Age Of Expoloration and Portuguese explorers Flashcards
Name a key reasons for the age of exploration.
People wanted to find a new route to Asia in order to gain control of the spice trade. Spices came from Asia and were worth a lot of money in Europe as they were rare but the route to Asia was always blocked and busy because of the demand for spices
To spread Christianity
Myths and legends
Wealth and power
And improvements in ship building
Why was the spice trade a difficult business
The spices were transported overland on a long and dangerous journey through land that was owned by Muslim rulers.
When the spices reached the Mediterranean they were bought by merchants there.
The taxes Muslim rulers charged were very high
Often the Muslims were at war with the Christiansen Europe and this cut off the route to the east.
What were spices used for
To preserve food
To cure disease
To add flavour to the food.
Why did the rulers and people of Europe support or pay for the voyages
To gain control of the spice trade
Find undiscovered lands
To gain precious treasures such as diamonds, gold and other jewels.
To spread Christianity.
Name three famous myths and legends from the age of exploration
Prestor John- a Christian king in Africa.
El dorado- famous wealthy city with a leader covered in gold dust in South America.
Fountain of youth- if people drank from the fountain of youth they would never grow old.
When did the age of exploration begin
Around 1400
What were boats used for early explorations like.
They were difficult to steer and slow. They were hard to travel through wind with and you could not sail close to the coast with them.
Explain the improvements made in ship building to do with the caravel.
Small, fast and easy to steer. It had triangular sails called lateen sails that allowed ship to sail through and against the wind. They had strong clinker built hulls. The decks were water tight The ship could sail close to the coast.
How did sailors find their position while sailing
They used an astrolabe to find the ships position North or South of the equator. Quadrants and cross staffs were also used to measure latitude like the astrolabe.
How did ships figure out what direction they were traveling
Using a compass, which the needle inside it always pointed to North.
How did sailors figure out what speed they were travelling at
Using a log and line. A pice of wood was thrown into the sea attached to a reel of knotted rope. The amount of rope pulled into the sea in a minute by the wood was then measured. They measured time with an hourglass.
What were hardtack
These were biscuits commonly eaten on the ship as they didn’t go off. They could become infested with black beetles and sailors tapped them out of the biscuits before eating
Name two diseases that were common on ships
Scurvy- a disease caused by the absence of fresh fruit or veg. It killed most sailors on ships
Dysentery- disease which was caused by infected water on a voyage
Who was in charge/second in command on ship
The captain was in charge helped by the first mate
What were the dangers faced on boats
Diseases were the main one. Often captains carried twice as many men on the ship to facilitate people dying
Storms
Being attacked by hostile natives
Hunger and thirst
