Ch3-Age of Discovery

European Explorers

Marco Polo

Traveled throughout Asia
Write a book about his travels
His book sparked the Renaissance in Europe in 1400's

Prince Henry

Prince of Portugal
Opened school of navigation
School/He made better maps, ships, and tools of navigation

Christopher Columbus

Funded by Spain
Goal-sail west to reach Asia
Needed money, ships, crew, and supplies
He thought he reached Asia, but he was in the Bahamas

Cabot

Funded by England
Searching for the Northwest Passage to Asia
He thought he reached Asia
Claimed new found land and Labrador for England

Amerigo Vespucci

Funded by Spain
Explored coast of South America
Found a new land
What he saw, didn't match Marco Polo's book
Mapmaker named North and South America after him

Balboa

Funded by Spain
Crossed the Isthmus of Panama to reach the Pacific
Proved that Vespucci was right about a new continent

Magellan

Funded by Spain
Named the Pacific
When he reached the Philippines, he was killed
One ship returned to Spain; first Europeans to travel the world

Ponce de Leon

Funded by Spain
Searched for the fountain of youth
Claimed Florida for Spain
First Spanish to set foot on North America

Cortes

Spanish Conquistador
To find gold in the land of the Aztecs
Conquered the Aztecs and stole their land in Mexico

Coronado

Spanish Conquistador
Searched for golden cities
Claimed the Southwest for Spain

Pizarro

Spanish Conquistador
Searched for gold in the land of the Aztecs
Conquered the Incas and stole their land

De Soto

Spanish Conquistador
Claimed Southeast region for Spain

Giovanni da Verrazano

Funded by France
Searched for the Northwest Passage to Asia
Met Native Americans
Explored the coasts of North and South America

Jacques Cartier

Funded by France
Looking for the Northwest Passage to Asia
Claimed the St. Lawrence River area for France

Henry Hudson

Funded by trading co.
His crew mutinied against him
Claimed Hudson Bay for England
Claimed Hudson River Valley for Netherlands

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement between Spain and Portugal
Spain got most of North and South America
Portugal got Brazil

Vikings

This group reached North America 500 years before Columbus

Northwest Passage

A short cut to Asia through North America

Problems early explorers faced...

They needed money for ships, crew, and supplies
They needed better maps and tools for sailing
Long voyages in the unknown water was dangerous

Columbus thought he reached Asia by sailing west...

He was actually in the Bahamas off the coast of North America

What two facts proved Columbus was not in Asia, but on the new land?

Vespucci realized that he had reached new land because what he saw didn't match Marco Polo's book
Balboa sailed west and crossed the Isthmus of Panama to reach the Pacific, proving that it was not Asia, but a new land

What were some costs and benefits of expeditions?

Costs - money for ships, crew, and supplies
Benefits - countries would gain new land and become rich

Why did so many countries want to find the Northwest Passage?

They wanted to have a faster route to China so they could bring the silk and spices back and get rich selling them in Europe

Why wasn't anyone successful at finding the Northwest Passage?

It doesn't exist