Transcript File - History with Ditondo

Warm-Up
 What did the 'Birth of Agriculture' allow the early
people to do?
•1
A Changing World
Expanding Horizons
 After the fall of Roman Empire…
 European world dominated by Catholic
Church


But Holy Land now dominated by Islam
Christians fear Islam in Holy Land = loss of
Holy Land
 1095CE- Europeans launch Crusades
 9 wars of Christians trying to boot
Muslims out
 1st contact w/ Arab world

Arab traders sold goods from China and
India


Salt, spices, sugar, silks, etc.
No refrigeration yet
 Salt and spices preserve meat
 1296CE- Marco Polo returns from China
 Brings back all kinds of goodies never
seen
 Begins writing book about his trip and
coolness of Asia

Inspires Columbus (supposedly)
Most Important?
Why?
Growth of Trade
 Traders could make a fortune
selling these goods
 Rich Europeans wanted these
Why take to
the sea?
spices, perfumes, silks and
stones


Cost was high because of
“middlemen”
Travel over land was expensive and
dangerous

Thieves waited along “Silk Road”
 Began to look for all-water route
to bypass Arab merchants and
thieves by road
 2 Options
 Around Africa
 Sailing West to get East

Earth is a sphere
The Renaissance
 1300’s Powerful renewal of
intellectual and artistic
creativity
 French word meaning
‘rebirth’
 Began in Italy but spread
across Europe over next 200
years
 Renaissance changes way
Europeans think of
themselves and world
 Encouraged them to pursue
new ideas and set goals

Gives birth to ‘Age of
Exploration’ and discovery
Visual
Vocab
Powerful Nations Emerge
 1400’s- population begins to
increase
 Merchants want more $$$
 Think if they can cut out
middlemen make larger profit
 Up till now Europe patchwork of
small countries
 Political power divided among
local rulers
 1400’s- powerful monarchs take
over
Mercantilism
VisVoc



Spain, Portugal, England, France
Began to est. national laws, courts,
taxes, and armies
New powerful kings looking for ways
to increase trade, power, and wealth
Technology’s Impact
 Better Maps
 Problem for early navigators


going off of mistaken info from traders
and travelers
Gradually got better

Using reports of explorers
 New maps showed
 current directions
 Showed lines of latitude
 Better tools invented to help
 Astrolabe

Measured position of stars to determine
location
 Acquired magnetic compass from
Chinese

Could determine direction of sailing
How
Technology?
 Better Ships
 Advances in ship design

Allow for long, ocean voyages
 Stern rudder and triangular sail
 Possible to sail against current, & into
wind
 Stole idea from Arabs
 Late 1400’s Portugal invents 3- masted caravel



Ship w/ 3 sails
Faster and could carry more supplies
Float in shallow water
 Spain and Portugal want their
piece of spice trade from Italy
 Begin race to find all-water route to
Asia around Africa

Starts “Age of Exploration”
The Perfect Storm
Need 4 Spices, esp SALT
(cut out the Middle Men)
+
Dangers of the Silk Road
(look for another way)
+
Renaissance Thinking
(willingness to TRY new ideas)
+
King’s Desire 4 POWER
(control trade route-control trade. Control trade-gain more $$$. More $$$-more
POWER.)
+
Better Technology
(compass, astrolabe, rudder, caravel ships)
+
______________________________________
Equals What?
AGE OF EXPLORATION!!!