The Age of Discovery: Explorers of T he R enaissance 1400-1700

1. The Age of Discovery: Explorers of The Renaissance1400-1700 Made by : Arwa Hamid, Eesha Sajjad, Maniha Mohsin , Narmeen Arif and Khadija Ahsan

2. What was The Renaissance ? • The Renaissance Era was a period of learning and cultural development in Europe during the 14th to the 17th centuries. • Beginning in Florence, Italy, the learning of the Renaissance soon spread all over Europe, with an emphasis on intellectual inquiry and Classical revival that marked a departure from the Middle Ages. • While some Europeans during this period pursued these ideals through art, math, and other branches of learning, others decided to sail the oceans to explore the world. • Not only was the Renaissance known as a blooming of culture, it also marked the start of Europe as an expansionist power and a major player in the exploration of the world. • This is the reason that the Renaissance is sometimes called :The Age of Discovery.

3. THE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED • Who are you? • Where are you from? • What have you done? • Your achievements. • Impact of your achievement on The Renaissance.

4. Marco Polo: Explorer of the Orient • Marco Polo (1254-1324) was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China • Venetian merchant and adventurer Marco Polo traveled from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295. His book Il Million, known in English as The Travels of Marco • He remained in China for 17 of those years. Around 1292, he left China, acting as consort along the way to a Mongol princess who was being sent to Persia. after his return to Venice, Marco commanded a ship in a war against the rival city of Genoa. He was eventually captured and sentenced to a Genoese prison, where he met a fellow prisoner and writer named Rustichello. As the two men became friends, Marco told Rustichello about his time in Asia, what he'd seen, where he'd traveled and what he'd accomplished. His stories were soon committed to paper and eventually published as a book called , The Description of the World. • Marco Polo's main achievement was his journey on the silk road with his father in 1271. Over his time on the silk road, he has traded and collected jewels, silk, and ivory. He spread China's creativity in the use of coal, money, and compasses to improve future exploration. the large island of Cuba, which Columbus convinces himself to be Cipango. This is a place of marvels described by Marco Polo at the eastern extremity of Asia, usually now assumed to be Japan. Although Marco Polo lived slightly before the beginning of the Renaissance (he was born in the 13th century), his achievements and discoveries would be a major factor that contributed to the rise of Renaissance exploration.  • The explorations of Marco Polo are of great historical significance. Not only did Polo travel to many places where Europeans had not reached before, such as Tibet and Burma, he also found out a lot about Chinese culture, which was not well known to Europeans at the time. He also found out about places previously unknown to Europe, such as Japan. Another reason that his travels are so important is because they would inspire later Renaissance explorers to travel, who cited Polo was an inspiration. For example, Columbus set out in search of the Mongol Empire as described by Polo. Polo's travels also helped advance cartography, as his description of distances were very accurate, and so maps could be based on Polo's information.

5. Christopher Columbus: Discoverer of the New World Who was Christopher Columbus? Christopher Columbus is a famous Italian explorer during the times of The Renaissance . He was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy.  He died on May 20, 1506. What did Christopher Columbus do? What were his achievements? Columbus discovered the "New World" of the Americas during a journey that was sponsored by King Ferdinand of Spain in 1492. As ordered by the King, Columbus’ main objective was to find a western route to China, India and the gold and spice islands of Asia, however, he accidentally sailed towards what are now known as the Americas. This is how he discovered America. He made his first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 . He also participated in numerous other expeditions to Africa. Columbus went on his last trip in 1502, travelling along the eastern coast of Central America in an unsuccessful search for a route to the Indian Ocean. He is recognized around the world for opening up the Americas to European colonization. What were the affects of The Renaissance on Columbus’ achievements/discovery of the Americas? Before The Renaissance began, people were not interested in education or deeper investigation of the world. However, The Renaissance brought a huge change regarding education. People started to think in a more scientific way and became more curious to learn about the natural world and science. This helped to develop navigational tools required for long voyages and the desire to explore what the rest of the world was truly like. This is how the intellectual attitude promoted by The Renaissance led to the discovery of the Americas/Columbus’ achievements.

6. Vasco da Gama: Bridger of Two Continents Who was Vasco da Gama and where was he from? Vasco da Gama was born in Sines, Portugal, around 1460. Vasco da Gama was a highly successful Portuguese sailor and explorer during the Age of Exploration. He was the first person to sail directly from Europe to India, around the Cape of Good Hope. His discovery was monumental in the history of navigation as well as instrumental in establishing Portugal as a major colonial empire. He died in 1524. What did he do? After sailing down the western coast of Africa and rounding the Cape of Good Hope, his expedition made numerous stops in Africa before reaching the trading post of Calicut, India, in May 1498. Da Gama received a hero’s welcome back in Portugal, and was sent on a second expedition to India in 1502, during which he brutally clashed with Muslim traders in the region. Two decades later, da Gama again returned to India, this time as Portuguese viceroy. His achievements and the impact of his achievement on The Renaissance. Vasco da Gama linked Europe and Asia through an ocean route for the first time. His discovery is considered a milestone in world history. He led the Portuguese expedition to India. He was the first known European to visit Mombasa. Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India by sea.  His expedition to India and back to Portugal was the longest ever ocean voyage till then. His discovery led to drastic expansion of the Portuguese economy. He was given the title of Admiral of the Seas of Arabia, Persia, India and all the Orient He was the 6th Governor of the Portuguese State of India. He is among the most prominent figures in the history of exploration. Though Vasco da Gama is revered in Portugal, his legacy in India has suffered due to several reasons including the pilgrim ship incident. On his second voyage to India, Da Gama intercepted a ship of Muslim pilgrims on its way to Mecca. It contained more than 400 people including around 50 women and several children. Da Gama and his men not only looted the pilgrim ship but locked all its passengers and burnt them to death .Da Gama's first voyage deserves to be compared with Columbus's more celebrated "discovery" of the New World. Neither man actually "discovered" unoccupied territories; rather, both linked anciently settled and developed parts of the world with Europe.

7. Hernan Cortes: Conqueror of the Aztecs Who was Hernán Cortés? He was an explorer that travelled far and wide 1485-1547. He was born in Spain and died in mausoleum in the Duke of Medina. What did he do? His impact of his achievements and there impacts The Renaissance. Spanish conquistador who led an expansion that led to the fall of the Aztec empire. • Under the rule of King Castile, in the 16th century, brought large portions of Mexico. • Part of the generation of Spanish colonizers who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. • After the permission was excepted by the King, joined the fleet commanded by Andrea Doria at the expedition against the Algiers. • Travelled far and gained importance.

8. Ferdinand Magellan: Circumnavigator of the Globe Who was Ferdinand Magellan? Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal. As a boy, he studied mapmaking and navigation. He was sailing in large fleets and was engaged in combat. In 1519, with the support of Holy Roman he set out to find a better route to the Spice Islands. He assembled a fleet of ships which, despite huge setbacks and Magellan’s death, circumnavigated the world in a single voyage. What did he do? In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain in 1519 with a fleet of five ships to discover a western sea route to the Spice Islands. En route he discovered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. His Achievements His ability to be the first to go around the southern tip of present day South America. He had no way of knowing what lay beyond lakes and rivers and mountain ranges that butt up against the worst ocean in the world, all the while in the cold climate. Magellan set out to discover a Western sea route to the Spice Islands in Indonesia. Impact of his achievements on the Renaissance Ferdinand Magellan was a leader of the Renaissance and a benefactor to modern science. The results of his voyage around the globe were such that the average person living during the Renaissance re-thought their paradigms of the world surrounding them, even know most scholars and other educated types knew that in fact, the world was round in shape.

9. Hopeyoulikedourpresentation! Tasks of everyone: • Arwa Hamid- Hernan Cortes • Eesha Sajjad-Marco Polo • Maniha Mohsin- Ferdinand Magellan • Narmeen Arif- Christopher Columbus and • Khadija Ahsan-Vasco Da Gama Note : Everyone in this group contributed,if1 person decided on a famous explorer then she researched about him and summed it up in her own words and now you saw the slides each member made.