Age of Exploration (Junior Cert History): Revision Notes

The Age of Exploration

Reasons for European Exploration

1. Before the 1400s, sea travel was difficult due to poor navigation and fear of the unknown.
2. The Renaissance encouraged learning about the world.
3. Marco Polo's travels described wealth in China, inspiring exploration.
4. Merchants sought new trade routes for silks and spices.
5. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 cut off the Great Silk Road, necessitating new routes.
6. European rulers desired new lands and empires.
7. The Pope encouraged spreading Christianity as Islam grew more powerful

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Technological Changes

1. Advances in technology made ocean navigation possible.
2. Cartographers adopted detailed maps from Constantinople and developed portolan charts.
3. Quadrants and astrolabes determined latitude using stars and the sun.
4. Compasses identified north.
5. Log and line measured ship speed; line and lead weight measured water depth.
6. The caravel was a new ship designed for long voyages with lateen sails, a caravel-built hull, and a rudder.
7. The nao was a larger, stronger version of the caravel.

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Life Aboard a Ship

• The captain had a cabin, while the crew slept on deck or in hammocks.
• Sailing and maintaining the ship was hard work, with tensions between wealthy captains and poor sailors.
• Mutiny was a threat, so harsh discipline like flogging and execution was common.
• Food was preserved by drying or salting, leading to diseases like typhoid and scurvy due to lack of fresh water and vitamins.
• Sailors feared shipwrecks and "sea monsters."

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The Early Voyages of Exploration

• Early voyages began from Portugal in the 1400s to find new trade routes.
• Prince Henry the Navigator set up a school of navigation at Sagres.
• Portuguese explorers aimed to find a way around Africa to Asia, setting up trading bases along the African coast.
• Bartolomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope) in 1487.
• Vasco da Gama reached India by sailing around Africa in 1497, proving the route was viable.

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Results of the Early Voyages

• Portugal became wealthy from trade and established a large empire in Africa and Asia.
• The spice trade came under Portuguese control, increasing spice imports to Europe.
• Other European rulers were inspired to sponsor their own voyages, including Spain, the Netherlands, France, and Britain.

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Columbus and the Discovery of the 'New World'

• Spain, under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, sponsored Christopher Columbus to find a route to the Far East by sailing west.
• In 1492, Columbus set sail with the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María.
• On 12th October 1492, land was sighted, which Columbus named San Salvador, mistakenly thinking he had reached India.
• Columbus explored the Bahamas and returned to Spain with slaves and exotic goods, receiving the title of governor of the new territory.
• Columbus made three more voyages but was removed as governor in 1499 due to reports of brutality.

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Age of Exploration After Columbus

Important explorations followed:

• John Cabot landed in Newfoundland, Canada, in 1497, claiming it for England.
• Ferdinand Magellan led the first voyage to circumnavigate the globe from 1519-1522.
• Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania and New Zealand in 1642.

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Conquest and Colonisation: Conquering the New World

• The wealth of the New World attracted more explorers, including the conquistadores.

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Hernán Cortés and the Aztecs

• The Aztecs were an advanced civilisation in southern Mexico.
• Hernán Cortés attacked the Aztecs for their gold, landing in 1519 with 11 ships and 500 soldiers.
• Cortés allied with local tribes to march on Tenochtitlan and took the king Montezuma hostage.
• After initial success, the Aztecs revolted, and Montezuma was killed.
• Cortés regrouped, laid siege to Tenochtitlan, and massacred its people, becoming governor of New Spain.

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Francisco Pizarro and the Incas

• The Incas were an advanced civilisation in the Andes mountains.
• Francisco Pizarro, under orders from King Charles V of Spain, invaded the Incan Empire in 1532 with 180 men.
• Pizarro captured the Incan king Atahualpa, who was later executed despite negotiations.
• Pizarro defeated the Incans and established the Spanish province of New Castile with its capital at Lima.

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Impact of Colonisation

• Colonisation had a major impact on both the colonised and the colonisers.
• Indigenous populations in South America were decimated by violence and diseases like measles, influenza, and smallpox.
• Indigenous cultures and languages were destroyed, with Spanish and Portuguese becoming dominant.
• The Catholic Church, especially the Jesuits, converted indigenous peoples to Christianity.
• The slave trade grew, with millions of Africans transported to the Americas to work on plantations, creating the Atlantic Slave Triangle.

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Impact on Europe

1. The Age of Exploration led to the Age of Imperialism, with European states creating empires.
2. The British Empire colonised around 25% of the world's land.
3. New Empires led to conflicts; the Treaty of Tordesillas divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.
4. The Columbian Exchange introduced new foods, animals, and technology between Europe and the Americas.

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Explorer	Contributions & Discoveries
Prince Henry the Navigator	Established a school of navigation at Sagres. Advanced Portuguese exploration efforts from the 1400s. Facilitated the discovery of new trade routes around Africa to Asia.
Bartolomeu Dias	Rounded the southern tip of Africa, later named Cape of Good Hope, in 1487.
Vasco da Gama	Reached India by sailing around Africa in 1497, proving the sea route viable.
Christopher Columbus	Sighted land named San Salvador in 1492, initiating European exploration of the Americas. Opened up the 'New World' to European colonisation.
John Cabot	Landed in Newfoundland, Canada, in 1497, claiming it for England.
Ferdinand Magellan	Led the first successful circumnavigation of the globe from 1519-1522.
Abel Tasman	Discovered Tasmania and New Zealand in 1642.
Hernán Cortés	Conquered the Aztec Empire in 1519, establishing Spanish control over what would become Mexico.
Francisco Pizarro	Invaded and conquered the Incan Empire in 1532, establishing the Spanish province of New Castile in Peru.

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Key Terms

1. Marco Polo: an explorer who travelled to Asia in the 13th century and wrote about his experiences, which inspired further exploration.
2. Compass: a navigational instrument used for determining direction, which greatly aided explorers during the Age of Exploration.
3. Caravel: a small, fast, and manoeuvrable ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century, crucial for long sea voyages.
4. Prince Henry the Navigator: Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese royal who promoted exploration and maritime studies, helping to advance European exploration.
5. Columbus: Columbus was an Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonisation of the Americas.
6. Conquistadores: Spanish explorers and soldiers who conquered large areas of the Americas in the 16th century, such as Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro.
7. Colonisation: Colonisation is the process of establishing control over and settling in foreign lands, often leading to the exploitation and domination of local populations

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Revision Questions

1. What were some reasons for European exploration in the 1400s?
2. True or False: The caravel was a new type of ship developed for long voyages.
3. Who set up a school of navigation at Sagres?
4. Fill in the blank: Columbus believed he had reached _______ when he landed in San Salvador.
5. What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
6. True or False: The Columbian Exchange involved the transfer of foods, animals, and technology between Europe and the Americas.
7. Who captured the Incan king Atahualpa?
8. Fill in the blank: The fall of Constantinople in 1453 cut off the Great _______ Road.
9. What was the impact of diseases on indigenous populations in South America?
10. True or False: The British Empire colonised around 50% of the world's land.

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