Exploration Flashcards
Luxury goods from the East
Spices, incense, silks, cottons, perfumes
Highly prized because lengthy transportation caused them to be expensive
Brought from Far East over land on back of camels - 2/3 years to reach Genoa or Venice
Difficulties surrounding trade with the east
Ottoman Empire - Muslim. Hostile to Christian Europe
Conquered much of Eastern Europe and held power in the Mediterranean
Placed high taxes on all goods passing through their territory
Wanted to find new sea routes
Reneissance
Encouraged learning and spirit of adventure
Development in ships design - caravels and car racks used for exploration. Triangular lateen sail (from Arab ships? Meant ships could sail whichever way, whatever the wind direction
New ideas
Intellectual thought world was round - could sail north around Russia, south around Africa or west across Atlantic to reach Far East
Printing press meant
Maps and geographical literature was more readily available
Astrolabe
Ships position could be plotted accurately
Magnetic compass developed
Rudder
Have the crew more control when steering the ship
Bartholomew Diaz
- 1487
- sailed around southern tip of Africa - ‘cape of good hope’ -> crew forced him to turn around
- crucial to proving world was not flat
Vasco de Gama
- 1498
- carried on further round the cape of good hope, reached India
- no longer necessary for goods to pass through ottoman land before reaching Europe
Christopher Columbus
- 1492
- sponsored by Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella
- the New World discovered by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of an alternative route to India
- landed in the Caribbean - called the islands the West Indies
John Cabot
- 1497
- funded by England’s King Henry VII
- sailed across Atlantic - reaches Newfoundland in Canada
Amerigo Vespucci
- 1498
- invitation of the King of Portugal
- sailed across the Atlantic, explored eastern coast of South America (discovered it was a new continent, not the eastern edges of Asia)
- America derived from his forename
Ferdinand Magellan
- 1519 - 1522
- Circumnavigation
- Spanish-funded expedition
European Empires
- Spain and Portugal dominated, becoming rich and powerful
- overseas empires caused the beginning of transatlantic slave trade
- Spanish set up cooonies over deter peoples in central and South America -> gained silver, gold, tobacco, potatoes and tomatoes
- Portuguese colonised coastal areas of West Africa, India and Brazil (grew sugar and cotton on plantation, using West African slaves)
English join in
- significant naval power
- 53 warships by Henry VIII’s death
- Spanish licences to trade with colonies in new world were rarely granted to English sailors
Spanish monopoly on new world goods led to
Lots of English pirates robbing Spanish treasure ships and ports
Patriotism and nationalism
Privateers
Licensed by Elizabeth’s tournaments to commit piracy against any ships belonging to England’s enemies
Ships (smaller, faster) privately owned, financed by merchants and even the Queen herself
Guns were essential - fired broadside, then do the same on the other side of the Galleon
Trading companies
• The Muscovy Company -> 1555
set up after a voyage led by English sailors Willoughby and Chancellor reached Archangel, Russia. Traded timbers and furs with Russia.
• The Eastland Company -> 1579, traded timber, tar, canvas and rope with Scandinavia and the Baltic
• The Levant Company -> 1581, traded currents and dyes with the Mediterranean
• The East India Company -> 1600, traded in the Far East in silks, spices, cotton and tea
Route to China
- wanted to discover a North West Passage to China
* sailing round north of Canada (ice)
Martin Frobisher
- 1576 - failed in attempt to discover a North West Passage to China
- tried 2 more times
Other explorers who attempted to find a North West Passage to China
Humphrey Gilbert, John Davis failed in 1580s
James Lancaster reached the east in 1590s- sailed around cape of good hope to reach India and the spice islands
John Hawkins
- 1560s
- 3 voyages to Caribbean, trading slaves he had captured in West Africa with the Spanish colonies
- made a great deal of money
- returned to England with gold, silver and animal skins
- last voyage (with Drake) he clashed with Spanish, lost many men and a number of ships
- turned to designing new ships for the navy
Francis Drake on a naval level
- explorer and privateer
- patriotic
- hated Spain
- Puritan -> hated Spanish Catholicism
- wanted to avenge Spanish attack on cousin’s expedition in 1568
- 1572 - captured £40,999 worth of Spanish silver from Spanish treasure ships travelling from Mexico to Peru. Also captured Spanish port of Nombre de Dios in Panama
- Spaniards referred to him as ‘El Draque’
Francis drake on a personal level
- born in Tavistock, Devon in c.1540 to a yeoman farmer
- after 1549 rebellions, his fam moved to Kent
- 1580s - MP
- 1581 - knighted
- 1596 - died of dysentery
Circumnavigation
- 1577-1580
- first Englishman ever
- returned with £400,000 Spanish treasure; 10 for himself and the rest to investors (Queeno received half)
- swore drake and other sailors to secrecy on pain of death
- rewarded drake with jewel bearing her portrait
- knighted him on the deck of his flagship the Golden Hind
Sir Walter Raleigh on a naval level
- courtier
- led a number of voyages to the Americas
- received a royal patent to establish a colony
- named an area of North America ‘Virginia’ -> had huge supply of wine, oil, sugar and flax
- less doemdnace in Europe, solving poverty crisis
- settlers faced food shortages and returned home after a year
- second disappeared without a trace
- 1595 - looked for El Dorado in South America
Sir Walter Raleigh on a personal level
- born c.1554 to a Protestant family in Devon
- landed gentleman, poet, soldier
- favourite of Liz
- introduced potatoes and tobacco to England
- 1585 - knighted
- 1585&6, MP for Devonshire; 1597, MP for Dorset; 1601 MP for Cornwall
- 1592 - secretly married Elizabeth Throckmorton (LIW), dismissed from court
- 1593- released from tower and back in good favour
- 1600-1603: Governor of Jersey
- back in tower under Jakey
- 1618- executed under Spanish pressure
