Transcript The Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration
Europe Encounters the World
Why did Europeans Explore?
►A
variety of factors all came together to
make the time period (1450-1700) the “age
of exploration”
► Some were pulls, motivations and things
that attracted the Europeans
What is the easiest way to
remember it all?
► The
Three G’s:
 God
 Gold
 Glory
► Although
a little
simplistic, this
mnemonic is a great
way to remember the
main motivations of
the European
explorers.
Early trade routes by Christian Europeans to
Asia traversed on land occupied by Muslims.
As a result of the Crusades (Holy Wars), the
Muslims cutoff trade routes between Europe
and Asia in 1453.
What factors were pushing
Europeans to explore?
► Europeans,
especially
Spain and Portugal,
wanted to find a water
route to Asia and
Africa.
► They were upset with
the Italian merchants
in Venice and Genoa
who were controlling
most of the trade with
Asia and Africa.
The First G: Gold
► Mercantilism
is an economic policy where colonies
exist to increase the wealth of the mother country.
► Explorers
wanted actual gold, but they also
wanted anything that could make them money.
► Foreign
spices were desired also because Europe
had no refrigeration. Europeans wanted pepper
and nutmeg to season their foods. These spices
were in the Spice Islands. (Indonesia)
Where are the Spice Islands?
Where are the Spice Islands in
relationship to Europe?
Pass the pepper, please!
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By the early 1500’s, Europeans came to the Spice Islands in search of
cloves and nutmeg.
They were highly valued as food preservatives.
Wealthy ladies used to keep spices in lockets around their necks so
they could freshen their breaths easily.
Gentlemen added nutmeg to food and drink.
Spices were also used for medicinal purposes, especially in the relief
of colic, gout, and rheumatism.
Such great demand meant that the prices of nutmeg and cloves
soared.
Expeditions were launched to find the source of these spices and bring
them directly back to Europe.
The second G: Glory
The Triumph of Fame, a Flemish
tapestry from 1502.
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Just like the first G,
glory was a relatively
new idea in Europe.
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The printing press now
allowed people to get
fame for their findings.
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Kings wanted glory for
their kingdoms – the
bigger, the more glory.
The third G: God
► Europeans
had always seen spreading
Christianity as their duty.
► Colonizing foreign lands allowed them to
convert native peoples to Christianity.
► Spreading Christianity while killing and
taking land from natives??? Does it make
any sense to you?
How did these ocean explorations
begin?
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The first to encourage new
ship explorations was Prince
Henry of Portugal, known as
“Prince Henry the
Navigator”
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Started a school for
seafaring and exploring
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Combined Islam ship
technology with new
European innovations
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By the time of his death in
1460, Portuguese had sailed
as far south as the Gold
Coast of West Africa
What were the new technologies
that enabled explorations?
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The caravel was a new,
faster, more maneuverable
ship
Older ships had square
sails but 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
and other technologies
from Islamic culture all
helped make explorations
possible
Work Session
Directions:
► Create a poster, flyer, or brochure that
would encourage someone to come to
Prince Henry’s school of navigation.
► Remember
what would motivate someone
of this time period
The European desires for wealth did not stop with
the closing of the land trading routes. They simply
took another route……..by water!
The 3 G’s
►God
►Gold
►Glory