Transcript Chapter Three – Part One

Chapter One – Part Two
European Exploration Begins
A. Changes Lead to Exploration
 For centuries Rome ruled most of the ancient European world. Under
Roman rule, the empire enjoyed many of the things that we have today:
roads, bridges, sewers, running water, baths, education, libraries,
advanced medicine (including operations), and security. The list could
be much, much longer.
 In the Fifth Century AD, however, a greatly weakened Roman Empire
was destroyed by invading “barbarian” armies from Central and Eastern
Europe.
 The security and benefits of Roman life were wiped out within a
generation. Europe had entered the “Dark Ages” – a time filled with
warfare, poverty, disease, and suffering.
.
 This was a world without anything “modern” as we know it: no
electricity, running water, plumbing, medicine, communications
(phones, internet, radio, TV, computers), transportation (cars, airplanes,
trains – anything with an engine powered by gas), education, or
government.
 Europe was divided into thousands of tiny kingdoms engaged in constant warfare
over land, resources, and power.
 As time passed, some nations began to form in Western Europe, but the warfare
and violence of the “Dark Ages” hardly improved as Europe entered the “Middle
Ages” nearly five hundred years after the fall of Rome.
 In an effort to put an end to the fighting in Europe, Pope Urban II (head of the
Christian Church in Western Europe) urged knights and commoners from all over
Europe to invade and take control of the “Holy Land” - the region in and around
modern Israel. The year was 1095. Muslim forces had banned Christians from
traveling to the Holy Land.
 A series of Christian invasions and wars known as The Crusades were launched to
win control of the Holy Land and lasted for the next two centuries.
 Although they captured Jerusalem and most of the Holy Land during the first
crusade, the Christian forces of Europe were, over time, pushed out of the Middle
East by Muslim forces.
Pope Urban Calls for the First
Crusade at Clermont, France
A typical Middle Age image
of a Crusade
Christian Kingdoms in
the Holy Land
The First Crusade Invasion Routes
Effects of the Crusades
 Although the mission to capture and control the Holy Land failed, the
Crusaders did not leave the Middle East “empty handed.” European
soldiers had been exposed to new learning, foods, inventions, and
ancient teachings that had been lost to Europe since the fall of the
Roman Empire.
 Everything from oranges and figs to spices, silks, and books made their
way back to Europe with the returning Crusaders. The impact of these
new items changed the course of European (and eventually American)
History.
 The demand for new items and ancient teachings from the Middle East
created a great desire in Europeans to trade. For the first time since the
end of the Roman Empire, Europe began to look outside of its borders
and wonder what existed in the outside world.
 With the increase in trading profits and learning brought about by the
Crusades, the Middle Ages began to come to an end. The new age of
learning, growth, and change was known as the “Renaissance,” or
“Rebirth.”
B. The Beginnings of Exploration
 City-States (small nations centered on a single, large city)
and powerful nations began to form. By the late 1400’s,
new and powerful European nations that were eager to find
ways to profit from overseas trade began to make strong
efforts to explore and find new sources of trading wealth.
The Age of Exploration had arrived.
 Europeans returning from the Middle East brought back
many new inventions that made long-range exploration
possible for the first time in Western Europe..
Europe – About 1500
New Sailing Technologies
 New technologies that made long voyages of
exploration possible included:
 Magnetic Compass: The compass allowed ship captains to tell
which direction they were sailing in – something that was
difficult, especially during the day and on cloudy nights, in
Middle Age Europe.
 Astrolabe: An astrolabe was a metal measuring device that
allowed a ship captain or navigator to measure the distance
between the North Star and the horizon while at sea. The
distance measured revealed how far a ship was above the equator
or the “latitude” of the ship.
A Modern Magnetic Compass
An Astrolabe
Inventions Continued
 Lateen Sail: The lateen sail was triangular and allowed the ship
to gather more wind. The lateen sail also allowed a ship to sail
into the wind at an angle under the right conditions. Europeans
began to use lateen and traditional square sails together on ships.
 Rudder: Rudders were added to the bottom of a ship and were
connected to the main deck by a wheel or till (wooden handle).
They act much like a fish fin – helping to steer the direction of
the ship. The rudder, combined with new types of sails and
sailing instruments, made long sea voyages far from the sight of
land possible.
Ship with Lateen Sails
A Rudder
Ship Square Sailed Ship
Cross-Section of a European Trading/Exploring Ship from the 1600’s
(although this dates from a later time, the basics were the same as ships used in the late 1400’s
to 1500’s)
C. The Rise of the Exploring Nations
 Finally, ancient teachings (Greek, Roman, and Far Eastern)
on mathematics, astronomy, construction, engineering, and
science flooded into Europe in books from the Middle
East. Great schools and universities began to form all over
Europe. The new knowledge spread quickly thanks to a
mechanical invention known as the printing press.
 The printing press lowered the cost of books and made
them affordable to a greater number of people. By the end
of the 1400’s, Europeans began to create sailing schools to
train ship captains and navigators on how to use the new
inventions and knowledge in their explorations.
 The wealthiest nations in Europe were ready to begin
large-scale exploration. They had both the wealth and the
resources to take action before other, smaller nations.
Exploring Nations Continued
 During the late 1400’s and early 1500’s, several strong nations
emerged in Europe: Spain, Portugal, France, and England. Each
nation was ruled by a powerful king who had total control over
each nation. All of these nations were very interested in trading
with the Far East (Asia) – the source of many rare items.
 These new and powerful nations entered into direct and fierce
competition to find and control the new trade routes. The wealth
and power of these nations depended on how successful such
efforts were.
 Portugal, Spain, France, and England prepared sailing
expeditions to seek routes that would connect them with Asia
directly and allow them to bypass the Middle East. Each nation
hoped to find a direct route to Asia that would allow them to
profit from trade with the nations of that continent. The
countries that reached Asia first had the best chance to control
trade between the source of the spices, fruits, and fabrics that
were in high demand and the European markets where they were
sold.
Prince Henry “The
Navigator” – Ruler of
Portugal
King Henry VII of
England
King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain
King Louis XII
of France
Team/Pair Review Questions
1. What were the Dark Ages like?
2. How did Pope Urban II attempt to put an end to fighting between Christians in Europe?
3. How did the demand for new items influence Europeans?
Team/Pair Review Continued
4. What started the beginning of the Age of Exploration?
5. The four technological devices that helped Europeans explore over long distances were:
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6. What led to the creation of universities and schools in Europe and what helped the spread
to spread knowledge?
Team/Pair Review Continued
7. What made the powerful nations of Europe start exploring for trade routes to Asia?
8. How could great wealth acquired through trade help these nations?