Chapter 7 - Age Of Exploration & Conquest Flashcards
What was the Age of Exploration and Conquest?
Was a period from the mid-1400s onwards where many European countries started exploring the rest of the world by sea.
Give and explain 2 reasons why they wanted to explore.
New trade routes : the trade in silks and spices from the East was very profitable (spices were needed to help preserve and flavour the food)
Spreading Christianity : Christian explorers often aimed to convert the people of any new lands they discovered to Christianity.
Who are cartographers? And what type of map did the Portuguese develop?
Cartographers are people who draw maps, and the Portuguese developed portolan charts (maps which showed harbours and coastlines accurately). Portolan charts showed currents, tides, depth etc.
What did Quadrants and Astrolabes do?
Quadrants and astrolabes showed a ships latitude (distance from equator) using the position of the stars & sun.
What did a compass do?
A compass was used to identify north, so ships could tell what direction they were going.
What did a log and line do?
A log and line was used to find how fast the ship was going. The line (rope) had knots tied in it at regular intervals and was tied around a log. The log would be thrown overboard, then you would count how many knots passed, measuring the time with an hourglass.
What was a line & lead weight used for?
A line & lead weight was used to measure how deep the water was around the ship. This was done to make sure the water wasn’t too shallow for the ship.
What was a Caravel ship?
A caravel ship was a new type of ship that was large & sturdy enough to make long voyages & sail in all winds.
Name & explain 3 features of a caravel ship.
Rudders made the ship easier to steer.
Lateen sails (triangular sails) let ships sail into the wind & made them easier to move.
A castle at the back of the ship improved the crews quarters and served as a defensible area in case of attack.
Why was life on board tough?
There would usually be 20-50 in the crew. The captain had his own cabin but the crew would sleep on the open deck or below deck.
What was a mutiny?
Sometimes when there was tension between the captain and crew, the crew would mutiny (rebel against their captain)
What was ships biscuit? And when did they eat it?
When they ran out of meat and vegetables, they ate ships biscuit what was a flat, hard bread made from water, flour and salt.
Why was disease very common on ships?
Lack of fresh water cause typhoid fever and lack of foods with vitamin C (citrus fruits) caused scurvy.
Where did the first Main Voyages of Discovery come from?
The first main voyages of discovery came from Portugal in the 1400s.
Who did Portugal attack?
Portugal attacked the Muslim states along the north & west coasts of Africa.
