Transcript Discovery and Exploration Review

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Exploration Review
MEDIEVAL EXPANSION OF EUROPE
• Growing political power and commerce
• Progress in science & geography
• First to bring Western Civilization to America
• Spain
• Followed by
• Portugal
• France
• Dutch
• England
• Exploration Review
SETTING THE STAGE FOR DISCOVERY –
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
• The Crusades 1095-1291
• Religious Wars
• Eastern Med – against Muslims
• Capture the Holy Land – including Jerusalem
Effects
• Contact with different, more advanced people
• Stimulated curiosity
• Broadened intellectual outlook
• Knowledge of geography increased
• Mediterranean area east & south
NEW COMMODITIES
• Achievements in medicine & science
• Culture/glamor of cities
• Variety of new foods, cloths & goods of Asia
• Textiles
• Silks
• Damasks
• Oriental rugs
• Tapestries
• Fine cotton
• Spices (improved monotonous diet – preserving foods)
• Cloves
• Allspice
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Mace
• Pepper
DIFFICULTY OBTAINING ASIATIC GOODS
Difficult and expensive to obtain desirable Asian Goods. Solution: find an easier/cheaper way to get them.
• Three obstacles to over come
• Expense of transportation
•
Long caravan routes overland
•
Combo route land & sea
•
Italian merchants received goods in the region of Palestine and Egypt
Desired new routes
• Difficulty paying for Asiatic goods
•
Shortage of gold
•
Absence of demand for European goods
Desired Tradable currency
• Italian trade monopoly
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High prices
Desires a way to get around Italian
merchants
CHANGING SOCIAL/POLITICAL SYSTEMS
• Feudal society to National States
• Consolidation under dynastic monarchies
• Emerging middle class – rich merchants
• The state protected commerce
• Merchants paid taxes/lent money to monarch
• Help monarch gain power w/o the dependence on Nobility
• Gained funds to finance voyages of exploration
• Competition between countries for dominance over territory &
trade
COMMERCIAL & GEOGRAPHIC REVOLUTIONS
Commercial Revolution
• Modern business methods
• Banking
• Borrowed capitol at interest
• Money became the standard medium of exchange
• Large scale merchandising
• Increase in variety and volume of goods
• Lead to commercial supremacy of Western Europe over
Italy
GEOGRAPHIC REVOLUTION
Marco Polo
• Imperial Court of China
• 17 years
• Aroused interest for trade with Asia
• Missionaries travel also brings more knowledge/interest
• Persia
• India
• China
• Later Japan
ADVANCES IN NAVIGATION
12th C inventions
• Navigational instruments
• Better ships
• Better maps/charts
CAUSES OF EUROPEAN EXPLORATION
• Technology
• Advances borrowed from the East
• Caravel – replaced the galley ship
• Navigational tools
• Astrolabe
• Magnetic compass
• Military weapons
• Cannons – made exploration & conquest possible
• Ptolemy’s Geography
• Inaccurate
• Encouraged the idea that sailing west from Eur. to Asia was possible
TECHNOLOGY
• Technological advances facilitated sea travel
• Advances in astronomy helped in charting locations at sea
• Instruments
• Magnetic compass (ca. 1300): pointed to the magnetic north making it easier
to determine direction.
• A number of instruments were used to determine latitude by measuring the
altitude of celestial bodies.
• Quadrant (ca. 1450): used to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of
celestial bodies
• Mariner’s astrolabe (ca. 1480): used to determine latitude by measuring the
altitude of celestial bodies
• Cross staff (ca. 1550): used to find the latitude by measuring the altitude of the Pole
Star above the horizon
Ships
• Portuguese caravel (ca. 1450)
• Lighter, faster ships than the Spanish Galleons and much better
suited for exploration along the African Coast
• Could sail into the wind
• Lateen sail and rope riggings
• Enabled sails to be quickly and efficiently maneuvered to take
advantage of wind power
• Axial rudder (side rudder)
• Provided for improved change of direction
• Gunpowder and cannons
• Provided protection against hostile ships and facilitated the
domination of indigenous peoples in lands explored
PRE-COLUMBIAN EXPLORERS
• Scandinavian explorers
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Norsemen (Vikings) before 1000 AD
Iceland
Greenland
Labrador
• Leif Ericson – Vinland (probably present New England)
• Founded a colony – did not become permanent
• The Basques
• Distant fishing voyages in the Atlantic
• Legends of others visiting lands to the west
PRINCE HENRY (THE NAVIGATOR AND THE
PORTUGUESE) 1394-1460
Led Portugal in the advancement of navigation and exploration
• School of Navigation
• Studied the arts of seamanship
• Students – famous navigators – discoveries/adventures
• Explored coast of Africa
• Opened trade in ivory, gold & slaves
• Bartholomew Diaz
• Rounded the Cape of Good Hope
• Vasco da Gama
• Sailed to India
• Started profitable trade with the Far East