Why did the Europeans go exploring?

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Why did the Europeans go exploring?

• GOLD
• New trade routes opened up new opportunities for
  wealth
• GOD
• Missionaries spread Christianity
• GLORY
• Explorers considered heroes countries competed
  for colonies

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The Crusades

• Military expeditions sent by Catholic church to
  capture the Holy Land from Muslim Turks
• Not successful, but few positive results
• -Europeans learned how to draw better maps and
  build better ships
• -Exposed Europeans to spices and goods from
  the East

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Trade Routes

• 1400s - major trade routes from the east to
  Europe went through 2 Italian cities Venice and
  Genoa
• Italian merchants marked up prices on goods and
  sold them throughout Europe
• Other European countries resented the huge
  profits made by the Italians and began to look
  for other trade routes to the East

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• Europeans created new trade routes to bring
  products from Europe to India, Asia, and the
  Spice Islands
• Portugal, Spain, England, and France expanded
  their expires because of their involvement with
  trade

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Portugals Empire

• 15th century led world in sea exploration,
  explored west coast of Africa
• Portuguese wanted to find trade route around
  Africa to Asia
• Could make more money if they could get Asian
  goods for a cheaper price
• Wanted to spread Christianity along Africas west
  coast

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Prince Henry the Navigator

• Son of a Portuguese king
• Sent more than 50 expeditions south along the
  west coast of Africa
• Wanted to establish Portuguese colonies and break
  Muslim hold on trade routes
• Created naval observatory that taught navigation,
  astronomy, and cartography

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Prince Henry the Navigator
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Prince Henry the Navigator

• Unable to make money trading gold, so he tried
  creating sugar plantations
• Sugar cane very profitable crop, but very labor
  intensive
• So, Prince Henry imported slaves from Africa to
  work the fields
• Encouraged a slave trade that lasted another 400
  years.

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Portugals Empire

• For the next 300 years, Portuguese sailors
  continued to explore east Africa
• Established forts and trading posts
• By 1571, a string of outposts connected Portugal
  to Africa, India, the South Pacific Islands,
  Japan
• Portugal grew very wealthy, Brazil was the most
  profitable colony

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Spains Empire

• Spanish explorers were searching for a trade
  route through or around North and South America
  to Asia
• Wanted a quicker route to gold and spices in Asia

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Christopher Columbus

• An Italian
• Given ships sailors by the Spanish monarchy in
  the 1490s
• King and Queen wanted him to find a quick route
  through the Atlantic Ocean to Asia
• He discovered the Bahamas, but thought he was in
  Asia, named them the East Indies
• Actually discovered 2 new continents that brought
  great wealth to Spain

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Spains Empire

• Huge empire that spanned the globe
• Spanish conquistadors conquered Inca and Aztec
  civilizations in the 1500s
• -Looking for gold spices
• -Used missionaries to convert natives to
  Christianity
• Claimed huge areas in North and South America and
  ruled them for 300 years

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Englands Empire

• England used to be one of three countries
  (England, Scotland, and Wales)
• In the 1700s, the three united and became Great
  Britain
• British empire was largest in history
• At its peak, Great Britain controlled Canada,
  Australia, India, much of Africa, and numerous
  islands

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Englands Empire

• North America came under British control in the
  1700s
• Lost American colonies in 1776
• Maintained control of Canada until 20th century
• Great Britain colonized Australia in 1788
• Used it as a penal (prison) colony to relieve
  overcrowded jails in England

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Frances Empire

• French possessed colonies around the world from
  1600 to 1900
• Also dominated much of the European continent
• By 1812, France controlled much of Germany,
  Italy, and France

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Frances Empire

• Established other colonies in the 16th- 17th
  centuries
• Islands in the Caribbean
• Islands in the Indian Ocean,
• Islands in the South Pacific, the North Pacific,
  the North Atlantic
• Colonies in Canada, South America, Southeast
  Asia, Northwest Africa