Charting New Worlds: Age of Exploration
The Age of Exploration studies the period of European global exploration from the 15th to 17th centuries, focusing on its impact on trade, colonization, and cultural exchange. It examines how European powers like Spain and Portugal sought new routes to Asia, discovered the Americas, and established global trade networks, profoundly reshaping economies, cultures, and societies worldwide.
Timeline of Age of Exploration
This section outlines the key phases of the Age of Exploration. Here’s the breakdown:
- Early Exploration (1400s): Initial voyages seeking new trade routes and wealth.
- Height of Exploration (1490s-1520s): Major discoveries and circumnavigation of the globe.
- Colonization and Trade Networks (1500s-1600s): Establishment of colonies and global trade systems.
- Cultural and Global Impact (1500s-1700s): Long-term effects on societies and cultural exchange.
Key Figures and Events
This section highlights the main individuals and pivotal moments that shaped this era:
- Christopher Columbus (1492): Sailed for Spain, reached the Americas, initiating European colonization.
- Columbus’ First Voyage (1492): Landed in the Bahamas, mistakenly believing he reached Asia.
- Vasco da Gama (1498): First European to reach India by sea, establishing a direct maritime route.
- Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.
- Ferdinand Magellan (1519-1522): His expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
- Columbian Exchange (1492 onward): Exchange of goods, crops, and diseases between Old and New Worlds.
Examples of Age of Exploration
Early Exploration (1400s) Examples
- Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal sponsored voyages along Africa’s coast in the 1420s.
- The caravel, a new ship design, enabled longer sea voyages with better navigation.
- Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, opening a route to the Indian Ocean.
Height of Exploration (1490s-1520s) Examples
- John Cabot, sailing for England in 1497, explored North America’s eastern coast.
- Amerigo Vespucci’s voyages (1499-1502) confirmed the Americas as a new continent.
- Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico by 1521, claiming it for Spain.
Colonization and Trade Networks (1500s-1600s) Examples
- The Spanish established colonies in the Caribbean, like Hispaniola, by the early 1500s.
- The Portuguese controlled the spice trade, dominating ports like Goa in India.
- The Atlantic slave trade began, forcibly bringing millions of Africans to the Americas.
Cultural and Global Impact (1500s-1700s) Examples
- Potatoes and maize from the Americas transformed European diets, boosting populations.
- Smallpox brought by Europeans decimated Indigenous populations, like the Inca, by up to 90%.
- European languages, like Spanish, spread to the Americas, shaping modern cultures.