Chapter 3 age of Discovery

European Explores

Marco Polo

Wrote a book about his travels
Traveled through Asia in 1271-1295
helped spark the renaissance in Europe in 1400's

Prince Henry

Prince of Portugal
Opened a school of navigation
Made better ships, maps, and tools for navigation

Christopher Columbus

First European to set foot on North America
Funded by Spain
Sailed west to find a route to Asia/the indies
Thought he reached Asia but reached the Bahamas

Cabot

Funded by England
Searched for Northwest passage
Believed he reached Asia
Landed at Newfoundland and Labrador. Which is in Canada

Amerigo Vespucci

Funded by Spain
Goal- find Northwest passage
North and South America named after him
Saied to the coast of South America
He realized he was not in Asia but had found new land.

Balboa

Funded by Spain
Sailed through Isthmus of Panama to reach the Pacific

Magellan

Funded by Spain
Named the Pacific Ocean
Sailors on one of his 5 ships were the first Europeans to travel around the world
Sailed south around the tip of South America to reach the Philippians

Treaty of Tordesillas

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

Ponce De Leon

Funded by Spain
Searching for fountain of Youth
First Spanish explorer to set foot on North America
Claimed Florida for Spain

Cortes

Spanish conquistador
Find gold in land of the Aztecs
Built Mexico city in Mexico
Conquered the Aztecs and took their land

Coronado

Spanish conquistador
Goal To find the gold cities
Claimed Southwest region for Spain

Pizarro

Spanish Conquistador
Conquered Inca tribe in Peru, Mexico
Looking for gold in Mexico

De Soto

Spanish Conquistador
Explored southwest region of U.S and claimed it for Spain

Verrazano

Funded by France
Met Native Americans
Explored the coasts of North and South America

Cartier

Funded by France
Goal-find Northwest Passage
Explored St. Lawrence river and claimed it for France

Henry Hudson

Claimed Hudson river for the Netherlands
4 voyages
funded by trading companies
his crew mutinied
Claimed Hudson bay area for England

Vikings

The group reached North America about 500 years before Columbus

Northwest Passage

A shortcut to Asia through North America

Problems explores faced

They needed money for ships, crew and supplies

They needed better maps and tools for sailing.

Long voyages into unknown water waters were 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 new land

Vespucci realized that he reached what he saw didn't match Marco Polos 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 they could bring the silk and spices back and get rich selling them to Europe