Growth of European Exploration
Growth of European Exploration
Why Spain and Portugal?
• Both had shipbuilding and navigation experience
• Had strong crusading spirit
• Wanted to convert Indians to Roman Catholicism
Portugal
• Decided to sail SOUTH to reach the east
• Prince Henry the Navigator– Set up a school to train sailors
• Bartolomeu Dias– Proved they could reach the East by sailing around
Africa.
• Vasco de Gama– Rounded the Cape of Good Hope and sailed up
the east coast of Africa– Had trouble selling his goods to the Indians– Finally able to buy spices– Able to finance 60 more voyages!!
• Portugal was fist Europeans to come in contact with China
• Resulted in great wealth
• Francis Xavier– Missionary who
worked in Japan to convert people to Roman Catholicism
Spain
• Decided to sail WEST to reach the east
Christopher Columbus
• Portugal wouldn’t finance him• Went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of
Spain• Landed in the Caribbean islands, not India
Ferdinand Magellan
• Sailed around the world
• He died in the Philippines
• His crew finished the voyage in three years
England
• Sir Francis Drake– Sailed around
the world
Conquistadors
• Spanish Conquerors. Sent to find gold and conquer the people
Hernando Cortes
• Came in contact with the Aztecs• Montezuma was their leader• They believed that the Spanish King was
Quetzalcoatl• Cortes eventually massacred most of the
Aztecs
Cortes
Montezuma
Francisco Pizarro
• Encountered the Incas• He took the Inca (king), Atahualpa captive• Inca delivered gold and silver for his release• Pizarro killed him anyway
Pizarro
Atahualpa