AGE OF EXPLORATION

Age of Exploration

Period from 15th to 17th century of global exploration.

God

The desire of the Jesuits to spread Christianity.

Gold

Merchants, adventurers and governments hoped to find new precious metals and to expand trade thereby increasing wealth.

Glory

By increasing wealth and expansion of new territories in the world, greater power and influence would result.

Portugal in the Age of Exploration

Portugal was the 1st country to venture into the Atlantic Ocean looking for a route to Asia.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Encouraged exploration beyond known maritime routes.

Vasco da Gama

First to sail directly from Europe to India.

Spain in the Age of Exploration

Ferdinand & Isabella backed the voyages of Christopher Columbus.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer who reached the Bahamas in 1492.

Ferdinand Magellan

Led the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

An agreement between Portugal and Spain which declared that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.

Colony

Settlement of people living in a new territory linked with the parent country by trade and direct control of that government.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world during The Age of Exploration.

Old World Crops

Wheat, barley, grapes, and coffee introduced to Americas.

Indigenous Diet

Included maize, potatoes, and beans from Americas.

Exchange of disease

80-95% of Native Americans died from European diseases.

Slave Trade

Forced migration of 12.5 million Africans for slave labor.

Navigational advancements in technology

Improved navigation and mapping techniques during the exploration era.

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought.