European Exploration after 1400

1. European Exploration after 1400 Grade 7 Social Studies Lesson 4 Modified from Jefferson County VLA By Terri Hatch, Wilmington City Schools

2. Early Exploration • After the end of the Roman Empire, the Arabs expanded their relationships with the East. • The Chinese also made many explorations in the period. • One of the best known Chinese travelers is Hsuan-tsang.

3. Early Exploration by Europeans • European knowledge of Asia gained during the Crusades was extended by the journey across Asia made by missionaries and by Marco Polo. Marco Polo

4. The European “Age of Discovery” • Three things started the European “age of discovery” • The search for new trade routes • The rise of merchant capitalism • The desire to expand the potential of a global economy

5. Henry the Navigator • Henry the Navigator promoted voyages along the coast of Africa that helped change the superstitions and misinformation that had stopped previous attempts to sail there.

6. Mapping the Globe • The extent of the globe was revealed by Bartholomew Diaz’s rounding of the Cape of Good Hope in 1486-87, Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India in 1497-98, Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to America in 1492, and the circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan from 1519-22. Christopher Columbus Statue of Diaz in Cape Town.

7. Africa • Africa is a large continent. • It’s largest rivers are the Nile (the world’s longest river), the Congo, the Niger, the Samzezi, the Orange, the Limpopo, and the Senegal.

8. African People • African people account for over 12% of the world’s population. They live in 54 nations. • Africa has the longest human history of anywhere in the world.

9. Economy • Most of Africa’s population is rural. They live in small villages rather than big cities. • Except for cash crops, such as cacao and peanuts, however, agricultural production is low by world standards. Cocoa tree Peanut plant

10. Important Explorers • Hernando Cortes – Conquered Mexico • Vasco Da Gama – First European to reach India by sea. • Sir Francis Drake – First English explorer to sail around the world. • Francisco Pizarro – Conquered Peru and founded Lima • Juan Ponce de Leon – Explored Florida

11. Christopher Columbus • Columbus achieved fame by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a sea route to Asia. • He didn’t accomplish this goal. He found islands in the Caribbean Sea instead. • During his four voyages westward – between 1492 and 1504 – Columbus explored the West Indies and the coasts of Central and South America.

12. John Cabot • John Cabot made the first English voyage to North America. This gave England a claim to the mainland of North America. • This led to the founding of English colonies in America. • When Cabot returned to England he was called “The Great Admiral”.

13. Amerigo Vespucci • Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian-born explorer for whom America was named. • Martin Waldseemuller, a German mapmaker, believed that Vespucci was the first European to reach the New World.

14. Vasco Nunez de Balboa • Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first European to see the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean. • He saw it from a mountaintop in what is now Panama. • After a later exploration, Balboa and four friends were accused of treason by Governor Pedrarias and were beheaded.

15. Hernando Cortes • Hernando Cortes was a Spanish explorer who conquered what is now central and southern Mexico. • He conquered the Aztec Indians in 1521. • Cortes took the Aztec emperor, Montezuma II hostage and tried to rule the empire through him. • King Charles I of Spain appointed Cortes Governor and captain general of the newly conquered territory.

16. Francisco Pizarro • Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conqueror. • His conquest of the Inca empire in Peru opened the way for Spain’s colonization of most of South America. • In 1535, Pizarro founded the city of Lima and made it Peru’s capital. Peru Pizarro

17. Juan Ponce de Leon • Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer that led the first recorded European expedition to reach what is now Florida. • According to a popular story, Ponce de Leon came to Florida to find a spring called the Fountain of Youth. Ponce de Leon Florida

18. Vasco da Gama • Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese sea captain and explorer. • Da Gama sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to India in the late 1490’s. • His voyage opened the first all-water trade route between Europe and Asia. Vasco da Gama Cape of Good Hope

19. The Admiral of the Sea of India • On May 20, 1498, da Gama reached Calicut, India. • Da Gama arrived back in Lisbon in 1499. • King Manuel rewarded him and gave him the title of Admiral of the Sea of India.

20. Ferdinand Magellan • Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese sea captain who led the first expedition that sailed around the world. • His voyage provided the first positive proof that the earth is round. • Magellan discovered the passage to the Pacific that is known as the Strait of Magellan. • He named the ocean the Pacific, which means peaceful. Strait of Magellan

21. End of Lesson 4 • You need to use the information from this PowerPoint to answer the questions in VLA lesson four. • If you would like to learn more about any of the topics, there is more information in the VLA lesson area.