Early European Explorers The accidental discovery Creating America Chapter 1 pg. 49 - 53

Prince Henry The Navigator * Navigator - Plans the course of a ship by using instruments to find its position * Began a school of navigation and developed a ship called the caravel. Caravels were broad-beamed ships that had 2 or 3 masts with square sails and a triangular sail that could sail into the wind. They were up to about 65 feet long and could carry roughly 130 tons of cargo. * Organized and paid for sailing expedition to explore the Atlantic Ocean and the African coast * Those voyages began “The Age of Exploration”

* Navigator - Plans the course of a ship by using instruments to find its position

Portuguese Exploration * Bartolomeu Dias , first to sail around the tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope) * Vasco da Gama first to sail around Africa and to India, finding an all water route to Asia * Portugal takes over all water route spice trade, other countries begin searching for an all water route

* Bartolomeu Dias , first to sail around the tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope)

Christopher Columbus * Thought sailing west to reach Asia would be shorter than sailing around Africa * Portugal opposed his plan – they thought his calculations were wrong * Portugal lost interest in his plan with the rounding of the tip of Africa * He was forced to go to Spain to seek a sponsor * Spain was opposed to his plan – they thought his calculations were wrong too

* Thought sailing west to reach Asia would be shorter than sailing around Africa

Columbus and Spain * What was wrong with his plan? He thought Asia was larger than it really was He thought the earth was smaller than it really was (particularly the Atlantic Ocean) * Spain eventually agreed to finance the trip (gold, glory, god) Wanted a share of the spice trade Wanted to spread Christianity

* What was wrong with his plan?

He thought Asia was larger than it really was

He thought the earth was smaller than it really was (particularly the Atlantic Ocean)

* Spain eventually agreed to finance the trip (gold, glory, god)

Wanted a share of the spice trade

Wanted to spread Christianity

Columbus’ Voyages * Columbus assembled three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria and stocked enough supplies to last a year * Within a ten weeks, there was talk of turning around, two days later, land was sighted * Columbus landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea, yet he believed he had reached the Indies (called the natives Indians) * Visited several islands before he found some gold and pearls before returning to Spain convinced he had a new water route to Asia * He made three more voyages to the Americas and died thinking he had found a new route to Asia

* Columbus assembled three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria and stocked enough supplies to last a year

His First Journey