Essential Question: Why was exploration and colonization important in the development of Europe and the world?

SS6b: Trace the empires of Portugal, Spain, England, and France in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

European Exploration and Colonization

(European Empires)

Words to KnowEmpire: group of territories or nations under a single ruler or government

Imperialism: the practice of a larger country growing stronger by taking over smaller countries that have important natural resources.

Words to Know

Colonize: to send a group of settlers of a nation to establish political control over the land and the indigenous (native) people of that area

Empire building

• After the 14th century, Europe’s most powerful countries competed to see who could get the most colonies (colony).

• They wanted to build their Empire by taking over other parts of the world (Imperialism).

Remember Spices and Goods from Asia???How did the Europeans know aboutthe spices and goods in Asia? The Crusades (1096-1272) -Military expeditions sent by the Popes of the

Roman Catholic Church to capture the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from the Muslim Turks.

Not successful, but had a few positive results:Western Europeans learned to:-Create better maps-Build better ships-Exposed Europeans to spices & goods from Asia

Trade Routes to Asia1400’s—major trade routes from Asia to Europe went through

2 Italian cities (Venice and Genoa) Italian merchants marked up theprices on the jewels, fragrances,woods and finished goods and sold them throughout Europe.Portugal, Spain, France, and Englandresented the huge profits made by Italians. Since the Italians controlled the trade routes through the Mediterranean Sea, they began to look for other routes to Asia and the Spice Islands—a water route to Asia!

Spain and Portugal: Treaty of Tordesillas

Portugal and Spain claimed territories in the New World before any other European powers.Since both nations were Catholic, the Pope drew a line on the map showing which territories would belong to Portugal and which ones belonged to Spain

Who is going to get most of the New World?

Portugal Leads the Way! Established the earliest of the modern European colonial empires. Prince Henry the Navigator • school of navigation• sent more than 50 expeditions down the west coast of Africa Bartolomeu Dias reached the southern tip of Africa called The

Cape of Good Hope Vasco da Gama and other Explorers, later sailed around the cape

and continued to India

Portugal Leads the Way! For decades, the Portuguese continued to explore east Asia where they established forts & trading posts. By 1571, a string of outposts connected Portugal to Africa,India, South Pacific Islands, and JapanPortugal grew wealthy from these trade routes, but… Its most profitable colony was Brazil in South America.Brazil was a Portuguese colony until 1822.

Portugal’s Empire

Spain’s Empire Spanish explorers were searching for a trade route

through or around North & South America to AsiaWanted to find a quicker route to the gold & spices in

AsiaChristopher Columbus (Italian) given $ by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to find a quick route to through the Atlantic to Asia.

He discovers the Bahamas, but thought he was in Asia… called the land “West Indies”. Found 2 new continents.

Exploration of these areas brought great wealth to Spain.

Spain’s EmpireHuge empire that spanned

the globe Spanish conquistadors

conquered the Inca and Aztec civilizations in the 1500s (South America) Looking for gold & spices Used missionaries to

convert natives to Christianity

Claimed huge areas of North & South America & ruled over them for 300 years

Spanish Empire

England’s Empire England used to be one of

three countries (England, Scotland, & Wales)

1700s, the three united and became Great Britain

British empire was the largest in history --At its peak, Great Britain

controlled: Canada, Australia, India, much of Africa, and numerous islands

England’s EmpireNorth America came under

British control in the 1700s --Lost American colonies in

1776 --Maintained control over

Canada until 20th century

• Colonized Australia in1788--used it as a penal (prison) colony to relieve over crowed jails in England

British Empire

France’s Empire Established other colonies

in the 16th-17th centuries: --Islands in the

Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the North Pacific, & the North Atlantic

France also maintained influence in Canada, South America, Southeast Asia, & Northwest Africa

Many French explorers were searching for the Northwest Passage. Founded Quebec, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Established fur trading posts in the New World.

France’s Empire

Remember the definition of an Empire?

Empire: group of territories or nations under a single ruler or government

Can you think of an Empire?

The countries of Portugal, Spain, England, and France led the exploration and colonization movement and built individual empires across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

European Empires Map ActivityTurn your maps over to the other side. Record the different empires on your map.