Alexis Bennett
10/8/14
World History 2 Honors
Mr. Curtin Pd 6 European Exploration During the 15th and 16th centuries European exploration flourished and increased tremendously. What were the reasons for this sudden need of exploration in Europe? The reasons for European exploration was not because of a new spirit of adventure but because of economic motives, religion, and new advances in technology. Economic motives had a huge impact on why European Expansion took place. There was a great desire for riches, spices, and trade. As one Spanish conquistador explained he and his kind went to the New World to “… to grow rich, as all men desire to do.” (qtd. Duiker 494). Europeans were greedy for gold and wanted riches to be able to show their worth and power. There had been trade routes since roman times bringing in different good from all around Asia (Arnold 12). These trade routes inspired the Europeans to travel and gain goods from other countries for their own benefit. Europe’s demand for spices steadily grew and merchants who sold spices were extremely profitable due to the wealth derived from the spice trade (Arnold 12). Spices were a necessity in the 15th and 16th centuries because it allowed a change in taste to all food and easy to transport because it was long lasting on long journeys or voyages. Religion was a large factor in European expansion because of the new developing religions, the desire to gain more followers and the wanting to spread religious beliefs. Contemporaries of Prince Henry the navigator of Portugal once said “… are introduced into and instructed in the holy catholic faith,” (qtd. Duiker 494). He didn’t want his people Christian he wanted them to be Catholic which was still being developed at the time. There was always a desire to gain more followers, you can’t have a religion if almost no one wants to follow your beliefs. While new religions were being developed people went out to find new worthy followers to expand their religion. Europeans were very proud of their religions and wanted other people to follow them and understand the importance of their teaching which is why they went out to spread their beliefs to get more people to believe the same religion that they were preaching. The advances in technology had a major impact on how and why European expansion took place. Previous exploration had inspired navigators to make better equipment for traveling,
European Exploration: Marco Polo: An Italian merchant, Marco Polo set out to Asia with goals of establishing trade along the Silk Road. Other than accomplishing his goals of trading along the Silk Road, Polo also became the confidant of Mongol ruler Kublai Khan and wrote his travels in his journal which ultimately introduced much of Europe to Central Asia and Asia. Henry the Navigator: Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese explorer who set out in hopes of finding a route to the rich spice trade in…
The European global exploration changed the world in a blink of an eye, considering the age of the world. Portugal and Spain played a major role in global expansion. Portugal gained control of the trade market by discovering a new route to India. Spain gained new empires in the New World with Columbus’ accidental discovery. Both countries affected how societies changed and the impact it had was both positive and negative. In “Encompassing the Globe,” Portuguese voyages led the first real interactions…
Exploration; Key terms and concepts Conquistador; spanish men given the right to explore and establish settlements in the name of spain. Northwest passage; direct water route to Asia through North America Plantation system; Unpaid labor to work large farms. Columbian exchange; A transfer of people, goods, and ideas between the hemispheres. Mercantilism; The idea that a nation's power is based on its wealth. A race developed among European countries to build empires and riches. Spain wins out early on…
Age of Exploration There are many positive and negative effects resulting from European exploration of the Americas. The spread of Christianity through missionaries and cultural diffusion through the Columbian Exchange are positive effects. Spaniards treating the natives poorly and the spreading of diseases are negative effects from the results of the European exploration. The spread of Christianity was one of the many positive effects that was a result of the European exploration. T…
AP European History The Age of Exploration Throughout history and time, there has been many changes and revisions. With every fail comes a new success and a new solution to a new problem. During a time period called the Renaissance, people’s ideas have changed and they are looking towards new frontiers, this, sparked the age of discovery and exploration. Today, we will be examining two major changes which occurred in two different regions of the world as a result of the Age of Exploration. One…
their nations survive and have more resources, the Europeans tried to open up water routes. Even though the European exploration had some negative outcomes to the new world, they were outnumbered by the benefits to Native American societies. The Europeans brought many things to The Americas that the Native Americans benefited from. For example, they didn’t have horses, so it made hunting difficult because they had to do it by hand. When the Europeans introduced horses to the Native Americans, they…
History The Era of Exploration began in the early 15th century and lasted until the 17th century. The period is seen as a time when Europeans began exploring the world by sea in search of trading partners, new goods, and new trade routes. Many explorers just sailed to simply learn more about the world. Whatever their reasons though, the information gained during the Age of Exploration significantly helped in the advancement of geographic knowledge. Though the desire to simply explore the unknown…
Europe aggressively initiated an era of exploration of Africa south of the great savanna. Europe's curiosity, exploration and greed transformed the history of African people. In the study of the cultural history of Africa, much innovation has been attributed to outside origins and influences. Historians and archaeologists have learned a great deal about the developments that emerged from the European influence in Africa. The age of exploration commences as European powers began new pursuits in geographical…
include Zheng He, Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, James Cook, and Samuel de Champlain. • b. Define the Columbian Exchange and its global economic and cultural impact. • c. Explain the role of improved technology in European exploration; include the astrolabe. Why? • Reasons for the Age of Discovery: – Economic • Monopolies – Muslim, Italian • Goods from Asia: – Pepper – Cinnamon – Silk Why? • “Gold, Glory, God” – Gold: make money – Glory: become famous – God: spread…
The Re-Creation of the New World Countries such as Portugal, Spain and England, led the charge of exploration throughout the Old World and later into the New World. France and The Netherlands shortly followed seeking their rewards of exploring the known world. Four factors spearheaded these numerous explorations. First was the thirst for knowledge and the desire to establish sea routes for spices and trading goods. Secondly, rulers of these exploring countries always needed to maintain borders…
