AGE OF

EXPLORATION

Priya Dharshini M
Why do we explore?

1. Why do people explore?

2. What places have you explored? What did you learn?
3. What places would you like to explore in or near your city? Why?
4. What places would you like to explore in your country? Why?
5. What places would you like to explore outside your country? Why?
6. What obstacles prevent you from exploration?
7. What do you enjoy the most about exploration?
8. What makes you most uncomfortable about exploration?

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Key questions
1.What drives humans to explore new places?

2.Who are some famous explorers and what did they discover?

3.What challenges do explorers face?

4.What are the benefits and consequences of exploration?

5.Who are some famous explorers and what did they discover?

6.How does exploration affect our understanding of the world?

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Quotes

@slideshare 4
 Table of contents

Age of exploration
01
History - various explorers
02
Onset of colonialism and imperialism
03
Impact of the exploration
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 FACTORS WHICH PUSHED EUROPEANS TO EXPLORE

● Decline of Mongol Empire

in 1400s made goods from
the east harder to get, more
expensive.
● Fall of Constantinople to
the ottoman Turks in 1453
was a major block to trade.
What is the age of renaissance?

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 "How did the advancements in navigation and cartography
during the Renaissance contribute to the success of the Age of
Exploration?"

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During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries , the states of Europe began their
modern exploration of the world with a series of Sea voyages.

Spain and Portugal were foremost in this enterprise.

These Explorations increased European Knowledge of the wider world,

particularly in relation to Sub-saharan Africa and the Americas.

These Explorations were frequently connected to conquest and missionary work,

as the states of Europe attempted to increase their Influence, both in political
and religious terms, throughout the world.

Some of these factors were agricultural and other resources they wished to have
(Gold, silver, spices, precious stones, etc.)
 Ancient exploration - SILK ROAD

Source:https://samatrans.ir/en/history-of-transportation-on-the-silk-road/
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected the
East and West from the 2nd century BCE to the 18th century CE. It
was more than just a route for transporting goods, however; it was
also a reason for the exchange of ideas, cultures, and religions.

The Silk Road was significant for a number of reasons:

● Trade: The Silk Road facilitated the trade of a wide range of

goods, including silk, spices, precious metals, and ceramics.
This trade helped to spread wealth and prosperity across the
regions served by the routes.
● Cultural exchange: The Silk Road
also served as a conduit for the
exchange of cultures and ideas.
Merchants, travelers, and
missionaries spread Buddhism,
Christianity, and Islam along the
routes.
● The Silk Road also helped to
spread new technologies, such as
papermaking and gunpowder.

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● Technological innovation: The Silk Road also spurred
technological innovation. Merchants needed to develop new
ways to transport goods over long distances, and this led to the
development of new types of vehicles and shipping methods.
● The Silk Road also helped to spread knowledge of new
technologies, such as the compass and the printing press.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF SILK ROUTE

● The Silk Road helped to spread Buddhism from India to China and other parts of Asia.
● The Silk Road helped to spread Islam from the Middle East to Central Asia and China.
● The Silk Road helped to spread Christianity from Europe to Central Asia and China.
● The Silk Road helped to spread new technologies, such as papermaking and gunpowder,
from China to the West.
● The Silk Road helped to spread new agricultural products, such as peaches and grapes,
from China to the West.
● The Silk Road helped to spread new artistic styles, such as Chinese pottery and Islamic
architecture, from the East to the West.
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Trade
Europeans had not been completely isolated from the rest of the world before the
1400s.
Europeans had neither the interest nor the ability to explore foreign lands. That
changed by the early 1400s. The desire to grow rich and to spread Christianity,
coupled with advances in sailing technology, spurred an age of European
exploration.
Due to crusades ,people of Europe had been introduced to these items
(Europeans continued to demand such spices as nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and
pepper, all of which added flavor to the bland foods of Europe) during the
Crusades.
The Muslims and the Italians controlled the trade of goods from East to West.
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Paying such high prices to the Italians severely cut into their own profits. By the
1400s, European merchants—as well as the new monarchs of England, Spain,
Portugal, and France—sought to bypass the Italian merchants. This meant finding
a sea route directly to Asia.

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The spread of christianity
European countries believed that they had a sacred duty not only to continue
fighting Muslims, but also to convert non-Christians throughout the world.

Bartolomeu Dias, an early Portuguese explorer, explained his motives: “To serve
God and His Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness and to grow rich
as all men desire to do.”

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Technological advancement
In the 1400s, shipbuilders designed a
new vessel, the caravel.

Triangular sails adopted from the

Arabs allowed it to sail effectively
against the wind.

The astrolabe was a brass circle with

carefully adjusted rings marked off in
degrees.

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Several factors that contributed to the Age of Exploration
● The Renaissance: The Renaissance, a period of renewed interest in classical learning and
culture, encouraged exploration and discovery. It also led to the development of new
technologies, such as the compass and improved shipbuilding techniques, which made long
voyages possible.
● The Fall of Constantinople: The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 disrupted
trade routes between Europe and Asia. This led Europeans to seek new routes to the East,
particularly for spices and other valuable goods.
● Nationalism: The rise of strong nation-states in Europe, such as Spain, Portugal, and
England, fueled competition for wealth and power. Exploration and colonization were seen as
ways to expand national glory and influence.
● Religious zeal: Some Europeans were motivated by religious zeal to spread Christianity to
new lands.

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Portugese
Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the
southwest corner of Europe, Portugal was
the first European country to establish
trading outposts along the west coast of
Africa.

Henry’s dreams of overseas exploration

began in 1415 when he helped conquer the
Muslim city of Ceuta in North Africa.

In 1419, Henry founded a navigation school

on the southwestern coast of Portugal.
Mapmakers, instrument makers,
shipbuilders, scientists, and sea captains
gathered there to perfect their trade.

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 Vasco Da Gama
In July 1497, Vasco da Gama set sail with four ships to
chart a sea route to India. Da Gama’s ships rounded
Africa’s southern tip and then sailed up the east
coast of the continent.

With the help of a sailor who knew the route to India,

they crossed the Indian Ocean. Da Gama arrived in
the port of Calicut, India, in May 1498. There he
obtained a load of cinnamon and pepper.

On the return trip to Portugal, da Gama lost half of

his ships. Many of his crew members died of hunger
or disease.

Still, the valuable cargo he brought back paid for the

voyage many times over. His trip made the
Portuguese even more eager to trade directly with
Indian merchants.

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Pedra Cabral
In 1500, Pedro Cabral set sail for India with
a fleet of 13 ships. Cabral first sailed
southwest to avoid calms (areas where
there are no winds to fill sails).

But he sailed so far west that he reached the

east coast of present-day Brazil. After
claiming this land for Portugal, he sailed
east and rounded Africa.

Arriving in Calicut, he established a trading

post and signed trading treaties. He
returned to Portugal in June 1501 after
battling several Muslim ships.

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Effects of portugal Trade
After Cabral’s voyage, the Portuguese took control of the eastern sea routes to
Asia.

They seized the seaport of Goa in India and built forts there.

They also set their sights on the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, in what is now
Indonesia. In 1511, they attacked the main port of the islands and killed the
Muslim defenders.

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If Portugal could take the spice trade away from Muslim traders, Then

Cairo and Makkah

“will be ruined.”

As for Italian merchants,

“Venice will receive no spices

unless her merchants go to
buy them in Portugal.”
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Spanish Exploration
The Spanish monarchs also desired a direct sea route to Asia.
In 1492, an Italian sea captain, Christopher Columbus, convinced Spain to
finance a bold plan: finding a route to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic
Ocean. Columbus reached an island in the Caribbean.
He was mistaken in his thought that he had reached the East Indies. But his
voyage would open the way for European colonization of the Americas—a
process that would forever change the world. The immediate impact of
Columbus’s voyage,

However, was to increase tensions between Spain and Portugal.

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Treaty of Tordesillas
The rivalry between Spain and Portugal grew more tense. In
1493, Pope Alexander VI stepped in to keep peace between
the two nations. He suggested an imaginary dividing line,
drawn north to south, through the Atlantic Ocean. All lands
to the west of the line, known as the Line of Demarcation,
would be Spain’s. These lands included most of the
Americas. All lands to the east of the line would belong to
Portugal.
Portugal complained that the line gave too much to Spain. So
it was moved far- ther west to include parts of modern-day
Brazil for the Portuguese. In 1494, Spain and Portugal
signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, in which they agreed to
honor the line. The era of exploration and colonization was
about to begin in earnest.

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 All lands to the west of the line, known as the Line of Demarcation,
would be Spain’s. These lands included most of the Americas. All lands to
the east of the line would belong to Portugal.
Portugal complained that the line gave too much to Spain. So it was
moved far- ther west to include parts of modern-day Brazil for the
Portuguese. In 1494, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas,
in which they agreed to honor the line. The era of exploration and
colonization was about to begin in earnest.

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Spanish conquistadors
● The Spanish conquistadors were a group of
Spanish explorers and soldiers who
conquered vast territories in the Americas.
● They were driven by a desire for wealth,
adventure, and religious zeal.
● The conquistadors used their superior
weaponry and military tactics to conquer
powerful empires, such as the Aztecs and
Incas.
● Their conquests had a profound impact on
the indigenous populations of the Americas,
leading to the destruction of their civilizations
and the spread of European diseases.

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 Impact of Spanish Conquest

● The Spanish established a vast empire in the Americas, which included territories in North,
Central, and South America.
● They also established colonies in the Caribbean islands, the Philippines, and parts of
Africa.
● The Spanish colonies were a major source of wealth for Spain, providing gold, silver, and
other valuable resources.
● The Spanish also introduced new crops and animals to the Americas, such as horses, cattle,
wheat, and sugar cane.

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Dutch

In 1619, the Dutch established their trading headquarters

at Batavia on the island of Java.
The Dutch seized both the port of Malacca and the
valuable Spice Islands from Portugal. Throughout the
1600s, The Netherlands increased its control over the
Indian Ocean trade. With so many goods from the East
traveling to the Netherlands, the nation’s capital,
Amsterdam, became a leading commercial center.

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By 1700, the Dutch ruled much of Indonesia and had trading posts in several Asian coun-

tries. They also controlled the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, which was
used as a resupply stop.

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Colonialism and Imperialism
British Colony

Colonialism is a term where a

country conquers and rules over other
regions.

It means exploiting the resources of

the conquered country for the benefit
of the conqueror.

Imperialism means creating an

empire, expanding into the
neighbouring regions and expanding
its dominance far.

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Colonialism
While colonialism has existed throughout history, the Age of Exploration (15th-18th centuries)
marked a period of intense European colonization, with European powers establishing colonies around
the world.

This era saw the colonization of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

Motivations: The motivations for colonialism were varied, but often included:

● Economic gain: Extracting resources such as minerals, timber, and crops from the colonies to
fuel the economies of the colonizing powers.
● Expansion of power and prestige: Building empires and exerting influence on the world stage.
● Spreading religion and culture: Imposing the colonizer's religion and cultural values on the
colonized people.
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Colonialism had a profound impact on both the colonizing and colonized societies. Some of the
consequences include:

● Exploitation and dispossession: Indigenous peoples were often displaced from their lands and
resources, and subjected to forced labor and unfair trade practices.
● Loss of traditional cultures and identities: Colonial powers often suppressed indigenous languages,
customs, and belief systems.
● Political and economic inequality: Colonial rule often created systems of power and privilege that
benefitted the colonizers at the expense of the colonized.
● Resistance and independence movements: Throughout history, colonized peoples have resisted colonial
rule, leading to independence movements and the eventual dismantling of many colonial empires.

Legacy: The legacy of colonialism is still felt today, with many former colonies grappling with the lasting
effects of colonial rule, such as poverty, inequality, and political instability. However, colonialism also gave
rise to movements for national liberation, global solidarity, and human rights.

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Activity
Modern Legacy Project: Research the long-term consequences of colonialism in a specific region. Have
students create presentations, videos, or written reports exploring how past colonial practices continue to
shape present-day realities, including politics, language, culture, and social inequalities.

Positive/negative impacts: Create a T-chart listing the positive and negative impacts of imperialism on both
colonizers and colonized people.

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VIDEO ON COLONIALISM

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Transatlantic slave trade
The Transatlantic Slave Trade was a horrific period in history that lasted from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

It involved the forced transportation of millions of African men, women, and children to the Americas to work as
slaves.

The "Triangle Trade": The trade route formed a triangle between three regions:

● Europe: Ships from Europe carried goods like guns, cloth, and alcohol to Africa.
● Africa: In Africa, these goods were exchanged for enslaved Africans.
● The Americas: The enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas (North
America, South America, and the Caribbean). This journey was known as the Middle Passage. In the
Americas, the enslaved people were forced to work on plantations producing sugar, tobacco, cotton, and
other goods, which were then shipped back to Europe.

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The conditions for enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage were extremely harsh
and inhumane.
Overcrowded and chained in the ship's hold, they faced terrible sanitation, leading to
the spread of diseases.
They were given minimal, poor-quality food and were subjected to physical abuse by the
crew.
The trauma of capture, separation from their families, and enduring such brutal
conditions caused profound psychological impact. Many did not survive the journey,
with an estimated mortality rate of 15-20%.

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In the colonies, enslaved Africans were forced
to work primarily on plantations, where they
cultivated labor-intensive crops like tobacco,
rice, and cotton. They worked long hours,
often from dawn until dusk,
under harsh conditions. In addition to
fieldwork, some enslaved people were
assigned domestic tasks, such as cooking,
cleaning, and childcare, assisting the
plantation owners in running their
households

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