what was the european exploration

European exploration

, exploration of regions of Earth for scientific, commercial, religious, military, and other purposes by Europeans, beginning about the 4th century bce. The motives that spur human beings to examine their environment are many.

Full Answer

What were the causes and effects of European exploration?

What are the causes for exploration?

• Curiosity. people wondered who and what else was out there in the world.
• Wealth. many people explored in order to find their fortune.
• Fame. some people wanted to go down as a great name in history.
• National pride.
• Religion.
• Foreign Goods.
• Better Trade Routes.

What were the goals and motivation for European exploration?

There are three main reasons for European Exploration. Them being for the sake of their economy, religion and glory. They wanted to improve their economy for instance by acquiring more spices, gold, and better and faster trading routes. Also, they really believed in the need to spread their religion, Christianity.

What were three reasons of European exploration?

What were the 3 main reasons for exploration?

• Curiosity: The first reason people went exploring was curiosity.
• Fame: Another reason people went exploring was fame.
• Religion: People also went exploring to spread their religions.
• New Trade Routes:
• Wealth:
• National Pride:
• Foreign Goods:
• The 7 reasons people went exploring were…:

What were the reasons behind European exploration?

Who is the most important person in European history?

• Karl Marx.
• Vladimir Lenin.
• Queen Elizabeth I.
• King Henry VIII.
• Winston Churchill.
• Peter the Great.
• Benito Mussolini.
• Attila the Hun.

What were the three main reasons behind European exploration?

Historians generally recognize three motives for European exploration and colonization in the New World: God, gold, and glory.

What were the 4 main reasons for European exploration?

Reasons for Exploration: All of the European nations ( Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands) came to America for the same 4 major reasons: wealth & power, religion, nationalism, and the Renaissance spirit of curiosity and adventure.

What was European exploration called?

the Age of DiscoveryThe Age of Exploration (also called the Age of Discovery) began in the 1400s and continued through the 1600s. It was a period of time when the European nations began exploring the world.

What was the purpose of the exploration?

Exploration is the act of searching for the purpose of discovery of information or resources, especially in the context of geography or space, rather than research and development that is usually not centred on earth sciences or astronomy.

What are the 5 reasons for exploration?

The Seven Reasons for ExplorationReview. The Seven Reasons for Exploration.Curiosity. Explorers were curious about different lands, animals, people and goods.National Pride. Explorers wanted to get more land for their home country. ... Better Trading Routes. ... Religion. ... Wealth. ... Foreign Goods. ... Fame.

What led to Europe's Age of Exploration?

Many nations were looking for goods such as silver and gold, but one of the biggest reasons for exploration was the desire to find a new route for the spice and silk trades. When the Ottoman Empire took control of Constantinople in 1453, it blocked European access to the area, severely limiting trade.

How did Exploration change the world?

Geography The Age of Exploration caused ideas, technology, plants, and animals to be exchanged around the world. Government Several European countries competed for colonies overseas, both in Asia and the Americas. Economics Developments during the Age of Exploration led to the origins of modern capitalism.

What were the effects of European Exploration?

The voyages of explorers had a dramatic impact on European trade. As a result, more goods, raw materials and precious metals entered Europe. New trade centers developed, especially in the Netherlands and England. Exploration and trade led to the growth of capitalism.

How did Exploration start?

European exploration outside the Mediterranean started with the maritime expeditions of Portugal to the Canary Islands in 1336, and later with the Portuguese discoveries of the Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Azores, the coast of West Africa in 1434 and the establishment of the sea route to India in 1498 by Vasco ...

What were the causes and effects of European exploration?

Basic Effects Europeans gained new materials like gold, silver, and jewels. The Europeans enslaved the Native Americans and took most of them back to Europe. The explorers also gained new foods like corn and pineapple. Columbus also discovered tobacco seeds and brought the seeds back to Europe.

What exploration means?

noun. an act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination. the investigation of unknown regions.

Who explored the African coast?

European exploration of the African coast Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski. Expedition after expedition was sent forth throughout the 15th century to explore the coast of Africa. In 1445 the Portuguese navigator Dinís Dias reached the mouth of the Sénégal, which “men say comes from the Nile, being one of the most glorious rivers ...

Who was the Portuguese captain who sailed to India in 1497?

Interest was therefore renewed in establishing the sea route south by east to the known riches of India. In 1497 a Portuguese captain, Vasco da Gama, sailed in command of a fleet under instructions to reach Calicut (Kozhikode), on India’s west coast.

What was the age of discovery?

The Age of Discovery. In the 100 years from the mid-15th to the mid-16th century, a combination of circumstances stimulated men to seek new routes, and it was new routes rather than new lands that filled the minds of kings and commoners, scholars and seamen. First, toward the end of the 14th century, the vast empire of the Mongols was breaking up;

Where did the Portuguese establish their base?

In 1511 the Portuguese established a base at Malacca (now Melaka, Malaysia ), commanding the straits into the China Sea; in 1511 and 1512, the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, and Java were reached; in 1557 the trading port of Macau was founded at the mouth of the Canton River. Europe had arrived in the East.

Who was the first Portuguese emissary to travel to India?

In 1487, a Portuguese emissary, Pêro da Covilhã, successfully followed the first route; but, on returning to Cairo, he reported that, in order to travel to India, the Portuguese “could navigate by their coasts and the seas of Guinea .”.

Who was the Portuguese captain in 1500?

Yet another Portuguese fleet set out in 1500, this one being under the command of Pedro Álvarez Cabral; on the advice of da Gama, Cabral steered southwestward to avoid the calms of the Guinea coast; thus, en route for Calicut, Brazil was discovered.

Who reaped the harvest of Portuguese enterprise?

But Portugal was soon overextended; it was therefore the Dutch, the English, and the French who in the long run reaped the harvest of Portuguese enterprise. Some idea of the knowledge that these trading explorers brought to the common store may be gained by a study of contemporary maps.

What did the Europeans get from the American Indians?

The Columbian exchange, comprising what the Europeans obtained from the American Indians and what the Indians obtained from the Europeans, became a hot topic for historians in the last decades of the twentieth century. Europeans obtained mineral wealth, new foods (including corn, beans, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, and chile peppers), Christian converts, slaves, and other products. After observing the Native inhabitants, the newcomers also began to be interested in new ideas, such as "natural law." The Indians took advantage of opportunities presented by the Europeans and incorporated ideas and material objects into their cultures. They quickly adopted the use of the horse, eventually the use of iron and steel, weapons including the gun, and various manufactured goods, as well as tea, coffee, and sugar. On the other hand, American Indians were introduced to epidemic infectious diseases such as smallpox, malaria, yellow fever, measles, cholera, typhoid, and bubonic plague. A new religion, Christianity, was gradually forced upon them. In turn, they developed strategies for resisting enforced cultural change. And so the course of human history in the Western Hemisphere was altered permanently by the arrival of the Europeans, by their international political and economic rivalries, and by their persistence in expanding their influence throughout North and South America, even into the early nineteenth century.

Why did Columbus seek the water route?

Columbus, an Italian explorer working for the Spanish crown, originally sought a short water route to China that would give Spain an advantage in the spice trade. The Western Hemisphere provided an enormous physical barrier, and in seeking passage through it, Europeans thoroughly explored it over the ensuing two and one-half centuries. The Spanish might have given up, but the vast wealth discovered among the Inca and Aztec empires whetted their appetite for more gold and silver and stimulated them to explore further in "New Spain."

Why was Oklahoma important to the Spanish?

First Spain and then France considered the area now known as Oklahoma to be a likely spot for economic expansion in the New World. Native peoples who already lived there were seen both as a barrier to conquest and as a resource to exploit for economic and religious purposes. Oklahoma lay on the northern fringe of Spanish exploration of North America, which took place in the 1500s and 1600s, and on the western fringe of French exploration, which took place in the 1600s and 1700s. In effect, Oklahoma was a border region between those two empires in North America, and it served as a transportation corridor for their rival military and economic ventures. The value of studying their explorations of unknown territory lies in the descriptions that the explorers provided about the area's flora and fauna and its inhabitants and their cultures.

Why did the Spaniards come to New Mexico?

Spaniards came northward out of Mexico to investigate New Mexico in the mid-1500s. Their efforts were prompted by rumors of seven golden cities, called "Cíbola," which Friar Marcos de Niza said he had discovered there in 1539.

Who led the Soto expedition?

However, in the 1990s, using archaeological data, historians discovered that Luis de Moscoso Alvarado, who succeeded Soto in command, led the party out of Arkansas and probably across the southeastern corner of Oklahoma along a well-known Indian trail that crossed the Red River into Texas.

Who was the French Canadian who visited the Osage?

In that same year of 1719, Capt. Claude-Charles du Tisné, a French Canadian and a military officer, visited the Osage in Illinois and moved southward in the autumn, probably entering present Oklahoma from the north along the Verdigris River.

Did Oklahoma have European settlements?

However, the area of present Oklahoma had experienced no European settlement whatever, and, except for the arrival of the Comanche in the south plains, the presence of French coureurs de bois, and Native involvement in the fur trade, by 1800 the region remained much as it had been before the arrival of Columbus.

When did Europeans begin to explore other parts of the world?

Europeans began to explore other parts of the world in the late 1400s and throughout the 1500s. This lesson takes a look at the three main reasons that spurred this European exploration. Updated: 03/02/2020

What did explorers do when they discovered new lands?

When explorers discovered new lands, they would often claim that land in honor of their king or queen, bringing glory to their ruler and nation, and they would also claim the money and resources of the land. For example, Spain colonized Central and South America in the 1500s, claiming the land, bringing glory to their country, and taking millions of dollars in gold.

What did Europeans want?

With more people having money to spend, Europeans developed companies to meet the needs and wants of European customers. And what did many Europeans want? Things from other parts of the world! Some of the biggest items being bought and sold from foreign lands were: 1 Spices: European food was very bland, so exotic spices, like cinnamon from Asia, were very popular. 2 Tea: Europeans loved to drink tea, but it was mostly grown in the distant lands of India. 3 Sugar: The people of Europe loved their desserts, but sugarcane was grown in tropical climates far from Europe. And finally: 4 Silk: European fashion included a lot of silk clothing, and silk was produced in China.

Why did the early explorers search for new trade routes?

These explorers searched for new trade routes, the quickest ways to and from faraway locations, and along the way, they often stumbled across new lands.

What was the economic system in the late 1400s called?

The Lure of Gold. In the late 1400s, Europeans began experimenting with a new economic system called capitalism , which allowed for private ownership of wealth and the tools for creating wealth (like farming land and factories).

What was the new economic group in the 1500s?

This led to strong economic growth throughout the 1500s, as well as the creation of a new economic group called the bourgeoisie (pronounced boo-shwah-zee ). The bourgeoisie was like the middle class - not super rich but not poor - made up of business owners and bankers who had extra money to spend and boosted the economy.

Why did Europeans develop companies?

With more people having money to spend, Europeans developed companies to meet the needs and wants of European customers. And what did many Europeans want? Things from other parts of the world! Some of the biggest items being bought and sold from foreign lands were:

16th century

Pedro Álvares Cabral 's ship on the fleet that sighted the Brazilian mainland for the first time on 22 April 1500. From the manuscript Memória das Armadas que de Portugal passaram à Índia

18th century

"Mount Rainier from the south Part of Admiralty Inlet". The mountain was discovered by Vancouver during his exploration of Puget Sound in the spring of 1792.

19th century

The famous map of Lewis and Clark's expedition. It changed mapping of northwest America by providing the first accurate depiction of the relationship of the sources of the Columbia and Missouri rivers, and the Rocky Mountains.

20th century

Amundsen's party at the South Pole, December 1911. From left to right: Amundsen, Hanssen, Hassel and Wisting (photo by fifth member Bjaaland).

Why did Europeans expand?

The motives for European expansion varied from desire to serve God, to glory, gold, and strategic need.

What was the result of the European expansion?

The age of European expansion resulted in the horrors of the slave trade, the extermination of native populations, and the undermining of social arrangements that had existed for centuries.

What were the Europeans able to do with the subcontinent?

Europeans were generally contemptuous of Eastern civilization. Taking advantage of military and political disunity in India, western Europeans were able to dominate the subcontinent with relatively few people. In India, Europeans found an entrenched caste system.

What did the conquests of Cortes and Pizarro give Spain?

The conquests of Cortes and Pizarro gave Spain a vast empire in the Americas. Spain established a centralized administration in its New World colonies with a viceroy representing the Crown. Indians were converted to Christianity and were protected by the New Laws of 1542.

Why did Prince Henry lead early Portuguese exploration?

Prince Henry directed early Portuguese exploration in order to promote commerce, national power, and Christianity. In 1488 Bartholomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and by 1497 Vasco da Gama had reached India by sea.

What did Europeans find in India?

In India, Europeans found an entrenched caste system. Further east, in China, they found an ancient civilization that had weathered many changes. The Chinese emperor, with the aid of a bureaucracy run by mandarins, ruled a huge empire that was firmly built on communal villages.

What countries were involved in the expansion of the West?

Expansion revolutionized economies and societies in Europe. As Portugal, Spain, France, Britain, and Russia explored Africa, Asia, and the New World, they set the stage for international politics for centuries to come.

How did exploration affect Europe?

The Impact of Exploration on Europe. The voyages of explorers had a dramatic impact on European commerce and economies. As a result of exploration , more goods, raw materials, and precious metals entered Europe. Mapmakers carefully charted trade routes and the locations of newly discovered lands.

Why did European exploration begin in the 1400s?

Second, advances in knowledge and technology helped to make the Age of Exploration possible .

Why did the Spanish conquistadors want to convert Indians to Christianity?

Spanish conquistadors wanted to gain wealth and glory in the Americas. They had another goal, as well—to convert Indians to Christianity. Las Casas shared this goal. So, the young conquistador went back to Europe to become a priest. He returned to Hispaniola sometime in 1509 or 1510. There he began to teach and baptize the Indians. At the same time, he continued to manage Indian slaves.

How would it have felt to sail across an unknown ocean?

With today’s global positioning satellites, Internet maps, cell phones, and superfast travel, it is hard to imagine exactly how it might have felt to embark on a voyage across an unknown ocean. What lay across the ocean? In the early 1400s in Europe, few people knew. How long would it take to get there? That depended on the wind, the weather, and the distance. Days would have run together, with no sounds but the voices of the captain and the crew, the creaking of the sails, the blowing wind, and the splash of waves against the ship’s hull.

Why did the early explorers explore Asia?

Asian spices / Creative Commons. For early explorers, one of the main motives for exploration was the desire to find new trade routes to Asia. By the 1400s, merchants and Crusaders had brought many goods to Europe from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Demand for these goods increased the desire for trade.

How did the Enlightenment help the world?

Their work led to new ideas about government, human nature, and human rights. The Age of Exploration, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment helped to shape the world we live in today.

What was the final motive for exploration?

A final motive for exploration was the desire to spread Christianity beyond Europe. Both Protestant and Catholic nations were eager to make new converts. Missionaries of both faiths followed the paths blazed by explorers.

What was the European exploration of the Pacific?

Much of the European exploration of the Pacific was inspired by two obsessions: the search for the fastest routes to the spice-rich islands of the Moluccas (modern-day Maluku in Indonesia) and the theory that somewhere in the South Pacific lay a vast undiscovered southern continent, possibly also rich in gold, spices, and other trade goods.

Who was the most famous explorer of the 18th century?

But by far the most wide-ranging and accomplished of the eighteenth-century explorers was the Englishman James Cook, who made three separate voyages to the Pacific in 1768–71, 1772–75, and 1776–80.

Which island did the Portuguese explore?

The Portuguese, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope to reach the Moluccas, explored the eastern islands of modern-day Indonesia in the early 1500s and also briefly encountered the island of New Guinea to the east. In 1600, however, the vast majority of the Pacific still lay unexplored.

When did the Spanish colonize the Philippines?

By the late 1500s, the Spanish had colonized the Philippines and had discovered several of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia, as well as the Solomon Islands in Melanesia and the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia.

Who explored the Pacific?

The Dutch exploration of the Pacific culminated in the 1642–43 voyage of Abel Tasman, who sailed south of the Australian continent and encountered Tasmania and New Zealand. He later visited islands in Tonga, Fiji, and the Bismarck Archipelago.

When did the Dutch take control of the Moluccas?

In the early 1600s, the Dutch seized control of the Moluccas from the Portuguese. As early as 1605, a Dutch expedition was sent to explore the north coast of Australia and several others followed. Blown off course on their way to the spice islands, Dutch merchant vessels also encountered and began to chart the west coast of Australia. ...

Overview

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

Further reading