Early European Exploration

What are the Americas??• AD 500-AD 1500• Mysterious stories told of an unknown

land• Vikings did visit it, though!

– People of (today) Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

– Built settlements in Iceland and Greenland– Viking SAGAS told the tales

Vikings

• A.D. 1000

• Viking Leif Erickson

• Trips to North America (Canada today)

• “Vinland” (Newfoundland today)

• Yikes! Got attacked! – No more trips to North America

European Exploration?No Way!

• Risk sea monsters? No thanks.

• Get boiled by the sun? Nope.

• Stinky, slow ships :-(

• Few maps!!!

• Too much time fighting each other– (Who wants to explore when you’re busy

beating each other up??)

But Wait…..Flash ahead 500 years!

It’s 1492!• German Martin Behaim makes the FIRST

GLOBE!– It was kind of dinky though. ;-) – And he, um, left out a few places….

– NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

….and Australia and Antarctica. Plus Africa looked funny…..Oh well! Better than nothing?

Uhh….Missing Some things, Martin????

The World According to Martin…..

What the Europeans DIDN’T KNOW……

• (A LOT!)

• China’s great cities

• Great African empires of Mali, Songhay

• Native American cultures of North and South America!

• North and South America EXISTED!

• Atlantic Ocean= Sea of DARKNESS

SO who got Europeans Traveling???

• Marco Polo– Adventurous dude– Italian, family man!! – 1200s--Great trips across Asia – Told stories of the riches and gold in India, China

and Japan– TRAVELLED BY FOOT from Europe to Asia!

Yikes! What a hike! Got other people itching for riches……Other Europeans wanted to take the land route to the Far East, too!!!

Can we get some of your spices and riches, please?

• Europeans loved trading with people of Asia!

• What did Asia have?– Gold, jewels, silk, perfumes, and SPICES!– SPICES=cure for icky food before

refrigeration existed!

Some people were tired of that long hike to Asia….

• So they stopped in the Middle East!

• Halfway is better than nothing, right?

• Cities in North Africa and Southwest Asia– Alexandria, Constantinople, Damascus,

and Baghdad– Exchanged goods

Who Needs to Sail???This is great!!! Right??

• Uh-oh…..bye bye trade with Asia!• Along came the Turks (1453) • No more trade allowed!• Portugal, Spain, France, and England

were now monarchies– Run by kings and queens – The Renaissance age began– 1400-1600

What Other Changes?

• Faster ships

• Better sails

• Nicer compasses

• Why not try to find a NEW route to Constantinople??????

Go Portugal!!!

• Us first! Us first!

• Wanted to find the first route to Asia

• King John would stop at nothing

• Had Prince Henry run the show!– First European school for training sailors– SECRET lessons!!– Prince Henry the NAVIGATOR, pleease

Good Ole’ Prince Henry

• THE Navigator

• But stayed home! (Ironic? ;-)

• ORGANIZED 50 plus voyages

• Followed Africa’s coastline – People started buying slaves to sell in

Europe as servants :-( – Slave trade started!

Still searching for that Water Route to Asia…..

• Bartholomeu Dias– 1488– Sailed around the southern tip of Africa– Cape of Good Hope– He wanted to continue, but storms were

fierce! Sailors made him return to Portugal

And Searching Still……

• Vasco da Gama– Got around the Cape of Good Hope!– Got to India!– Headed back to Portugal– SUCCESS!!!!!!

FOUND DA SEA ROUTE TO ASIA!!!!!

DA GAMA FOUND DA ROUTE!!!!!!