European Exploration and the Subcontinent (1500-1757)

Vocabulary flashcards covering the development of European sea routes to India, key figures in exploration, and significant historical milestones between 1500 and 1757.

Cantino world map

An early sixteenth-century map for sea navigators that shows what the world looked like to the Europeans during that time.

Prince Henry the Navigator

The Portuguese Prince (1394-1460) who initiated Portuguese overseas exploration and directed ships toward the African coast.

1415

The year Prince Henry the Navigator set out to conquer the city of Ceuta on the northern Moroccan coast near the strait of Gibraltar.

Ceuta

A city on the northern Moroccan coast near the strait of Gibraltar that was conquered by the Portuguese in 1415.

Ottoman conquest of Constantinople

The 1453 event that cut off the overland route from Europe to India and the Far East, prompting Europeans to find a sea route.

Vasco da Gama

A Portuguese explorer who began a journey in 1497 around the Cape of Good Hope and reached the Indian coast in May 1498.

Cape of Good Hope

The southernmost point of Africa around which Vasco da Gama sailed during his historic journey to reach Asia.

May 1498

The month and year Vasco da Gama reached the Indian coast, creating a direct sea route from Europe to Asia.

Portuguese trading bases

Establishments set up on the Indian coast by the Portuguese following Vasco da Gama's successful voyage.