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
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
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!
Voyages of Columbus
Voyages of Columbus
