EXPLORATIONS (PT.1)

Why did the Explorations happen? (3)

New trade routes – Development - Christianity

New trade routes

Merchants and sailors sought out new trade routes to the east for silks (China) and spices (Spice Islands)

Development

Development of navigation, shipbuilding, politics, and trade

Christianity

The Pope encouraged Christian rulers to spread Christianity

Commodities native to South America

Chocolate, potatoes, coffee

Reasons why people were scared to explore (3)

Mythology - Fear of the unknown - Lack of technology

Developments in navigation (5)

Caravel - Compass - Astrolabes and quadrants - Portolan charts - Log, line, and knots

Caravel

Triangular-shaped lateen sails and clinker built

Compass

Helped to find direction

Astrolabes and quadrants

Used to work out a ship’s latitude

Portolan charts

Early navigational maps of the sea

Log, line, and knots

Worked out speed and distance travelled

The Navigator

Prince Henry of Portugal

Sagres

Europe’s centre of excellence for map making

Bartolomeu Dias

First European sailor to reach the bottom (cape) of Africa

Cape of Storms

Renamed to Cape of Good Hope by King John of Portugal

Vasco da Gama

First European sailor to reach India by sailing around Africa

Mozambique

Became a Portuguese colony after da Gama discovered the route to India

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

Agreed to sponsor a voyage by the Italian sailor Christopher Colombus

Colombus’ big idea

Reaching the East by sailing west

On 12 October 1492

Colombus reached San Salvador and thought it was India

He returned to Spain with

Pineapples, parrots, and native ‘Indians’