READING MATERIAL - AGE OF EXPLORATION

For thousands of years the major civilizations of the world thrived in isolation from one another. These
civilizations had very little contact with one another (example: Mesopotamian Civilization and Indus
Valley Civilization) and in many cases had no knowledge of each other. It was not that people did not
travel back then but it was few and far between.

This all began to change during the Middle Ages. With the start of Crusades, common people across
Europe became aware of lands and cultures very different from their own. People saw luxuries and
tasted food that was impossible before. And they desired more. They wanted to explore these lands for
wealth, trading, learning and even settling down.
Then, with the fall of Constantinople, The Ottoman Empire took control of these prosperous land/trade
routes. It blocked European access to the area, severely limiting trade. In addition, it also blocked access
to North Africa and the Red Sea, two very important trade routes to the Far East.

But things were changing in the West. Renaissance began and with it rose the Medici. People started
believing in humanism and wanted to live their life not only devoted to religion. The demand for luxury,
art, architecture, etc went up during this time. As people had more wealth and freedom to make choices
people became more bold. This period of time is known as Age of Exploration/Discovery. European
explorers ventured out from their homelands to initially find a new route for the spice and silk trades but
ended up exploring, conquering, and colonising other continents. The main areas they travelled to were
the Americas, Africa, and East Asia. These lands contained vast natural resources that Europeans used to
their own ends. While there were countless positive developments that occurred during this era, there
were also a number of devastating consequences to indigenous peoples, as well as to the ecosystem of
the newly-discovered territories.
During this Age of Exploration/Discovery, some superpowers emerged in Europe that changed the course
of history. But out of all, Portugal and Spain led the way!

Portuguese Explorers Survey Africa

Driven by a desire to find an overseas route to India, Prince Henry, who was the son of King John I of
Portugal worked tirelessly to advance the exploration efforts of his father’s kingdom. Prince Henry
brought together mapmakers, astronomers, and mathematicians to study star charts, and to help
improve methods of ocean navigation. He also funded a number of important expeditions into the
Atlantic Ocean, and down the west coast of Africa. For his immense contribution to the field, he is also
known as Prince Henry The Navigator.

Despite the creation of the caravel* and the knowledge shared at his school for sailors, Prince Henry had
a great deal of difficulty persuading his captains to sail beyond Cape Bojador off the west coast of Africa.
According to legend, beyond this point in an area known as the "Green Sea of Darkness", the sun was so
close to the Earth that a person’s skin would burn black, the sea boiled, ships caught on fire, and
monsters hid waiting to smash the ships and eat the sailors. It took fourteen voyages over a period of 12
years until a ship finally reached the equator.
At this time, no Europeans had sailed past the treacherous Cape Bojador and returned alive. Most sailors
refused to go there. Prince Henry sent 14 expeditions there over 12 years, trying to go farther than Cape
Bojador. Prince Henry convinced Gil Eannes to try, and Eannes succeeded in 1434.

In 1487 a young adventurous explorer by the name of Bartholomeu Dias set out on an expedition to find
the southern tip of Africa. Up until now, many explorers from Portugal had travelled by ship to the
western coasts of Africa. But no one had ever found the Southern tip of this large continent.
At this time, no one knew how far South it extended. In 1488 Dias and his men arrived at the southern
tip of Africa, which was later named The Cape of Good Hope. Dias’ bravery helped prove that it was
possible to reach Asia by sailing around the tip of Africa.

The Spanish joining the bandwagon

The Spanish were as interested as the Portuguese in the wealth that could be obtained from India and
the Far East. Until the late 1400s, however, they were too busy trying to gain their freedom from the
Moors. By 1492, Spain had become a Christian country united under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
It was now ready to enter the race for new trade routes.
Columbus was a man of powerful will. He tried for nearly ten years to interest European rulers in his
plan. Some agreed that Asia lay to the west. But how far? No one knew. For seven years, Christopher
Columbus travelled around Europe looking for someone who would finance his journey. The monarchs of
Europe made fun of him, saying that it was too risky, and dangerous to attempt such a voyage around
the globe.

Finally, Columbus arrived in Spain. For many years, Spain had been caught up in civil war. As a result,
they were behind much of Europe in their development. King Ferdinand, and Queen Isabella were
anxious to prove that Spain could be as powerful and successful as their neighbour Portugal. In August
of 1492 they granted Christopher Columbus the supplies, men, and ships that he needed to carry out his
expedition. Columbus began this journey for Spain.
Columbus was given three sailing ships. These ships were named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa
Maria. As they travelled further from Europe, Columbus’ men were terrified that they would be lost at
sea, and that they would suffer starvation. As the days wore on, these men began to turn against him.
Columbus was forced to agree to turn back, if they did not find land within three days. On the night of
the second day, just before he would have had to turn around, land was sighted. Columbus and his men
discovered an island in the Caribbean, which they named Hispanolia. This island is the location of the
present day nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus did not realise that he had arrived in
a new part of the world. He was convinced that he was in India.For this reason, he called the natives who
lived on these islands the Indians. Columbus returned to the Americas three more times. Each time
believing that he was in India. During his life, he never realised what he had discovered.

The Big Divide

The Spanish monarchs were worried that Portugal might try to take from Spain the riches Columbus had
discovered. So, they asked Pope Alexander VI for help.
In 1493, the Pope drew an imaginary line called the papal line of demarcation**. Spain was to have the
non-Christian lands west of the line, and Portugal the non-Christian lands east of the line. The
Portuguese, however, did not like the way the lands were divided. They protested and called for a
meeting where the line of demarcation was moved about 500 miles, or 800 kilometres, towards the
west. Because of this, Portugal was able to claim Brazil.

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer. He led the first expedition that travelled from Europe to
India by sailing around Africa. Vasco da Gama left on his first voyage from Lisbon, Portugal on July 8,
1497. He had 170 men and 4 ships: the Sao Gabriel, Sao Rafael, the Berrio, and a fourth ship unnamed
and used for storage. The expedition rounded the southern tip of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope on
November 22. They then headed north up the coast of Africa. They stopped at trading ports along the
way including Mombasa and Malindi. At Malindi they gained a local navigator who knew the direction to
India. With the help of a Monsoon wind they were able to cross the Indian Ocean and arrive in Calicut,
India in less than a month.
At Calicut, Vasco ran into issues when trying to trade. He had brought little of value in his ships. This
made the local traders suspicious. Soon he had to leave. The voyage back was disastrous. Around half of
his crew died from scurvy as the trip back took much longer. However, when he returned home, he was a
hero. He had found the much needed trade route to India.
Vasco da Gama commanded two more fleets to India. The second voyage was more of a military
expedition where he captured Arab ships and tried to show the might of the Portuguese navy. On the
third voyage Vasco was to take over as Viceroy of Portuguese India. However, he died of malaria shortly
after arriving.

Between 1519-1522, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan launched an expedition to

circumnavigate, or travel around, the world. He died before reaching home, but his crew successfully
sailed around the world. The Age of Discovery came to a close throughout the 1600s as much of the New
World became known. With all the new land discovered, European colonisation thrived throughout
North and South America.
Don’t leave us!
Even after the Americas were reached, the English, French,and Dutch continued to look for another
route to the Far East. Since the Portuguese and the Spanish controlled the southern sea lanes, the others
looked for a northwest passage. English merchants persuaded their king to send John Cabot, an Italian
navigator, to the Far East by a northwest route. In 1497, Cabot set sail with a handful of men. He
explored the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and established claims for England in the
Americas.

In 1577, Francis Drake set out on an ambitious expedition to plunder Spanish trade in the Pacific. He had
the political backing of Elizabeth I and financial backing from numerous wealthy patrons. This journey did
not have the express goal of exploration but made two fundamental contributions to European
exploration efforts. Drake's expedition became the second European voyage to circumnavigate the world
after Magellan. In addition, it was enormously profitable. However, when he returned, his success was
downplayed.

RESULTS

*Perhaps one of Prince Henry's most significant contributions to the Age of Exploration was the
invention of the caravel. First developed in 1450 by the experts employed by Prince Henry, the caravel
was a significant evolution in ship-building construction. Previously, European ships had depended upon
ships with square sails, which could not surpass the challenging winds which characterised navigation
toward the equator. The caravel, with its triangular sails, was more manoeuvrable and could travel
upwind; therefore, Portuguese ships could now travel much better than their competitors.
Of course, the invention of the caravel did not come out of nowhere. Rather, it was inspired by Arab
sailing ships, which used a similar sail design. In fact, many of the accomplishments of Prince Henry were
innovations built upon the previous accomplishments of Arabs, Muslims, or Africans.

**The Line of Demarcation between Spanish and Portuguese territory was first defined by Pope
Alexander VI (1493) and was later revised by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494). Spain won control of lands
discovered west of the line, while Portugal gained rights to new lands to the east.