The Empires of Europe
Colonization and Exploration
SS6H6
Age of Exploration The Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration
was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century, during which Europeans explored the world by ocean searching for trading partners and particular trade goods.
The most desired trading goods were gold, silver and spices.
Why spices?
cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric were commonly used as currency
Spices were used to flavor foods, preserve meats, and to preserve other foods before refrigeration.
Portugal
Earliest and longest empire, from 1415-1999 (Macau)
1488 – Bartolomeu Dias explored the Cape of Good Hope (Africa)
1498 -- Vasco de Gama explored India
Portugal
Monarchs saw it as their duty to spread Christianity and destroy Islam
Reaching other lands would allow them to control the spice trade in Asia
Portugal’s colonies and empire
Prince Henry the Navigator1394-1460
Although he was called Prince Henry the Navigator by the English, Prince Henry never actually sailed on any of the voyages of discovery he sponsored. Instead, Prince Henry established a school for the study of the arts of navigation, mapmaking, and shipbuilding.
Prince Henry the Navigator
His goal was to find a route to the rich spice trade of the Indies and to explore the west coast of Africa.
Portugal and the Slave Trade
It is estimated that during the 4 1/2 centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Portugal was responsible for transporting over 4.5 million Africans
Europeans needed workers to labor in the newly established colonies, especially in the sugar and cotton fields.
Triangular Trade
Spain
15th-19th Century: Spain had the largest colonial empire in the world.
Explored most of North and South America
Spain’s colonies and exploration
Spanish Exploration
Columbus: wanted to create a new trade route to India by sailing west
Hernan Cortez: conquered the Aztec empire of Mexico, mostly by disease
Fransisco Pizzaro: conquered the Incan empire of Peru
All conquistadors wanted gold, silver, and goods to send back to Europe
France
1608 – Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec (Canada). Used the colony for a fur trade with France.
1664 – establishes Haiti as a sugar colony
1699 – founded Louisiana, which connected with Canada through the Mississippi River.
France’s colonies and empire
France
Many countries took over France’s colonies during WWII.Japan: IndochinaBritain: Morocco, Algeria, and Syria1947: Vietnam declares its
independence
England (or Great Britain)One of the most important colonizers of
the AmericasFirst colony in North America was
Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, then parts of Canada in 1608.
13 colonies rebelled against England in 1775, and the Revolutionary War ended in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
England
Had over 14 colonies in the Caribbean
Conquered India by 1857 by controlling the East India Company, which traded goods
Controlled India until 1947.
England
1770 – James Cook discovers Australia, and by 1787, convicts are sent to the area and Australia is established as a prison colony.
1829 – Australia is officially declared a colony, exporting wool and gold.
British Empire
Between 1815 and 1914, a period referred to as Britain's "imperial century" by some historians, roughly 400 million people were added to the British Empire .
British empire and colonies