Portuguese Exploration Flashcards
When did Europe’s Age of exploration occur?
1400s - 1700s
What happened during Europe’s Age of Exploration?
Europeans explored the rest of the world
Who were the first Europeans to explore?
Portuguese
Who were the Portuguese lead by?
Prince Henry (of Portugal)
What were Prince Henry’s two goals for sea exploration?
To find Pester John
To find goods like ivory and gold in India
What did Prince Henry the navigator do to achieve his dream of sea exploration?
He built a school for navigation and sea exploration.
Who was Prester John?
A direct descendant of the Three Wise Men (Magi)
What important discovery did the sea captain Bartolomeu Dias accomplish?
He found out there were storms along the western coast of Africa
What advice did Bartolomeu Dias give to Vasco da Gama?
He told da Gama not to go along the Western coast of Africa because there were storms there
Despite the hardships da Gama faced on his voyage, why is it considered a success?
Because he reached India and came back with enough goods to pay the voyage 60 times over
How did Portugal’s geography help encourage its people to explore beyond Europe?
Portugal has navigable waterways (ex. rivers)
Only a tiny strait separated Portugal from Africa
Most people in the country worked on the water in fishing and shipping trades = people in Portugal have experience with sailing
Portugal faces the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast
What goals did Prince Henry hope to achieve for Portugal through sea exploration?
Establish trade relations with other countries
Seek allies in the fights against Muslims
Spread the message of Christianity
Determine the strength of their enemies
What achievements did Prince Henry initiate to allow Portugal to become the first European sea explorer? (Hint: There are 3)
Design caravel - ships that had triangular sails called lateens
Improve navigation instruments including compass and cross-staff
Made more accurate maps by cartographers (mapmakers)
Why did Prince Henry believe sea exploration was the best way to explore Africa?
Because the Muslims controlled all the safe routes on land and other routes were deemed too dangerous
How did Prince Henry convince the Portuguese people to support his dream of sea exploration?
He stressed the goal of searching for Prester John who was a mythical Christian king in Asia
