Age Of Exploration Flashcards
Causes of the age of exploration?
Influences of the renaissance ▪️
Wealth and fame for explorers ▪️
Religion (if further spread more €$£)▪️
New trade routes ▪️
Marco Polo▪️
What were the new ships made?
Caravel, nao, carrick
Difference between Clinker ship and Caravel
Boards on a caravel were fitted edge to edge, rather than overlapping boards that were used on clinker ships
Caravels were also longer and carried more masts
Parts of a caravel?
Lateen sail : used to sail against the wind, useful for exploring river mouths and bays
Castle: used to sight enemies and take up a defence
Rudder: Used to steer a boat
Square sail: used to sail faster with the wind
Bow sail
Compass?
Told sailors what direction they were heading in, it could be unreliable tho due to the iron objects on other ships
Sailors could work out the latitude of the ship - how many degrees north or south of the equator it was, how?
They used astrolabe, quadrants, and cross-staffs
Longitude
East and west could not be worked out
Maps?
Earliest maps called portolan charts, they gave the course and direction that sailors followed using the compass
Why were maps developed?
To show true direction and correct area and shape of land masses
Who were the conquistadors?
Spanish conquerors hoping to find gold in the newly discovered America and take over regions by destroying civilisations
Log and line?
Measures speed
Christopher Columbus?
Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451
He studied navigation
He believed he could reach the east by sailing west
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella decided to sponsor him
He was give three ships the Ninã (Caravel) , the Pinta (Caravel) and the Santa Maria (Nao)
He captained the Santa Maria on august 3 1492
He and his crew sighted land in 1453 and returned with many items such as pineapple, parrots and Taina people
What was the treaty of tordesillas?
The treaty drew a line on the globe from the north to south- the line of tordesillas
Land discovered to the east of the line was Portuguese and to the west of the line was Spanish
The decline of native people - Conquest
Hernando Cortéz was responsible for the defeat of the Aztec empire, in Mexico
He led 11 ships and 500 men to Mexico in 1519
Aztecs were very religious - their king Montezuma believed Cortéz was their God (Quetzalcoatl)
His army began to steal gold, the king was killed and the Spanish threw them out
1521, Cortéz returned with 100,000 men and destroyed the city, and conquered the aztecs
Tenochtitlan was rebuilt as Mexico City
Francisco Pizarro
He was the conquerer of the Incas
He set sail for Peru with 180 men and 27 horses
Incas we’re more advanced than the aztecs and more peaceful
Pizarro captured and killed their emperor Atahualpa
The Inca capital cuzco was captured
Silver and gold were found in the Andes mountains
Incas died in their thousands mining them for the Spanish
Impact on the new world?
Destroyed kingdoms of the new world
Gold and silver were sent to Europe
Opened up americas to other European countiees
Brutal treatment of native people
Brought European diseases to New World
New farming methods
New language and cultures
New religion
Slave trade?
Slaves were brought over from Africa
Worked on cotton farms, sugar plantations, or domestic services
Portugal controlled the Atlantic slave trade
Estimated 12.5 million slaves were shipped to North and South America between the 16th and 19th century
Middle passage - where 1.8 million slaves died on the voyage to America, due to poor conditions
Plantations?
West Indian plantations held more slaves on average, some people had 150 slaves
Low birth rates and high death rates among Caribbean slaves meant that there was a constant flow of slaves from Africa
Spanish system?
Haciendas - great estate granted by a he king of Spain
Encomienda - a system that meant they were entitled to use free natives Indian labour in return for giving them protection and Christian education
This created a small rich class ruling over a poor majority
Impact on Spain?
Spanish silver fleet/Treasure fleet sailed as a convoy for Spain
Spain became the richest country in Europe by the end of the 18th century
Spain controlled a huge new empire available for settlement, investment and exploitation
The flow of silver caused inflation, which spread to other European countries
Value of land increased by standard of living for other Spaniards got worse
Impact on Portugal?
Many fine buildings were built
Much of the power and wealth was in the hands of the small ruling class
Thousands were attracted to emigrate to Brazil and continued to do so until a few decades ago
