Unit2 Lesson1-Explorers

The Explorers Why did Europeans sail

to new places?

By: Mr. Casey

What’s it like in Europe?•Middle Ages

(Dark Ages)•600-1450 A.D

•Feudalism

The Middle Ages

What’s it like in Europe?•Europe is

suffering from plaque and disease, wars, and poverty.

The Middle Ages

The Crusades •Europeans

want to recapture the holy lands. Europeans will fight for 200 years over the land.

The world according to

Europe!

This is This is the the

known known world!world!

Marco Polo* 1295 Marco Polo

comes back from being in Asia for 25 years. He tells stories of golden palaces, jewels, silk, and

spices.

Europe is Changing

*Europe is in the middle of the renaissance (1300-1500)

MARCO POLO’S ROUTE

The Ottoman Turks capture

Constantinople*1453 they capture the city of Constantinople

and block trade through the city.

*Silk and spices become very hard to come by and very expensive

Europeans have to find a new way to Asia

The Silk Highway

*Route is long and filled with dangers, but the resources from Asia are in high demand

The Silk Highway

*Europeans begin looking for a new way to Asia

New Technology Changes Everything

Gutenberg invents movable type and books are easier to

print (1440)

New TechnologyMagnetic Compass-

a tool that shows which direction is

north

New Technology

Astrolabe- a tool that helped

sailors use the sun and stars to find their

location

New Technology

Gunpowder- an explosive made of a

mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal

New Technology

Caravel- a small ship

designed by the Portuguese with a lateen (triangular)

sail

gunpowder

movable typecompass

astronomy & navigation

These new technologies allow European to explore further than

they have in the past

China was much more advanced than any country in Europe at

that time, but they did not focus on exploration

Zheng He

Why venture out and risk your

life?

•Money, wealth, and power

•An explorer can get land, get rich and famous

•Spread of Christianity

If you can convince a king or queen to pay for your expedition, you can

earn ...

•Imagine you are an entrepreneur and you want to lead an expedition to India and Asia; tell me what you would say to a king or queen and how you would sell them on giving you the resources you need to lead your expedition. Where would you go, how, and why? Choose one person to speak to the king or queen.