European

Exploration and
Colonization
Unit 2 Notes

 What factors encouraged the European Age of

Exploration?
Explain how religion, natural resources, and a
market for goods contributed to European
exploration and colonization.
Explain how Prince Henry the navigator
impacted European exploration.

 It is a gray and windy morning in 1430. You are standing on a dock in

the European country of Portugal staring out at the dark and
mysterious Atlantic Ocean. You, like most people at the time, have no
idea what lies beyond the horizon. Now you may find out. You have
been asked to go on a voyage of exploration
Youve heard all the terrifying stories of sea monsters and shipwrecks.
Youve heard the warnings that the currents along parts of western
Africa are so terrible that no ship having once passed will ever be
able to return. You also have heard that riches await those who help
explore and claim new lands. Now, as the captain calls for you to come
aboard, you must decide.
Would you go?

lands
the

The large hold of your ship could carry back gold,

jewels, and other valuable items found in distant
Raging waves could destroy your ship and leave you at
mercy of the sea

 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
persons 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.

The Crusades
The crusades were aseries ofholy warscalled
bypopes

Military expeditions sent by the Catholic

Church to capture the Holy Land from the
Muslim Turks
Not successful, but had a few positive
results:
-Europeans learned to draw better maps and
build better ships
-Exposed Europeans to spices & goods from
the East

Motivations for
Exploration

THREE GS

GOD
GOLD
GLORY

Why did the Europeans Go Exploring?

Whats my motivation?
The 3 Gs
GOLD

New trade routes opened up opportunities for

wealth

GOD

Missionaries spread Christianity

GLORY

Explorers were considered heroes; countries

competed for colonies

Many sought to convert other populations to Christianity

GOD (Spread of
Christianity)
The Crusades pushed Christians to feel it was their duty to
spread their religion and convert people to Christianity
(and not to be Muslim)

GOLD! (WEALTH!)
New spices in Europe
(introduced during the
Crusades) = demand for
the spices
Europeans wanted to
cut out the middle man!
(Italy and the powerful
Ottoman Empire controlled
trade between Europe and
the east)
Europeans try to find new
trade routes because they
want new sources of
wealth

Muslims sold
Spices to Italians
for lots of $

Italians
sell it
to Europe
for
MORE $$$

Europe buys
it for a
higher price

GLORY !
BEING The FIRST!
COMPETITION FOR NATURAL
RESOURCES
First to: Find a spice?

Find an area?
Create a trading port?
Control a COUNTRY!?

But First TECHNOLOGY HELPS!

They needed better transportation

Caravel: stronger, sturdier ship with triangular sails (adopted

from Arabs) made travel easier
65 feet long = more space for food/people
Able to explore close to shore
Larger sails for easier
movement and power
(made it possible to sail
against the wind)

New Maritime
Better/More Accurate Maps
Technologies
[Portulan]

Hartman Astrolabe (1532)

Developed by the Greeks and
perfected by the Arabs; used to
determine latitude (sail by stars)

Sextant

Mariners Compass Chinese invention;

magnetically tracked direction

And Theyre off

Trade Routes
1400smajor trade routes from the
East to Europe went through 2 Italian
cities (Venice & Genoa)
-Italian merchants marked up the prices on
the goods & sold them throughout Europe

Other European countries resented the

huge profits made by Italians & began
to look for other routes to the East

And Theyre off

Trade Routes
Europeans created new trade routes to
bring products from Europe to India,
China, & the Spice Islands
Contributed to the expansion of the
empires of Portugal, Spain, England,
and France
STOP HERE!

Portugals Empire
15th century: led the world in sea exploration
and explored the western coast of Africa
Portuguese wanted to find a trade route
around Africa to Asia
Believed they could make a lot of money as traders
if they could get Asian goods for a cheaper price

Also wanted to spread Christianity along

Africas west coast

Portugals Empire
For the next 300 years, Portuguese sailors
continued to explore East Africa where they
established forts & trading posts
By 1571, a string of outposts connected Portugal to
Africa, India, South Pacific Islands, & Japan

Portugal grew wealthy from these trade routes,

but
Its most profitable colony was Brazil

Prince Henry the

Navigator

EARLY LEADER OF THE AGE OF

EXPLORATION

Portuguese Prince -Son of the Portuguese king

Sent more than 50 expeditions down the west coast of
Africa
-Wanted to establish Portuguese colonies & break
the Muslim hold on trade routes
Created a naval school that taught students navigation,
astronomy, & cartography (map making

Institute of Sagres

Prince Henry the

Navigator

Unable to make money trading gold, so he

tried creating sugar cane plantations
--Sugar cane was a very profitable crop, but
required lots of labor

Henry imported slaves from Africa to work the

sugar plantation

--This was successful & was later copied in the New World
The 1st to bring African slaves to the the Americas
--Encouraged a slave trade that lasted another 400 years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsyEGQmcmzE&feature=player_embedded

Spains Empire
Spanish explorers were searching for a
trade route through or around North
& South America to Asia

Wanted to find a quicker route to the gold &

spices in Asia

Christopher Columbus
1490sCC, an Italian, was given ships & sailors
by the Spanish monarchy
--They wanted him to try to find a quick route through
the Atlantic Ocean to Asia

He discovered the Bahamas, but thought he was

in Asia East Indies
--Later, it was realized that he discovered 2 new
continents!

Exploration of these areas brought great wealth to

Spain

Christopher
Columbus

Spains Empire
Huge empire that spanned the globe
Spanish conquistadors conquered the Inca
and Aztec civilizations in the 1500s (South
America)
--Looking for gold & spices
--Used missionaries to convert natives to Christianity

Claimed huge areas of North & South America

& ruled over them for 300 years

Frances Empire
French possessed colonies around the
world from 1600 to 1900
Also dominated much of the European
continent
--By 1812, France controlled much of
Germany, Italy, & France

Frances Empire
Established other colonies in the 16th-17th centuries:
--Islands in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South
Pacific, the North Pacific, & the North Atlantic
France also maintained influence in Canada, North
America, South America, Southeast Asia, & Northwest
Africa
The famous French explorers included Jacques Cartier,
Jacques Marquette and Samuel de Champlain

The
French
explorer
Samuel
de
Champlain
Thesearched
French would
soon
carve
out
a
large
colony
along
Canada
for
a
northwest
passage
to
Asia
the Mississippi River from Canada to New Orleans

Englands Empire
England used to be one of three countries
(England, Scotland, & Wales)
1700s, the three united and became Great
Britain
British empire was the largest in history
--At its peak, Great Britain controlled: Atlantic
coast of North America (13 colonies), Canada,
Australia, India, much of Africa, and numerous
islands

Englands Empire
North America came under British control in the 1700s
--Lost American colonies in 1776
--Maintained control over Canada until 20th century
Great Britain colonized Australia in 1788
--Used it as a penal (prison) colony to relieve overcrowded
jails in England
The English explorer James Cook was the first
European to make contact with Australia

Unlike other
European nations
whose kings paid
for colonies, the
English colonies
were paid for
by citizens who
formed joint-stock
companies
English colonies
formed along the
Atlantic Coast of
North America by
colonists motivated
either by religion
or wealth

Effects of European
Exploration & Colonization
New colonies were founded along the coasts of
Africa and North and South Americas
New trade routes
They converted conquered peoples to Christianity
Europeans carried diseases with them that killed
native people
Africans and conquered peoples became slaves to
Europeans
Columbian Exchange

Effects of the Age of Exploration Pt. 2

More Information Section

God: Europeans spread Christianity

Gold: Europeans got money from their

colonies
Glory: Europeans got land, natural
resources, & power

The Columbian Exchange - widespread exchange of

crops, animals, diseases, culture, and ideas between
the Eastern (Old World) and Western (New World)
hemispheres
Which do
you think
had the
most
significan
t impact?

The Effects of the

European Age of
Exploration on the
Americas 1) Which 2
countries had
the largest
empire in
North
America?
2) Which
country had
the largest
empire in
Central and
South
America?

The Effects of the European

Age of Exploration on Africa
1) Which 2
European
empires
had the
most
colonies in
Africa?
2) Which 2
empire had
the fewest?

Empires of Portugal, Spain,

England, & France

 Click here for the Empires video clip.