had square
sails, caravels had
triangular sails (easier to
change direction)
► Bilge pump system
enabled ship to float
higher (less likely to run
aground, easier to explore
coasts and rivers)
► Compass, astrolabe, maps,
sextant and other
technologies from Islamic
culture all helped make
explorations possible
New Maritime Technology
Better Maps

Hartman Astrolabe (1532)

Mariner’s Compass

Sextant
New Weapons Technology
 How did these explorations begin?
► The first to encourage new
ship explorations was Prince
Henry of Portugal, known as
“Prince Henry the
Navigator”
► Started an institute for
seafaring and exploring
► Combined ship technology
learned from Islam with
new European innovations
► By the time of his death in
1460, Portuguese had sailed
as far south as the Gold
Coast of West Africa
 Explorers
Explorer Discovery
Bartholomew Diaz 1488 – round Cape of Good Hope (S. Africa)
Christopher Columbus 1492 – reach W. Indies in “New World”
Vasco de Gama 1498 – reach India by sailing around
southernmost tip of Africa
Pedro Alvares Cabral 1500 – claim Brazil for Portugal en route to
India
Amerigo Vespucci 1501-1502 – explore S. America & first to
realize “New World” was separate from Asia
Ferdinand Magellan 1519-1522 – first circumnavigation of the world
Hernando Cortés 1519 – conquest of Aztecs in Mexico
Francisco Pizarro 1531-1536 – conquest of Incas in Peru
 The Explorers: Portugal
Bartolomeu Diaz
► Sailed around Cape
of Good Hope at
the southern tip of
Africa
► Found route to
Indian Ocean
► Trade can go from
Europe to Asia by
sea
 Vasco da Gama
► Landed in India in
1498
► Important trade
route from Europe
to India and East
Indies
Vasco da Gama Voyage
 Ferdinand Magellan
► His crew made first
voyage around the
world
► Proved for certain
that the world was
round
► Magellan was killed
in the Philippines, did
not make it home
 VOYAGE OF MAGELLAN
► Ferdinand Magellan will be the leader of
the voyage that will be the first to
circumnavigate the earth
► Renamed the South Sea the Pacific Ocean
► Many sailors suffered from scurvy, a
disease caused by a lack of vitamin C
► Encountered islands that he called the
Philippines where he gets killed
Magellan’s Voyages
The Explorers: Spain
 Christopher Columbus
► Believed a shorter
route to Asia could
be found by
sailing westward
instead of around
Africa.
► Found the
Americas instead.
Oops!
Chris Columbus: good or bad?
Good (old scholarship) Bad (new scholarship)
- discovered the New World - not the first to “discover”
- hero (has his own US the New World
holiday) - exploitation of indigenous
- so influential that the history peoples
of the Americas before 1492
is “pre-Columbian”

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, In fourteen hundred and

Columbus sailed the ocean blue. ninety-three, Columbus stole all he
could see.
Voyages of Columbus
 SPANISH EXPLORATION
► In 1492 Christopher Columbus (Italian)
will be given 3 ships by Isabella and
Ferdinand of Spain
► Believed he could sail West to reach
the East
► Problems included underestimation of the
circumference of the earth and no
knowledge of North and South America
 COLUMBUS’ VOYAGE
► Set sail on August 3, 1492 and will reach
San Salvador (Bahamas) on October 12,
1492
► Believed he had reached the East Indies
but had “discovered” the West Indies
(New World)
► Columbus called the natives Indians
(why?)--first Europeans to be introduced
to tobacco
► Never found the vast amounts of gold or
spices
 PORTUGAL AND SPAIN DISPUTE
► Spain and Portugal
disputed each others
claims
► Pope Alexander VI
settled dispute by
drawing up Line of
Demarcation
► Treaty of
Tordesillas moved
line further West
which gave Portugal
Brazil
 OTHER EXPLORERS
► Pedro Cabral (Portugal) landed in Brazil and
claimed area for Portugal
► Amerigo Vespucci (Italian) will say that
Columbus had discovered a New World—German
mapmakers will name new lands Americas
► Vasco de Balboa will cross the Isthmus of
Panama—discover South Seas (Pacific Ocean)
► Juan Ponce de Leon will seek the mythical
“Fountain of Youth”—explored Florida
 SEARCH FOR NORTHWEST
PASSAGE
► Other European nations (England, France, Dutch)
will ignore Treaty of Tordesillas
► Explorers searching for Northwest Passage an
all water route through North America
► John Cabot (Italian) sailing for the English
explored the N. American coast from Delaware to
Newfoundland (basis for England’s claim to N.
America)
► Henry Hudson (English) sailing for the Dutch
explored river and bay that bears his name
► Giovanni de Verrazano (Italian) sailing
for the French explored the N. American
coast from the Carolinas to Nova Scotia
► Jacques Cartier (Frenchman) sailing for
the French sailed up the St. Lawrence
River claiming the area for France
 PORTUGUESE EMPIRE
► Six months after Da Gama’s return the
Portuguese sent their fleet to India
► Portuguese interested in obtaining spices
► Arab (Muslim) traders tried to resist but
Portuguese had mounted cannons on ships
► In 1509 Afonso de Albuquerque, Portugal’s
most able naval commander, began to establish
Portugal’s empire in Asia (small trading posts)
► Will use brutal and ruthless methods to gain
control of area—wanted to control the strait of
Malacca, gateway to the Spice Islands—control
spice trade for over 100 years
► Portuguese will face stiff competition for the
spice trade—France, England and the Dutch
were all seeking footholds in Asia
► Dutch will be the most successful—established
Dutch East India Company
► First multinational corporation—first to sell
stocks—could wage wars, sign treaties, coin
money, and imprison and execute
► Dutch will attack Portuguese ships at every
opportunity—eventually replaced the Portuguese
in controlling spice trade
► French and English will concentrate efforts
in India—will become rivals in Asia
 SPAINS CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS
► Spanish quickly settled the islands of the
Caribbean (Hispaniola, Cuba and Puerto
Rico)—Cuba became the jumping off
point for exploration of the New World
► Relationship with native population
changed—began to exploit the natives
► Spanish crown granted conquistadors,
conquerors the right to establish outposts
in the New World
► Motto became “God, glory and gold”
 CONQUEST OF THE AZTECS
► Expeditions sent out by governor, Diego
Valasquez, from Cuba to explore Yucatan and
Gulf of Mexico
► Hernan Cortez was commissioned to explore,
trade, and search for Christian captives—one of
the first conquistadors or conquerors
► Set sail from Cuba on Feb. 18, 1519—several
artillery pieces, 16 horsemen, 500 or so infantry
► Upon landing Cortez founded city of Villa Rica de
la Vera Cruz—goal became conquest of Mexico
►Given young native woman named Malinche who will
serve as his translator, advisor and later his mistress
►Learned that many conquered natives hated the Aztecs
because they practiced human sacrifice—main god was
Huitzilopochtli, who symbolized the sun blazing at high
noon
►The sun, the source of all life, had to be kept moving in its
orbit if darkness was not to overtake the world
►To keep it moving the Aztecs believed it must be fed
precious fluids----human blood
►Aztec leader was Moctezuma (II)—thought Cortes was
Quetzalcoatl, Aztec god
► Cortes and his men allowed to enter the
capital of Tenochtitlan
► Relationship quickly broke down and
Moctezuma was taken prisoner by Spanish
► Aztecs rose up against
Spanish—Moctezuma killed and Spanish
forced to flee the city
► Later returned with allies and destroyed
the city—Mexico City built and became
capital of New Spain
► Francisco Pizarro will be inspired
by Cortes
► Will search for the Inca Civilization
in Peru (Andes Mountains)
► Arrived in 1532 and the Inca were
just recovering from a civil war
► Inca leader was Atahualpa who will
be taken prisoner and held for
ransom (13,420 pounds of gold and
26,000 pounds of silver)
► Later murdered after paying ransom
► Inca capital of Cuzco was
taken—Pizarro later killed by own
men
 OTHER SPANISH CONQUISTADORS

► Francisco Coronado will lead expedition in

search of El Dorado—first Europeans to see
the Grand Canyon and the Great Plains
► Hernando de Soto explored the
Southeastern United States in search of
gold—first Europeans to see the Mississippi
River
 REASONS FOR SPANISH SUCCESS
AGAINST NATIVE POPULATION
► Superior military technology—horse, cannons,
muskets, and armor/metal helmets
► Division and discontent among Natives—Spanish
used hatred of conquered natives against Aztecs
and Incas
► Diseases severely weakened natives—small pox,
chicken pox, measles etc.
► Aztec and Inca convinced that the world was
ending—gods had abandoned them—some will still
resist
Diseases
SPANISH EMPIRE OF THE AMERICAS

► Spanish empire stretched from California to

South America—divided in to 5
provinces—New Spain (Mexico) and Peru
were the most important
► Monarchy set up the Council of the Indies
to pass laws for the colonies (located in
Spain)
► Viceroys ruled colonies in the monarchs
name
► RCC played major role in the Spanish
colonies—converting natives to
Christianity was very important to
Spain
► Missionaries (Jesuits, Franciscans,
Dominicans) baptized natives whether
they wanted it or not
► RCC tried to change the culture of
Native Americans (Spanish language
and western clothing etc.)
► Served the government and regulated
activities of Spanish settlers
► Strict regulation of economies of colonies
► Colonies could only export items to
Spain and could buy only Spanish
goods (could not trade with other
European countries or colonies in the
Americas)
► Spanish introduced sugar cane to West
Indies (sugar, molasses, and rum)
► Grown on plantations (large estates run
by an owner or overseer) which required
many workers
► Cruel labor practices caused the death of
many natives
► Spanish government granted settlers
encomiendas (the right to demand labor
or tribute from Native Americans)
► Used system to enslave Native
Americans which caused population
decline (mines and plantations)
► Bartolome de las Casas, Dominican
priest condemned the treatment of
natives—pleaded for laws to protect them
► New Laws of the Indies passed in 1542
which allowed natives to grow crops and
own cattle
► Native Americans forced to become
peons, workers forced to labor for
landlord in order to pay off their debts
► Las Casas encouraged the importation of
Africans to fill labor shortage—1) immune
to tropical diseases 2) had skills in
farming, mining and metal working 3)
accustomed to working in heat
► Las Casas later regretted suggestion and
worked hard to help Africans
 NEW SOCIAL ORDER IN THE
SPANISH COLONIES
► Peninsulares—Spanish born in Spain will
dominate New Spain
► Creoles—Spanish born in the New World—parents
were peninsulares
► Mestizos—were of Native American and Spanish
ancestry
► Mulattoes—were of African and Spanish ancestry
► Zamboes were of African and Native ancestry
► Not many Spanish women came to New World
 PORTUGUESE IN THE NEW WORLD
► Settlers exploited the land
► Brazil wood exported
► Settlers turned to plantation agriculture
(sugar cane and cattle raising)
► Millions of Africans sent to
Brazil—more sent to Brazil than any
other colony in New World
► New culture developed which blended
Portuguese, African and Native American
NORTH AMERICAN COLONIZATION
► England, France and Dutch Netherlands
will take very little interest in North
America in the 1500s (lack of gold/silver)
► Unable to find Northwest Passage
► Dutch under the Dutch West India
Company will establish colony called New
Netherlands
► Peter Minuit is named governor—great
land purchase—Manhattan Island
► Dutch granted large estates to patroons,
wealthy landowners—eventually lost
colony to English (New York)
► French concentrated on
economic benefit of new lands
► Furs were in demand in Europe
(beaver)
► Also exploited fishing areas
► First permanent settlement
established by Samuel de
Champlain at Quebec in 1608
► Government did not
encourage settlement—only
Catholics allowed to come
to New France
► DID NOT WANT THE LAND
► Joliet and Marquette will map a route
from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River
► La Salle will reach the mouth of the
Mississippi River claiming the area for
France and naming it Louisiana
 ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN THE
NEW WORLD
► Established the first permanent colony at
Jamestown in 1607—English
government encouraged settlement
and population grew quickly
► Colonists came to escape religious
persecution and a chance for a better
life
► English settlers wanted the
land—constant strife between natives and
colonists
► Bitter rivalry developed between the
English and the French—war will erupt and
both sides used Native American tribes to
help them fight
► The Seven Years’ War or French and
Indian War was the most famous
 IMPACT OF COLONIZATION
► Native Americans taught settlers about
planting and growing crops—taught
them how to hunt and trap
► Trappers adopted Native American clothing
and married native women
► Europeans cheated Native Americans
out of their land, introduced them to
alcoholic drinks and swindled them in
trades
 ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
(Triangular Trade)
► Plantations (sugar, tobacco, and later
cotton) needed large supplies of workers to
make them profitable—Native American pop.
declined rapidly so Africans were brought in
► Slavery in the Americas based largely on
race and became hereditary—Africans were
viewed as naturally inferior by Europeans
► Became known as Atlantic Slave
Trade—estimated that between 9.5 to 11million
Africans imported
► African rulers and merchants were willing
to participate in slave trade (little difference
in selling to Westerners instead of Muslims)
► African slavers captured other Africans and
brought them to the coast where they were
purchased by Europeans (Europeans forbidden
to go inland to capture slaves themselves)
► Slaves exchanged for guns, gold and other
goods
 MIDDLE PASSAGE
► The voyage of African slaves to the
Americas known as the Middle Passage
► It made up part of what is called the
Transatlantic Slave Triangle
► Characterized by sickening cruelty and
brutality—whippings and beatings were
common—seasickness and other diseases
devastated the slaves on their journey
(floating coffins)
► Estimated that 20% of slaves died on way
 African Diaspora
► Resulted from the forced migration of
millions of slaves (West Africa) mostly to
North America and South America
► Diaspora of their culture, food traditions,
and languages
► Colonization resulted in a mixing of the
biota of Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas
► Plant and animal species indigenous to a
given place or region transferred
 Virgin Soil Epidemic
► When a disease is first introduced to a place
or region in which it had not been previously
known, the people indigenous to that place
have little or no acquired immunity to that
disease
► Virgin soil-epidemics of diseases such as
small pox and measles among Native
Americans killed at least 90% of the native
population between 1500-1700
 Impact of Slavery
► Destroyed culture of many African societies—lost
generations of the strongest and ablest African
men and women—many claim this is the reason
for under-development of Africa today
► Caused depopulation of areas of Western Africa
► Fueled conflict on the continent that still has
lasting effects today
 END OF SLAVERY
► Between 1807-1820, most European
nations abolished the slave trade
► Slavery itself will not be abolished until a
few decades later (no new slaves were
legally imported from Africa)
► Those already enslaved in Europe and
New World continued to be enslaved
► In some cases freed slaves returned to
Africa (Liberia)
 MODERN SLAVERY
► There are more people in slavery now than in
any other time in history. (27 million)
► The value of slaves has decreased.
► Slavery still exist in the United States. (1 million)
► Human trafficking has recently been described
as “the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the
world” (7 billion dollars a year)
► The least known method of slavery is the most
widely used. (Bonded slavery—debt)
► Average cost of a slave is $90.00
 COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE
► Columbus started a vast global exchange
► Plants, animals, people, technology and
disease were exchanged
► New foods brought from Americas to Europe
included tomato, sweet potato, pumpkins,
squash, beans, pineapples and
peppers—tobacco and cacao (chocolate)
► Corn and potato were the most important
► Asia and Africa also shared in the Columbian
Exchange as new foods were introduced
► Europe to Americas wheat, melons,
grapes, rice, barley, peaches, pears and
olives
► From Asia and Africa the Europeans
brought banana, sugar cane, coconut
palms and coffee bean
► Europeans brought the horse, cows, pigs,
goats, chickens, sheep and honey bee to
Americas
► Diseases brought to Americas included
small pox, influenza, measles, malaria
► Americas sent syphilis
 COMMERCIAL REVOLUTION
► Economic changes caused inflation, a rapid rise
in prices linked to a sharp increase in the
amount of money available
► Causes—population grew and the demand
for goods and services rose—goods became
scarce so prices rose (law of supply/demand)
► Also caused by increased flow of silver and gold
into Europe from the Americas—more money in
circulation
► Expanded trade and the push for overseas
empires spurred the growth of
capitalism, the investment of money to
make a profit
► New business men called entrepreneurs,
people willing to take business risks in the
hope of making a profit expanded into
overseas ventures
► Risky business because of piracy and
shipwrecks
► Capitalists developed new ways to create
wealth
► From Arabs they adapted methods of
bookkeeping to show profits and loses
► Developed insurance to reduce the risk of
financial disaster
► Joint-stock companies allowed people to pool
large amounts of capital, money to invest into
overseas ventures
► Partnerships formed so people would not lose
all their money in investment
► Capitalists diversified their investments
► Developed the putting out system or
domestic system (goods produced in the
countryside)
 MERCANTILISM
► New economic system—stresses exporting more than
a country imports (don’t buy from enemies)
► Wealth is measured in terms of commodities, especially
gold and silver, rather than in terms of productivity and
income-producing investments
► Make country self-sufficient—colonies very important
to mother country 1) provide raw materials 2) provided
closed markets for mother country’s manufactured goods
3) regulate economy 4) nations imposed tariffs, taxes on
imports
 Mercantilism
► economic system, ca. 1500-1800 or 1776
► wealth is based on nation’s supply of gold
► exports > imports
► colonies exist for benefit of mother country
▪ quinto = Spanish Crown receives 1/5 of precious
metals mined in South America
 th
Spain’s golden age (16 c.)
► Major cause: gold & silver from New World
► Why it ended: price revolution = inflation
► Debate over reason for inflation:
▪ Unable to keep up with rising demand
► pop. 🡫 (demand 🡫)
► new American colonies (demand 🡫)
► expulsion of Jewish & Muslim farmers/businessmen
(supply 🡫)
▪ Influx of American silver bullion
► Price revolution spreads to all Europe
(1560-1600)