The Age of European Exploration was driven by economic, social, political, and religious motives. Marco Polo's travels to China inspired others to seek new trade routes and riches. Rulers wanted to claim new lands and resources for economic and political gain. Religiously, Europeans sought to spread Christianity to new lands and peoples while also limiting the spread of Islam. Technological advances in shipbuilding, navigation tools like the compass and astrolabe, and updated maps enabled explorers to travel on the open seas.

1. Age of European Exploration

2. Marco Polo
• Traveled to China
and wrote a book
about his travels
• Others wanted to
gain the riches

4. Motives
• Economic
– Wanted new trade routes that bypassed the
Muslims

6. • Social
– Wanted to experience the thrill of adventure and
receive the praise of men

7. • Political
– Wanted to lay claim to new areas for their kings
– Also claim the raw materials of the new lands

8. • Religious
– Wanted to spread gospel to heathen cultures
– Wanted to stop the spread of Muslim
– Sailed in search of a mythical king, Prester John
– Prester John – thought to be a Christian king who
would help defeat the Muslims

10. Technology
1. Shipbuilding
– Invention of the caraval
– Caraval – ship capable of traveling in open sea,
sailing upriver and in shallow waters
– Ships played a central role in exploration, trade
and defense

13. 2. Maps
– Maps were updated as more exploration took
place
– The printing press made it quicker and cheaper to
reproduce maps
– Showed trade winds
– Trade winds – belts of consistent winds that blow
from east to west

15. 3. Compass
– Essential for
sailing on
open sea
with no
landmarks

16. 4. Astrolabe
– Used to determine latitude

17. Most sailors sailed using dead reckoning
• Travel to desired latitude and then sail
east/west until they found land

18. Ch. 7 Sec. 2
Discussion Questions
1. What were the religious motivations for
Spanish and Portuguese expeditions?
2. Were any of these motives inconsistent with
a Christian worldview?