European Exploration Study Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts and facts from the lecture on European exploration and Portuguese involvement.

Portuguese Exploration

Led by merchants not skilled as trackers but experienced navigators, establishing Portugal as leaders in early exploration.

Goals of Prince Henry

To spread Christianity and increase Portuguese power and influence overseas.

Capture of Moroccan City

In 1415, Portuguese forces captured a city on the Strait of Gibraltar, marking a religious success against Islam.

Significance of the Strait of Gibraltar

Controlled trade routes, allowing Christian ships to navigate both the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Portuguese Islands

Included Madeira, Azores, Canary Islands, later Cape Verde and others, important for trade and agriculture.

Sugar Plantations

Portuguese found islands suitable for sugar plantations, which became a center for the slave trade.

African Slave Trade

In the mid-1400s, Portuguese began buying African slaves for labor in sugar plantations, significantly impacting the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Trade involving the forced transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas, where they were forced to work on plantations.