Transcript The Age of Exploration

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”
► 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
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
► 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 kingdoms,
competition spreads
►
The Triumph of Fame, a Flemish
tapestry from 1502.
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
► Compass, astrolabe,
maps and other
technologies from
Islamic culture all
helped make
explorations
possible
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
Christopher Columbus (Spain)
► believed
had to be a short cut by sailing west
► Columbus- (Genoan) went west 1492
► arrived in Caribbean thought it was the Indies but
it was present day Bahamas
► Through his four voyages, he
landed on present day
Central America, South America,
Caribbean Islands, and North
American
Pattern of Contact
► Begin
by trading
► Armed conflict- Europeans had
cannon
► Set up trading partners- some stay
to protect partners and Europeans
► Made alliances with local leaders
► Dutch and English less apt to
become involved with
culture/religion
► Developed mercantilism- material
from colony- buy finished products
form Europe.
Columbia Exchange
The C.E. was a movement of plants,
animals and diseases between the
hemispheres
The transfer of germs – N.A. had no
immunity to European diseases like
smallpox, measles and influenza. N.A.
populations decreased by 90%
Europeans brought cattle, pigs, grapes
Americas sent tomatoes, pineapples,
turkeys
Slave Trade
► Portuguese-
trade with Africa- To Portugal
as servants than to Brazil to work on
plantations
► Africans less susceptible to European
diseases that Native Americans
► But death rate was high 13-30% just on the
trip
► African middlemen active- depopulate entire
areas of Africa- food from Americas helped
increase birthrate
Spice Trade-East Indies
► Europeans
needed spice to
preserve the meat and make it
taste better when it started
going bad – refrigeration had
not yet been invented
► Portuguese led the way which
angered the Spain
► Spain and Portugal begin
competing for land and trade
routes (battles break out at
sea)
Spain and Portugal
►
Treaty of Tordesillas (Line of Demarcation)
Agreement made by the Pope (modified)
 Portugal: east of mid-Atlantic
 Spain: west of mid-Atlantic
 Modified to give Brazil to Portugal
The World Dominated by Europe:
COLONIZATION
► Africa-
completely dominated by Europeonly one independent country Ethiopia
► Southeast and Asia- French in Vietnam,
British in Burma, Spanish in Philippines,
Dutch in Indonesia
► India- French and British compete- British
win out, not independent until 1948
► South America- Spanish dominated: Others
joined ( French, Dutch, British, and
Portuguese) too
Impact on World by
European Contact
► Purpose
was to serve the home county
 slaves, furs, cotton, fish, spices, tobacco, gold
or silver.
► Colonies improved the lives of Europeans greatly.
► In the Americas
 More intermarriage by Spanish /Portuguese and
French
 Disease was devastating. Measles, influenza,
smallpox
 Violence common - many people died
Color the empires of Spain YELLOW
Color the empires of Portugal GREEN
Color the empires of France BLUE
Color the empires of England RED