Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant who traveled extensively throughout Asia in the late 13th century and documented his travels in a book that introduced Europeans to many aspects of Central and East Asian civilization. In the 15th century, Europeans developed new navigational technologies and maps that allowed them to explore new trade routes by sailing around Africa and across the Atlantic. Portugal took the lead in sending expeditions down the coast of Africa, with explorers like Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco de Gama finding routes to India. Spain also sponsored voyages across the Atlantic, with Columbus making the first voyage in 1492, mistakenly believing he had reached Asia but actually discovering the Americas.

2. Countries known to Europe in the 15th century

3. Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler
whose travels are recorded in Il Milione (Book
of the Marvels of the World), a book which
did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and
China. He learned the mercantile trade from his father
and uncle. The three of them embarked in 1269 on an
epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find
Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned, and
dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in
1299, became a wealthy merchant, married and had
three children. He died in 1324, and was buried in San
Lorenzo.

6. 1- Necessity of finding new trade routes to the East.
Spice Routes around Africa to Indies after 1453 Constantinople fall to Turks

7. If you can’t see this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh8dmW18s38

8. 2- A number of technological advances in
navigation:
 New maps (portulan charts)
 Navigational instruments
 Ship improvements

9. Portolan charts are navigational maps based on compass
directions and estimated distances observed by the
pilots at sea. They were first made in the 13th century
in Italy, and later in Spain and Portugal. With the
advent of the Age of Discovery, they were considered
State secrets in Portugal and Spain. They were very
valuable in the description of Atlantic and Indian
coastlines.
The word portolan comes from the Italian adjective
portolano, meaning "related to ports or harbours."

10. An astrolabe is an elaborate instrument,
historically used by astronomers, navigators,
and astrologers. Its many uses include locating and
predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets,
and stars, determining local time given local latitude
and vice-versa, triangulation, etc. It was used from
classical antiquity to the Renaissance.
There is often confusion between the astrolabe and
the mariner's astrolabe. While the astrolabe could be
useful for determining latitude on land, it was an
awkward instrument for use on the heaving deck of a
ship or in wind. The mariner's astrolabe was
developed to address these issues.

11. A quadrant is an instrument that is used to measure
angles up to 90°. It was originally proposed by Ptolemy
as a better kind of astrolabe. Several different
variations of the instrument were later produced by
medieval Muslim astronomers.

12. A compass is a navigational
instrument that measures directions
in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the
surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the
four cardinal directions (or points) – north, south, east,
and west. Intermediate directions are also defined.
Usually, a diagram called a compass rose, which shows
the directions (with their names usually abbreviated to
initials), is marked on the compass. When the compass is
in use, the rose is aligned with the real directions in the
frame of reference, so, for example, the "N" mark on the
rose really points to the north.

14. PORTUGUESE EXPEDITIONS
-From the early 15th century.
-They tried a new route to India surrounding Africa.
-Various expeditions were developed during the 15th
century leaded by the Portuguese monarchs and
Prince Henry the Navigator.
-They discovered Madeira Islands, the Azores and all
the African coast to the Cape of Good Hope, opening
the sea route to India.
-Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco de Gama were noted
explorers at the end of the 15th century.

15. -They established trading posts along the African coast
and the new route to facilitate later journeys.
-Portugal created a great empire becoming a world
power.

16. He was an important figure in the early days
of the Portuguese Empire and the Age
of Discoveries. He was responsible for the
development of European exploration and maritime trade with
other continents.
Henry was the third child of King John I of Portugal. He
encouraged his father to conquer Ceuta (1415), the Muslim port
on the North African coast across the Straits of Gibraltar. He
learnt of the opportunities from the Saharan trade routes that
terminated there, and became fascinated with Africa in general.
In "Crónica da Guiné" Henry is described as having no luxuries,
not avaricious, speaking with soft words and calm gestures, a
man of many virtues who never allowed any poor person to leave
his presence empty-handed.

17. If you cant see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkJNGRgplD4

18. He was a nobleman of the
Portuguese royal
household, was a
Portuguese explorer. He
sailed around the
southernmost tip of Africa
in 1488, the first
European known to have
done so.

19. The Crown of Castile was the main rival of Portugal
in this search for new routes and territories.
The Crown of Castile took another way and decided
to sail to the West across the Atlantic in a risky
attempt to arrive to India.
They thought that the Earth was round but they did
not know about the size of it or the existence of
America, another continent discovered by the
Crown of Castile in its journey to India.

21. This is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UxcdH6zxxY

22. -Christopher Colombus was convinced that the
world was round, so he planned his route to India
crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
-The Catholic Monarchs decided to finance his
expedition.
-He began the expedition on August 1492. It was
formed by three ships and 90 sailors.
-They reached land on October 1492. They
thought it was India, but instead they were
discovering America without knowing it.

23. -After the first expedition, Colombus made
three more, always financed by the Crown of
Castile, he was improving the routes and
conquering territories for the Crown.
-Colombus died in 1506 in Spain, without
knowing what he really had discovered.
-In 1502 Amerigo Vespucci was the first in
realising that it was a new continent, and
later it was name America in his honour.

24. - Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He served
King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward
route to the "Spice Islands".
-Magellan's expedition of 1519–1522 became the first
expedition to sail from the Atlantic Ocean into the
Pacific Ocean (then named "peaceful sea" by Magellan;
the passage being made via the Strait of Magellan), and
the first to cross the Pacific. His expedition completed
the first circumnavigation of the Earth, although
Magellan himself did not complete the entire voyage,
being killed during the Battle of Mactan in the
Philippines.
-Elcano continued the expedition taking command.

25. -Portugal and Spain signed a Treaty in Tordesillas
in 1494 to avoid problems in the unexplored regions.
He divided the world's map in two:

26. - But they were not alone in the world, and other European
countries began their expeditions as well.
-During the next five centuries there were a big rivalry
between these European countries.
-The discoveries brought progress in science (geography,
cartography and natural sciences), new plants and animals
were discovered.
-Social and knowledge exchanges were also a
consequence.
-Diseases from European people caused dramatic effect on
native people of America, that was a very bad consequence
for them.