Age of Exploration

  • Time Frame: 1400s to 1700s

  • Characteristics: European nations grew powerful and spread influence globally.

  • Influences: The Renaissance encouraged curiosity and a desire for trade.

  • Motivation: Reasons for European exploration include wealth, power, and religious spread.

Motivations for Exploration

Gold (Money)

  • Desire for new sources of wealth fueled exploration.

  • Crusades and Renaissance increased interest in Asian luxury goods.

  • Merchants sought quick and direct trade routes to avoid Muslim and Italian middlemen.

Glory

  • The Renaissance inspired ambitions for power and prestige.

  • Exploration provided opportunities to rise from poverty and gain fame.

  • Kings sponsoring voyages gained colonies and wealth, increasing their power.

God

  • European Christians, especially Catholics, aimed to halt the spread of Islam and convert non-Christians.

  • Explorers were encouraged to spread Christianity and bring missionaries for conversions.

MEANS - Technological Advances from the Renaissance/Scientific Revolution

Navigation Improvements

  • Trade and cultural diffusion during the Renaissance introduced new navigation techniques:

    • Magnetic Compass: Improved accuracy of navigation.

    • Astrolabe: Helped determine direction using stars.

    • Accurate Maps: Utilized longitude and latitude for better navigational aids.

Shipbuilding Innovations

  • Development of the caravel, designed for open seas and shallow waters:

    • Strong hull and triangular lateen sails allowed sailing against the wind.

    • Moveable rudder enhanced maneuverability.

    • Armed with cannons and rifles for protection.

The Columbian Exchange

The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of goods, people, and diseases between the Old World and the New World, beginning in 1492. It transformed the Americas, Europe, and Africa. 

What was exchanged?

  • Europeans brought wheat, horses, smallpox and measles to the Americas, while the Americas brought corn, beans, potatoes, tobacco and syphillis to Europe 

  • Technology: New technology was exchanged, including plantation farming and cash crops 

  • People: The Columbian Exchange also began the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade 

  • Disease: Europeans introduced diseases to Native Americans who had no immunity to them 

What were the impacts?

  • Cultural: led to lasting cultural changes, including the destruction of indigenous religions and civilizations 

  • Economic: increased trade and food production, and shifted Europe's economy towards capitalism 

  • Environmental: disrupted ecosystems by introducing new organisms and eliminating others 

  • Population:led to population growth in Europe and population decline in the Americas 

Mercantilism

  • became the dominant economic system in Europe in the 16th century where countries aimed to maximize wealth by exporting more goods than they imported and establishing colonies to acquire resources (especially silver and gold), which further fueled competition among European powers.

Key points about 16th century mercantilism:

  • Focus on colonial empires: Spain, Portugal, and England actively established colonies to access raw materials like gold, silver, and timber, which were then shipped back to the home country to be processed into manufactured goods. 

  • Trade restrictions: Governments heavily regulated trade through tariffs, quotas, and Navigation Acts to ensure that colonies primarily traded with the mother country, maximizing the flow of wealth back to the home nation. 

  • Government intervention: Mercantilism relied on strong government involvement to protect domestic industries through subsidies, monopolies, and regulations. 

  • Measurement of wealth: Wealth was primarily measured in terms of gold and silver, making the accumulation of precious metals a key goal.