UNIT 7 – THE AGE OF DISCOVERY
0- The Crusades and the Spices (text)
1- Why were the discoveries made?
2- What were the new sea routes?
3- How was America discovered?
4- What was the first voyage around the world?
5- What were the consequences of the discoveries?

Project: The
Traveller´s Charm The Crusades
The Crusades were military expeditions, organised by the Church, to fight for
religious causes, like take the Holy Land from the Muslims. They took place from
the end of the 11th century to the 13th century.

Spices in the Middle Ages
Explain the relation between the Crusades and the spices.
Why were spices so important in Middle Ages? explain with examples.
Crusades were military expeditions from Europe to take Holy Land from
Muslims; there, European people were introduced to spices
Spices introduced different cultures and costumes to European people
and they were seen as a sign of wealth.
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3

Spices came from India and Persia crossing Asia and reaching the important and
strategic route trade centres like Alexandria and Kairo in Egypt; Damascus in Syria
and Baghdad in Iraq. From those cities the spices were carried across the
Mediterranean to the Italian seaports and to the major cities of Europe.
Explain the routes that followed the spices and the main trade centres.2

What was a “spice platter”?
It was a platter full of spices used in medieval banquets. From that
platter the guests used to serve themselves to add even more
spices to their food.
Spices in the Middle Ages
Explain the different ways, spices could be consumed.
1- They were used in the preparation of food.
2- They were also passed around on a “spice platter”.
3- They add spices to different drinks used to aid digestion.
4- They added spices to wines also.
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5

What was “the Salt tower? Where was located?
Spices in the Middle Ages
It is one of the towers of the “Tower of London”. The Salt Tower was
initially called the Julius Caesar’s Tower and then Baliol's Tower. The
tower was given the lasting nickname of the 'Salt Tower' during the
Middle Ages when salt was extremely expensive and only afforded by
the higher Nobility. Salt was stored in this building
Explain the meaning of the expression “beneath the salt”
It was one expression used to define the people of the lower class in a
medieval banquet. Salt was terribly expensive and during a banquet, the
salt was placed in the centre of a high table and only those of the
appropriate rank had access to it. Those less favoured on the lower
tables were "beneath the salt".
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1- Why were the discoveries made?
Countries known to
Europe in the 15th
century
1- Europe
2- The lands around the Mediterranean
and the Black Seas.
3- Existance of India, China and Japan
Well known
Thanks to Marco Polo and spice
and silk merchants.
4- African and Asian interior, America, Oceania Totally unknown or unexplored

1- Why were the discoveries made?
Reasons for the
discoveries
1- They needed to find new trade routes to the East
1453, The Turks conquered
Constantinople.
This interrupted the ground trade
routes between Europe and the Far
East.
Europeans had to search for new routes to Asia,
going around the African coast or across the
Atlantic Ocean.

1- Why were the discoveries made?
Reasons for the
discoveries
2- There were a number of technical advances which improved navigation
Portulan Charts
showed the coast
lines and obstacles at
sea.

1- Why were the discoveries made?
Reasons for the
discoveries
2- There were a number of technical advances which improved navigation
Astrolabe
Compass
Quadrant
Navigational instruments

1- Why were the discoveries made?
Reasons for the
discoveries
2- There were a number of technical advances which improved navigation
The caravel was
developed

1- Why were the discoveries made?
1- What regions or continents were well known for European people in 15th
century?
2- What regions or continents were partially or totally unknown for the
Europeans?
3- Which were the reasons for the discoveries?
4- Why did the European countries need to find new routes to the East?
5- Explain the technical advances which improved navigation.

2- What were the new sea routes?
Portuguese
expeditions
Portuguese were looking for a new sea route to India around the coast of Africa.
Henry the
Navigator
He helped Portuguese monarchs to organise expeditions.
Bartolomeu
Dias
He rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip
of Africa, opening the sea route to the Indian Ocean.
Vasco de
Gama
He reached India finding a new route between Asia and
Europe.
Portugal created a great empire and became a world power.

2- What were the new sea routes?
Both nations were looking for new routes to India: Portuguese went east
circumnavigating Africa to reach India and Castilians went west searching
for an alternative route through the Atlantic Ocean.

2- What were the new sea routes?
The caravel Faster and more spacious than its predecessors
Square sails for speed; triangular sails for manoeuvre.
It generally had three masts
Crew of less than thirty men
No oars, more space in the hold for cargo Long voyages were
posible.

2- What were the new sea routes?
Why did the Portuguese organize those expeditions?
Who was Henry the Navigator? And Vasco de Gama? And Bartolomeu
Dias?
What was the consequence of those expeditions?
Explain the Spanish and Portuguese rivalry.
Explain the caravel’s characteristiques.
Activity 1 on page 68.
Activity 1 on page 69.

3- How was America discovered?
The
discovery of
America
Christopher Columbus
Genoese sailor
He was convinced he could reach the eastern
coast of Asia by crossing the Atlantic Ocean
because he thought that the world was round.
3rd August
1492
12th October
1492
70 days
The Pinta, the Niña and the
Santa María left the port of
Palos de la Frontera.
Columbus thought he had reach
Cipango
He was wrong, actually he had
reached a new continent later
called America

3- How was America discovered?
2nd
voyage
3rd
voyage
4th
voyage
A safer and faster route was found
Columbus explored part of the coast of Central and
South America
1502
Americo Vespucci, italian sailor, realised it was a new
continent
1504
Colombus died without accepting that
he had discovered a new continent.
1506
Colombus returned to Spain

3- How was America discovered?
The
discovery of
America
3- Activity 1 on page 70.
1- Who was Christopher Columbus? What was his theory?
2- Describe the expedition financied by the Catholic
Monarchs.

Main Portuguese explorations

Diogo
Cão
He made two voyages sailing along the west
coast of Africa in the 1480s, exploring
the Congo River and the coasts of the present-
day Angola and Namibia.

Bartolomeu
Dias
He sailed around the southern most tip of
Africa in 1488, reaching the Indian Ocean from
the Atlantic, the first European known to have
done so.

Vasco de
Gama
Vasco da Gama, was a Portuguese explorer and the
first European to reach India by sea.

4- What was the first voyage around the world?

Magellan’s Expedition
Who was Magellan (Fernando de Magallanes)?1
He was a Portuguese navigator that went to Spain,reaching Seville on October 20, 1517;
he offered his services to King Charles I (later, Holy Roman emperor Charles V).
2 What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
Treaty signed in 1494 between Portugal and Castile. Both nations
divided up the unexplored regions of the world through a line of
demarcation.
All newly discovered and undiscovered territories east of this line
of demarcation (370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands)
were assigned to Portugal (Africa, Asia and Brazil); all that lay
west belonged to Spain (most of America).

3
4
Describe the fleet and crew of the Magellan’s Expedition.
The fleet consisted of five ships: Magellan’s flagship, the Trinidad, and its consorts
the San Antonio, the Concepción, the Victoria, and the Santiago. The ships were old
ones, not in the best condition or fitted as Magellan would have liked.
The crew was made up of about 270 men, predominantly from Spain and Portugal
but also from distant parts of Europe and North Africa.
Write the places (and dates) that the expedition reached between
September 20, 1519; and September 8, 1522.
Look at your map on slide 24
Magellan’s Expedition

5 Describe the ending of each one of the expedition’s vessels.
The Trinidad
The San Antonio
The Concepción
The Victoria
The Santiago.
Santiago is sent on a mission to find the
passage. The ship is caught in a storm and
wrecked.
San Antonio deserted on October 1520. The
ship arrived in Spain on May 21, 1521
On May, the 2nd, 1521 the Concepcion
is burned down
Trinidad left the Moluccas heading home sailing east. It was
captured by a Portuguese fleet; the ship was wrecked during a
storm (April 1522)
September 6, 1522: Victoria returns to Sanlúcar de
Barrameda under the command of Elcano
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan%E2%8
0%93Elcano_circumnavigation
Magellan’s Expedition

6 Which were the the two toughest moments of the expedition?
The mutiny at Port San Julian (March 1520). Magellan quelled it and
executed one of the mutinous captains and left another ashore.
Magellan´s death at Mactan on 21st April 1521.
The crossing of the Pacific Ocean between December and March, 1521; 99 days
without fresh food.
The crossing of the Strait of Magellan between October and November, 1520
The way back to Spain crossing the Indian Ocean and rounding the west coast of
Africa between January and September 1522.
Magellan’s Expedition

7 How did Magellan’s death take place?
,Magellan was killed in a fight with the people of Mactan Island helping the ruler of Cebu Island against his enemies.
8 Who was Elcano?
He was originally master of The Concepcion, he participated in the
mutiny at Port San Julián; after Magellan’s death commanded the
expedition and returned to Spain.
Magellan’s Expedition

4- What was the first voyage around the world?
9 Describe the route that Elcano followed until his arrival to Spain.
He crossed the Indian Ocean going west and after surrounding the
Cape of Good Hope, he sailed north going around the west coast of
Africa until Cape Verde. Finally he arrived in Spain on September
1522.
10 Describe the augmentation of the Elcano’s coat of arms.
Elcano’s coat of arms received a globe with the inscription “Primus
circumdedisti me” (“You were the first to encircle me”).

4- What was the first voyage around the world?
1480
1490 1500 1510 1520 1525
1482
1487-1488 1497-1499
1497
1524
1492/93
1519/22
Diogo Cão Vasco de Gama
John Cabot
Magellan/Elcano
G. De Verrazzano
Christopher Columbus
Bartolomé Días

4- What was the first voyage around the world?
Activities 1,2 and 3 on page 71.
Magellan’s
expedition
Make a digital map explaining the Magellan’s expedition.

Treaty of
Tordesillas
Treaty signed in 1494 between Portugal and Castile. Both nations
divided up the unexplored regions of the world through a line of
demarcation.
Africa, Asia and Brazil
Most of
America
5- What were the consequences of the discoveries?

European
supremacy
Different European countries began to acquire territory and
extend their influence on other continents, exploit their
resources and benefit from trade.
CONSEQUENCES
Positive
Negative
Progress in science
More knowledge of the Planet
New plants and species discovered
Developements in Geography, Natural
Sciences and Cartography
Contacts between different peoples
Wars and diseases caused a
dramatic decline in the
indigenous population.
5- What were the consequences of the discoveries?

5- What were the consequences of the discoveries?
1- What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
2- Why do you think that the age of discoveries marks the
beginning of the European supremacy?
3- Which were the consequences of the discoveries? Assess
the implications of this discoveries

Main Portuguese explorations