Growth of European Exploration

Why Spain and Portugal?

• Both had shipbuilding and navigation experience

• Had strong crusading spirit

• Wanted to convert Indians to Roman Catholicism

Portugal

• Decided to sail SOUTH to reach the east

• Prince Henry the Navigator– Set up a school to train sailors

• Bartolomeu Dias– Proved they could reach the East by sailing around

Africa.

• Vasco de Gama– Rounded the Cape of Good Hope and sailed up

the east coast of Africa– Had trouble selling his goods to the Indians– Finally able to buy spices– Able to finance 60 more voyages!!

• Portugal was fist Europeans to come in contact with China

• Resulted in great wealth

• Francis Xavier– Missionary who

worked in Japan to convert people to Roman Catholicism

Spain

• Decided to sail WEST to reach the east

Christopher Columbus

• Portugal wouldn’t finance him• Went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of

Spain• Landed in the Caribbean islands, not India

Ferdinand Magellan

• Sailed around the world

• He died in the Philippines

• His crew finished the voyage in three years

England

• Sir Francis Drake– Sailed around

the world

Conquistadors

• Spanish Conquerors. Sent to find gold and conquer the people

Hernando Cortes

• Came in contact with the Aztecs• Montezuma was their leader• They believed that the Spanish King was

Quetzalcoatl• Cortes eventually massacred most of the

Aztecs

Cortes

Montezuma

Francisco Pizarro

• Encountered the Incas• He took the Inca (king), Atahualpa captive• Inca delivered gold and silver for his release• Pizarro killed him anyway

Pizarro

Atahualpa