Age of Exploration

Age of Exploration

Period from 1400s to 1700s of global exploration

Motivation

Good, glory, and God drive European exploration

Gold

Desire for wealth through trade routes and goods

Glory

Exploration offered fame and prestige for explorers and a chance to rise from poverty

God

Efforts to spread Christianity and combat Islam

Navigation

Techniques developed for long distance sea travel

Astrolabe

Instrument to determine latitude using stars

Magnetic Compass

Tool for accurate direction during sailing

Caravel

Advances ship design for open seas and shallow water

Zheng He

Chinese explorer who led expeditions from 1405-1433

Prince Henry the Navigator

Established a navigation school in Portugal

Vasco de Gama

first to find a direct sea route to Asia

Columbus

Sailed to the Bahamas in 1492, misidentified Asia

Amerigo Vespucci

Determined South America was a separate continent

Ferdinand Magellan

First to circumnavigate the globe

Conquistadors

Spanish explored seeking gold and land in Americas

Hernan Cortez

Conquered the Aztec Empire

Francisco Pizarro

Conquered the Inca Empire

Juan Ponce de Leon

First Spanish landing in North America, 1513

St. Augustine

First Spanish settlement in North America, 1565

Encomienda System

System granting rights to demand labor from natives

Plantation System

Economic system using labor for crop production

Bartolome de Las Casas

Advocates for African slaves over Native American slaves

Seven Cities of Cibola

Mythical cities rumored to hold great riches