Prince Henry the Navigator

1394-1460 Portugal

Sponsored voyages of exploration along west African coast; supported study of navigation

Motivation: To spread Christianity; to establish trade in Africa to bring wealth to Portugal

Outcome: beginning of Atlantic slave trade

Anecdote: Never went on a voyage himself; during his life, there was a great fear of crossing the equator (boiling water, sea monsters?)

Prince Henry the Navigator

Bartolomeu Dias1450-1500 Portugal

First to discover the Cape of Good Hope (at

the southern tip of Africa)

Motivation: To find the country of legendary Christian king Prester John, and to find a way to sail around Africa to India

Returned kidnapped Africans with messages/inquiries about Prester John’s country and establishing trade with India; ultimately, his discoveries would lead to Atlantic Slave Trade

Made his discovery accidentally after being lost in a storm for almost 2 weeks; initially named his discovery Cape of Storms

Bartolomeu Dias

Vasco Da Gama

1460-1524 Portugal

First to sail from Europe to India

Motivation: To find a sea route to Asia; wealth from trade

Tortured and killed Africans, Arabs, and Indians who did not cooperate with Portuguese; long-term result--European domination of Africa, India

Vasco da Gama's crew suffered from scurvy; 2/3 did not survive the journey to India; da Gama fought against Arab traders already established in the Indian Ocean

Vasco Da Gama

Christopher Columbus1451-1506 He was Italian, sailed for Spain

First European to discover the New World (America); he landed on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and Dominican Republic)

Motivation: 1. To sail west to Asia and around the world 2. To find gold (2nd voyage)

Initially seemed friendly, but later enslaved Native Americans to search for gold for him. Long-term results: the decline of all native American populations

Columbus never believed he had discovered new land, but instead died believing he had reached Asia.

Christopher Columbus

Ferdinand Magellan1480-1521 He was Portuguese, sailed for Spain

Led first voyage to circumnavigate (sail all the way around) the world. He did not survive to the end of the voyage.

Motivation: To find a western route to the Moluccas (Indies); to gain wealth by trade

Kidnapped two from east coast of S. America; tried to convince natives in the Philippines islands to convert to Christianity; some refused

Magellan was killed in battle between indigenous groups in the Philippine Islands; only one of the original 5 ships in his fleet completed the journey; only 18 of 200 men survived

Ferdinand Magellan

Strait

Hernan Cortez (Cortes)1485-1547 Spain

Explored Mexico and Central America, conquered the Aztecs

To explore; to conquer the Aztecs; to find gold

Conquered and wiped out the Aztecs

Cortez was well educated; related to Pizarro; missed first opportunity to travel to New World when he broke his leg running across rooftops to meet a woman; took Native American, Dona Marina, as mistress and interpreter; conquered Aztecs by finding Allies among people the Aztecs had conquered

Hernan Cortez (Cortes)

Francisco Pizarro1475-1541 Spain

Explored Peru, South America, Conquered the Incas

Pizarro sought adventure and wealth

Held Inca emperor, Atahualpa for ransom, then murdered him; destroyed Inca empire

Illiterate; Served with Balboa when he became the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean; collected gold and silver items from all over Inca empire and melted them down; killed in battle with other Spanish who wanted to control Cuzco

Francisco Pizarro

Jacques Cartier

1491-1557 France

Explored St. Lawrence River to Montreal; named Canada; established colony at Quebec, but it failed

Motivation: Looking for a Northwest Passage to China and to find gold

Kidnapped individuals to serve as interpreters. Several died. Some friendly relationships with Native Americans, but some suspicion and fear on both sides as well.

He named every place he found after Catholic saints to show his devotion to the Church.

Jacques Cartier

Samuel de Champlain

► Founded Quebec, the first permanent French colony in Canada; explored the St. Lawrence River and Lakes Huron and Ontario and much of the New England Coast

►Motivation: to follow up Cartier’s settlements of the New World and establish fur trade

► Established friendly relations with the Hurons; fought as allies of Hurons against Iroquois

►Nearly lost Quebec when it was attacked by British

1570-1635 French

Samuel De Champlain

Sir Francis Drake

1540-1596 Britain

Led the second voyage to circumnavigate (sail all the way around) the world. Helped defeat the Spanish Armada; Claimed west coast of N. America for Britain

Motivation: To defeat the Spanish

Allowed British and later Americans to claim land from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast

Devout Protestant, hated the Spanish passionately. Attacked Spanish ships and stole their treasure, making him a pirate; honored by Queen Elizabeth

Sir Francis Drake

Henry Hudson

1575-1611 British/Sailed for Dutch

Explored Hudson Bay, Hudson River and east coast of North America as far south as Chesapeake Bay

Searched for both Northeast and Northwest Passage to Asia

Little interaction with Indigenous Americans

Crew mutinied in Hudson Bay; left Hudson, his young son, and seven loyal sailors marooned in Hudson Bay—never heard from again

Henry Hudson

Astrolabe

The astrolabe was an

instrument used to determine a

ship’s latitude at sea and its position in

relation to land.

Sextant

Scurvy

►Scurvy was a disease that

plagued sailors. Its cause was a

lack of vitamin C. It could be fatal,

but was easily treated by eating

fresh fruits.

Columbian ExchangeThe Columbian Exchange was the introduction of plants, animals, products, and diseases in both the America and the “Old World” as a result of Columbus’ discovery of America.

Treaty of Tordesillas

-Signed in 1494,

-Negotiated by Pope Alexander VI-Divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal-Spain got lands west of Line of Demarcation; Portugal got lands to the east

Northwest PassageThe Northwest Passage is

a northern sea route around N. America to Asia. Many European

explorers sought to discover it, but no one

was successful until Roald Amundsen did it in 1903-

06. Climate change has made the passage more

navigable in recent years.