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Who were the first Europeans to land on the mainland of North America?
The first Europeans to land on the mainland of North America were the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson and his party. Leif was one of Erik the Red’s sons and had accompanied him to Greenland. The exploits of Erik and Leif are the subjects of Norse sagas, which are stories or histories in prose.
Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the shores of the New World?
The first European to look upon the Pacific Ocean from the shores of the New World was Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The Spanish adventurer and explorer sailed for America in 1500 and settled in Santo Domingo. There his unsuccessful attempts at farming led him into debt. In 1510, hoping to escape his creditors, he stowed away on a ship. The ship carried an expedition bound for the new colony of San Sebastián on the mainland of South America, in what is now Colombia.
How many ships did Columbus take?
On his first voyage, Columbus took three ships and a total crew of about 90 Spaniards. The Niña and the Pinta were small, speedy caravels. Vicente Pinzón commanded the Niña, while his brother Martín Pinzón was captain of the Pinta. Columbus commanded the Santa María, the flagship. At about 117 feet (36 meters) long, it was more than twice the size of the caravels. The Santa María was probably a carrack, or nao. Some of the funding for the voyage came from the Spanish monarchs. A group of Italian bankers in Seville, Spain, also contributed a large sum of money.
What diseases did the Europeans bring to the New World?
In the Americas, violent conquest and diseases accidentally brought over by the Europeans killed enormous numbers of Indians. Smallpox, yellow fever, malaria, influenza, and measles were among the diseases spread to the New World.
Why was Henry the Navigator important?
Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal, initiated the first great enterprise of the Age of Discovery—the search for an eastern sea route to China. Although Henry is called “the Navigator,” he did not sail on voyages of discovery; he sponsored them. He had several reasons for promoting exploration. He was curious about the world. He was also interested in new navigational aids and better ship design and was eager to test them. Moreover, Christian Europe was still fighting the Crusades against Islamic powers. Henry hoped to challenge Arab power in North Africa. The desire to establish profitable trade was yet another motive.
Why are the Americas called the New World?
Europeans called these continents the “New World,” because at the time they were wholly unknown to people of the world’s other continents. This article discusses the European discovery ...
What were the effects of the Age of Discovery?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The effects of the Age of Discovery were diverse and profound worldwide. European exploration ushered in globalization—the development of economic and cultural links throughout the world. Europeans conquered and colonized distant lands, establishing vast empires.
Who was the first European to set foot on North America?
Leif Erikson. While his accomplishments are often eclipsed by the later ones of Christopher Columbus, Leif Erikson was in fact the first European to have set foot on North America. A Norse explorer hailing from Iceland, his feats preceded those of Columbus by over 500 years.
When did the discovery of the New World begin?
Exploration of the New World began in earnest towards the end of the 15th Century following Christopher Columbus’ iconic voyage of 1492. Oddly enough, the colonisation of the Americas occurred almost by accident, with the majority of these voyages motivated by the desire to seek an alternative route to Asia and its lucrative natural resources.
Why did the colonists settle in the Americas?
Oddly enough, the colonisation of the Americas occurred almost by accident, with the majority of these voyages motivated by the desire to seek an alternative route.
What was Columbus' main goal in his voyage?
An Italian by birth, Columbus eventually settled in Spain and eventually convinced the Catholic monarchy to finance a westwards journey to reach the East Indies and profit from the increasingly flourishing spice trade. His first expedition arrived in the Americas in 1492 in modern-day Bahamas. He visited Cuba and established the first European colony in the Americas in modern-day Haiti. Returning home the following year, his discoveries sparked significant interest in the new ‘West Indies’, particularly due to the natives, flora and fauna he brought with him. His success saw a second voyage quickly financed and embarked upon. The intention of this second voyage was to establish permanent colonies and to spread Christianity amongst the Native population.
How many expeditions did Henry Hudson make?
One of Britain’s best-known explorers of the New World, Henry Hudson made four separate expeditions to the Americas. He was motivated, like many of his contemporaries by the desire to find an alternative route to Asia through the West. His early life is almost a complete mystery.
What was Columbus' influence on the world?
His name and influence extends throughout the modern Americas. The Columbian Exchange, the trade of flora and fauna between the New World and the Old World was instigated by Columbus. He played a hugely significant role in changing the face of the world as we know it.
Where did Columbus settle?
An Italian by birth, Columbus eventually settled in Spain and eventually convinced the Catholic monarchy to finance a westwards journey to reach the East Indies and profit from the increasingly flourishing spice trade. His first expedition arrived in the Americas in 1492 in modern-day Bahamas.
Who explored the Americas?
In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano was commissioned to locate a northwest passage around North America to India. He was followed in 1534 by Jacques Cartier, who explored the St. Lawrence River as far as present-day Montreal.
Who explored the North American Southwest?
At the same time, Cabeza de Vaca explored the North American Southwest, adding that region to Spain’s New World empire. A few years later (1539-1542), Francisco Vásquez de Coronado discovered the Grand Canyon and journeyed through much of the Southwest looking for gold and the legendary Seven Cities of Cíbola.
What technological innovations made exploration possible?
As these religious and political changes were occurring, technological innovations in navigation set the stage for exploration. Bigger, faster ships and the invention of navigational devices such as the astrolabe and sextant made extended voyages possible.
What was Marco Polo's most powerful inducement to exploration?
A Faster Route to the East. But the most powerful inducement to exploration was trade. Marco Polo’s famous journey to Cathay signaled Europe’s “discovery” of Chinese and Islamic civilizations. The Orient became a magnet to traders, and exotic products and wealth flowed into Europe.
What were the major developments that occurred between 1000 and 1650?
The Reformation, the Renaissance and New Trade Routes. Between 1000 and 1650, a series of interconnected developments occurred in Europe that provided the impetus for the exploration and subsequent colonization of America.
How did Henry Hudson die?
Explorer Henry Hudson died when his crew mutinied and left Hudson, his son and seven crewmembers adrift in a small open boat in the Hudson Bay. Although the Vikings never returned to America, other Europeans came to know of their accomplishments.
Why did European powers conquer the New World?
As European powers conquered the territories of the New World, they justified wars against Native Americans and the destruction of their cultures as a fulfillment of the European secular and religious vision of the New World. The idea of “America” antedated America’s discovery and even Viking exploration.
Who was the first European explorer to circumnavigate the globe?
Ferdinand Magellan. While in the service of Spain, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first European voyage of discovery to circumnavigate the globe. As a boy, Magellan studied mapmaking and navigation. In 1505, when Magellan was in his mid-20s, he joined a Portuguese fleet that was sailing to East Africa.
Who was America named after?
Photo: Austrian National Library. America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, a Florentine navigator and explorer who played a prominent role in exploring the New World. On May 10, 1497, Vespucci embarked on his first voyage, departing from Cadiz with a fleet of Spanish ships.
What did Magellan study?
As a boy, Magellan studied mapmaking and navigation. In 1505, when Magellan was in his mid-20s, he joined a Portuguese fleet that was sailing to East Africa. By 1509, he found himself at the Battle of Diu, in which the Portuguese destroyed Egyptian ships in the Arabian Sea.
Where did Vespucci go?
Crossing the equator, they traveled to the coast of what is now Guyana, where it is believed that Vespucci left Ojeda and went on to explore the coast of Brazil.
What was the purpose of the Drake expedition?
In 1577, Drake was chosen as the leader of an expedition intended to pass around South America, through the Strait of Magellan, and explore the coast that lay beyond. Drake successfully completed the journey and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I upon his triumphant return in 1580. In 1588, Drake saw action in the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, though he died in 1596 from dysentery after undertaking an unsuccessful raiding mission.
What was the name of the ship that sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in 1492?
In 1492, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Niña ships alongside, hoping to find a new route to India.
Why was Virginia named Virginia?
Between 1585 and 1588, he invested in a number of expeditions across the Atlantic, attempting to establish a colony near Roanoke, on the coast of what is now North Carolina, and name it “Virginia” in honor of the virgin queen, Elizabeth.
Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean?
Based on this treaty and on early claims by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to see the Pacific Ocean in 1513. The Spanish explorers, conquerors, and settlers sought material wealth, individual aggrandizement, and the spread of Christianity, often summed up in the phrase "gold, glory, and God".
What countries were involved in the colonization of the Americas?
During this period of time, several European empires —primarily Spain, Portugal, Britain, and France —began to explore and claim the natural resources and human capital of the Americas, resulting in the displacement and disestablishment of some Indigenous Nations, and the establishment of several settler-colonial states.
Why did the population of the Americas drop?
After European contact, the native population of the Americas plummeted by an estimated 80% (from around 50 million in 1492 to eight million in 1650), mostly as the result of outbreaks of Old World disease.
How did the colonization of the Americas affect the Caribbean?
According to scientists from University College London, the colonization of the Americas by Europeans killed so much of the indigenous population that it resulted in climate change and global cooling. Some contemporary scholars also attribute significant indigenous population losses in the Caribbean to the widespread practice of slavery and deadly forced labor in gold and silver mines. Historian, Andrés Reséndez, supports this claim and argues that indigenous populations were smaller previous estimations and "a nexus of slavery, overwork and famine killed more Indians in the Caribbean than smallpox, influenza and malaria."
What was Columbus' first island?
Columbus's first two voyages (1492–93) reached the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and various other Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Where did the Aztecs first colonize?
Inspired by the Spanish riches from colonies founded upon the conquest of the Aztecs, Incas, and other large Native American populations in the 16th century, their first attempt at colonization occurred in Roanoke and Newfoundland, although unsuccessful.
Which country founded the colonies in the Americas?
France. France founded colonies in the Americas: in eastern North America (which had not been colonized by Spain north of Florida ), a number of Caribbean islands (which had often already been conquered by the Spanish or depopulated by disease), and small coastal parts of South America.
Where was America found in 1497?
This year (1497), on St. John the Baptist's day (June 24th), the land of America was found by the merchants of Bristow, in a ship of Bristowe called the 'Mathew,' the which said ship departed from the port of Bristowe the 2nd of May and came home again the 6th August following.
Who named America?
In 1534, Joachim von Watt labelled it simply America. Gerardus Mercator applied the names North and South America on his influential 1538 world map; by this point, the naming was irrevocable. Acceptance may have been aided by the "natural poetic counterpart" that the name America made with Asia, Africa, and Europa.
What is the origin of the name Americus Vesputius?
Americus Vesputius was the Latinized version of the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci 's name, the forename being an old Italianization (compare modern Italian Enrico) of Medieval Latin Emericus (see Saint Emeric of Hungary ), from the Old High German name Emmerich, which may have been a merger of several Germanic names – Amalric, Ermanaric and Old High German Haimirich, from Proto-Germanic *amala- ('vigor, bravery'), *ermuna- ('great; whole') or *haima- ('home') + *rīk- ('ruler') (compare *Haimarīks ).
What was the name of the city that was known as America?
Hudd used a quote from a late 15th-century manuscript (a calendar of Bristol events), the original of which had been lost in an 1860 Bristol fire, that indicated the name America was already known in Bristol in 1497.
When was America first named?
The earliest known use of the name America dates to April 25, 1507, when it was applied to what is now known as South America. It appears on a small globe map with twelve time zones, together with the largest wall map made to date, both created by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges in France. These were the first maps to show the Americas as a land mass separate from Asia. An accompanying book, Cosmographiae Introductio, anonymous but apparently written by Waldseemüller's collaborator Matthias Ringmann, states, "I do not see what right any one would have to object to calling this part [that is, the South American mainland], after Americus who discovered it and who is a man of intelligence, Amerigen, that is, the Land of Americus, or America: since both Europa and Asia got their names from women". America is also inscribed on the Paris Green Globe (or Globe vert) which has been attributed to Waldseemüller and dated to 1506–07: as well as the single name inscribed on the northern and southern parts of the New World, the continent also bears the inscription: America ab inuentore nuncupata (America, named after its discoverer).
Where did the Americas get their name?
It is generally accepted that the name derives from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer, who explored the new continents in the following years.
Where did the name "America" come from?
In 1874, Thomas Belt proposed that the name derives from the Amerrisque Mountains of present-day Nicaragua. In 1875, Jules Marcou suggested a derivation from indigenous American languages where "Amerrique" originally named the prominent mountain range. Marcou corresponded with Augustus Le Plongeon, who wrote: "The name AMERICA or AMERRIQUE in the Mayan language means, a country of perpetually strong wind, or the Land of the Wind, and ... the [suffixes] can mean ... a spirit that breathes, life itself."
