Explorers Flashcards
Where was (Christopher) Columbus born?
Genoa, Italy
Where did Columbus learn to navigate?
Portugal
What explorer’s writings inspired Columbus to want to go to Asia?
Marco Polo
How long did it take Columbus to convince European leaders to support his plan to sail west to Asia, and who finally backed him?
10 years and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain
How far did Columbus estimate Japan was from the Canary Islands, and how far was it really?
estimated: 2500 miles
actual: over 10,000 miles
What were the names of Columbus’s 3 ships?
Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria
How many crewmen did Columbus have with him?
90
How many days did Columbus sail and where did he land?
70 days. he landed on San Salvador in the Bahamas
Besides gold, what else did Columbus promise to bring back to Ferdinand and Isabella?
slaves “as many slaves as they ask”
What happened to the men Columbus left on Hispaniola after his first voyage to the New World?
They abused the local Indians and were killed
What happened to Columbus in 1500?
he was removed as governor, died as prisoner in Spain
Where was Vasco da Gama from?
Portugal
Da Gama was the first to do what?
commanded first fleet to reach India from Europe
Who was the first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope?
Bartholomeu Dias
How receptive were the people of Calicut, India to trading with the Portuguese in 1498 and why?
Muslims resented Europeans and wouldn’t trade
How did da Gama eventually establish trade with India?
sailed to India with 15 ships and killed many Indians and Muslims
Where was Magellan from?
Portugal (sailed for Spain)
Magellan’s voyage provided proof of what?
the earth is round
Who supported Magellan’s proposed voyage to the Spice Islands and what was he promised as compensation?
Charles the first of Spain. Magellan was promised 1/5 of profits of his voyage and a salary
at the start of Magellan’s voyage in 1519, how many men and ships did he have?
240 men and 5 ships
Magellan discovered what passage to the pacific and why did be call the ocean “Pacific”?
strait of Magellan. he called the ocean pacific because it means peaceful
how long did Magellan sail in the pacific without seeing land?
98 days
what did Magellan and his men eat to avoid starvation?
rats, ox hides, and sawdust
Magellan took pride in doing what in the Philippines and what happened to him?
convert people to Christianity. he was killed in a battle.
how long did it take Magellan’s crew to get back to Spain and how many remained?
nearly 3 years And only 18 survived.
how did the Portuguese and Spanish feel about Magellan?
Portuguese saw him as a traitor and Spanish hated him because he was cruel
What did Cortes’ military triumphs lead to?
300 years of Spanish domination of mexico and central America
in what year did Cortes sail for Yucatan and how many men did he have with him?
1519 and he had 500 men and 11 ships
how long did it take Cortes to conquer mexico?
2 years
why did many Indians help Cortes defeat the Aztecs?
the Azrecs were very cruel
when Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521, what did he do with the Aztec leader Cuauhtemoc?
tortued him in the hopes of finding treasure and then he had him hanged
though he was a military leader , Pizarro could not do what?
read
Where was the Incan empire centered?
Peru
when landed in Ecudor in 1531, how many men did Pizarro have with him?
180
what did Pizarro use to attack the incan ruler Atahualpa and kill thousands of incas?
swords, horses, and a few guns
What did Pizarro do after the Incas paid a huge ransom of gold and silver for the release of their ruler?
had the ruler killed
Pizarro founded what south american capital?
Lima, Peru
what happened to Pizarro after he conquered the Incas?
killed by the son of a political rival that Pizarro had executed
Where was Cartier from?
France
Cartier’s explorations established the basis for France’s claims to what?
Canada
Cartier led the first European expedition where?
up the st. Lawrence river
king Frances the first sent Cartier to n. america to search for what?
gold and other precious metals
Cartier probably brought the first what to Europe?
corn
why did Cartier leave Canada ?
fear of Indian attacks
where was sir Frances Drake from?
england
Sir Frances Drake was the first Englishman to do what?
sail around the water
Drake was a “sea dog”. what was a “sea dog”?
a pirate who stole Spanish goods
between 1566 And 1569, drake sailed on two voyages of what type?
slave trading
what was the intent of Drake’s voyage that started in 1577?
set up colonies in the pacific area
after sailing into the pacific and repairing the “golden hind” in the area of San Francisco, why didn’t drake return home through the strait of Magellan?
he feared a Spanish attack
how long did it take drake to return home?
almost three years
in 1588, drake served as an English vice admiral in one of history’s great naval battles and helped defeat what country’s “invincible armada”?
spain
how did sir Frances Drake die?
dysentery
