Transcript World Travel and Trade

New Ideas in Europe
Chapter 3 Lesson 2
The Renaissance
• Important changes took place during the
1300 and 1400s (renaissance – rebirth).
• During the Renaissance, technology in Europe
changed.
• Technology is the use of scientific
knowledge and tools to do things better and
faster.
• The printing press is an example.
Sea Exploration
• Technology made navigation
easier and more accurate.
• Navigation is the science of
planning and controlling
the direction of a ship.
• Europeans learned about a
navigation tool, from North
Africans, called an
astrolabe. An astrolabe
measures the height of the
sun or a star above the
horizon.
Sea Exploration
• Another technological tool
learned from North Africans
was the compass which
helped sailors steer their
ships without the sun or
stars.
• Sailors could use this to tell
how far north or south of
home they were.
• Europeans learned about
gunpowder from the Chinese
which could be used in
cannons and guns.
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A Sea Route to Asia
The Portuguese explorers
were the first Europeans to
find a new sea route to Asia.
Portugal’s location and
coastline made it a good
starting point for sailors.
Merchants believed they
could make a bigger profit if
they traveled by sea.
Profit is the money a business
has left over after all of its
expenses have been paid.
Prince Henry of Portugal
• Known as the ‘Navigator’ even
though he never set sail on a ship.
• Started a school for navigation to
teach sailors about new
technology for sailing.
• Prince Henry encouraged
exploration.
• Carvel ships were small and light
and good for exploring.
Slavery
• Portuguese sailors set up a
trading post off the coast of
West Africa.
• These traders forced
Africans into slavery and
sold them in Europe.
• Slavery is a cruel system in
which people are bought
and sold and made to work
without pay.
Portuguese Sailors
• In 1487, Bartolomeu Dias
explored the west coast
of Africa.
• After a bad storm, he
realized that he had
sailed around the
southern tip of Africa.
• The Portuguese named
the southern tip of Africa,
the Cape of Good Hope.
Portuguese Sailors
• Vasco da Gama was the
first Portuguese explorer to
sail around the Cape of
Good Hope and keep
going to reach India.
• Other sailors soon
followed this new trade
route.
Lesson Review
During the Renaissance, Europeans used
new navigation tools. This technology
helped them find faster ways to trade
goods with Asia. Portuguese sailors
sailed around Africa to reach Asia.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
The search for a sea route to Asia led to
important discoveries in navigation and
geography.