Age of Exploration

1. The Age of Exploration

2. Age of Exploration
• Quick Review!
• What were some items that the Europeans wanted to get
from Asia
• Where exactly did those items come from?
• Which land route did Europeans use to get those items?
• What happened to the land route that the Europeans used?
• What were some of the technologies Europeans used that
allowed them to explore the unknown world?

3. Age of Exploration
• SO WE HAVE LOOKED AT SOME OFTHE EUROPEAN
MOTIVATION FOR EXPLORING THE WORLD AND NOW WE
ARE GOINGTO LOOK ATTHE REST!

4. European Motivation
• TheTHREE MAIN REASONS EUROPEANS WANTEDTO EXPLORE were
•GOD, GLORY, AND GOLD!!!!

5. European Motivation• Exploring forGod
• After Constantinople was conquered in 1453 by Muslims they made
European nations (Christians) pay a tax if they wanted to get goods from
“The Spice Islands” or travel on the Silk Road
• EUROPEANS DID NOT LIKE GIVING MONEYTO MUSLIMS !

6. European Motivation
• Exploring forGod
• European Christians, especially Catholics, wanted to stop the spread of
Islam & convert non-Christians to the faith
• Explorers were encouraged to spread Christianity or bring missionaries who
would focus only on conversions

7. European Motivation
• EXPLORING FOR GLORY
• Kings who sponsored voyages of exploration gained overseas colonies, new
sources of wealth for their nation, & increased power
• Exploration presented Europeans
the opportunity to rise from poverty
and gain fame, fortune, & status

8. European Motivation
• EXPLORING FOR GLORY
• How does this work?
• Lets look at this chart!!!!
More wealth found
Equal more power in war
Equals your country becomes most powerful and
you are remembered forever

9. European Motivation• EXPLORING FOR GOLD
• Merchants began looking for quick, direct trade routes to Asia to avoid
Muslim & Italian merchants & increase profits
• The Crusades & Renaissance stimulated European desires for exotic Asian
luxury goods

10. European Motivation
• EXPLORING FOR GOLD
• Once European countries started going to new continents they looked for
gold, silver, and natural resources!

11. European Motivation
Reasons for Exploration
Natural Resources
along
With Gold and Silver
Means good things
for
Whatever country
Stop paying money to
Muslims by looking for
new
Route to Spices and
whatever people you
meet you can convert to
Christianity! EVEN IF
THEY DO NOT WANT TO
CONVERT!
The more you find
the more wealth you
have and the more
powerful your king
and country is

12. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• These are the four countries that contributed the most to Exploration
Portugal
England
Spain
France

13. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Portugal:

14. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Portugal: Was the first major player in exploration thanks to Prince Henry
The Navigator

15. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Prince HenryThe Navigator: He was the son of a King who never went on
ships to explore but played an important part into Portugal’s exploration

16. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Prince HenryThe Navigator: He brought in the best map makers, ship
builders and sailors from all around Europe to learn at the navigation school
he created.

17. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Prince HenryThe Navigator: Thanks to his navigational school and all the
men who went to it along with him funding voyages (providing cash)
Portugal was the first European country to sail down Africa and reach the
Indies via a water route!

18. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Prince HenryThe Navigator: Portugal set up colonies on the African Coast,
the Spice Islands, and Brazil

19. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Thanks to Prince Henry’s expeditions Europe now had maps of the West
African coast, new trade routes toThe Indies, spread Christianity to the
people ofThe Indies, trading posts onWest Africa (Led to slavery), and he
made Portugal rich thanks to all the wealth their explorers discovered!!!!

20. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Portugal sailors were scared to go south towards Africa bc of all the
“MONSTERS” they saw in the ocean (Sharks andWhales)

21. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Spain

22. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Spain took notice of what Portugal was doing and thanks to its King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Spain sponsored more expeditions overseas
than any other country!

23. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Spain sent Conquistadors (explorers) to the new world to find gold, claim
land, and spread Christianity

24. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• The Conquistadors that Spain sent to the new world were very successful
and established Spanish colonies in both North and South America
• Thanks to all the gold and resources discovered Spain became the most
powerful country in Europe early on during the Age of Exploration!

25. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Spain and Portugal had a meeting to divide the world up amongst
themselves and they came up with theTreaty ofTordesillas

26. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• Treaty ofTordesillas: Under this agreement in 1494 Portugal was promised
any new land east of the line and Spain west of the line. Neither side could
develop colonies on the other side of the line!
• WHO GOTTHE BETTER DEAL?
• One huge result of the treaty is the land that the Spanish took over west of
the line now mainly speak Spanish and where Portugal took over they speak
Portuguese

27. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• France:

28. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• France: The French main reason for exploring were FISH AND FUR!

29. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• France: French taught Christianity to Native Americans but didn’t make
them slaves!

30. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• France: The French wanted to find a Northwest Passage to Asia and the
spices ofThe Spice Islands!

31. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• France: When they did not find that passage they started making colonies
(permanent) settlements in Modern day Canada and the middle of the
United States!

32. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• England:

33. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• England:The English came to the NewWorld for religious reasons
(persecuted in England), gold, and to find new land to make colonies on

34. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• England:The English explored/settled in the modern day East Coast of the
United States and portions of Canada.

35. MAJOR PLAYERS OF EXPLORATION
• The Dutch (Netherlands): They also explored the east coast of America and
actually settled at a place we now call NEWYORK CITY, but they were
kicked out of the NewWorld by the English!