Lesson 1- A Changing World

Why do people take risks?

● The oceans were the “great unknown” to Europeans in the 1400s.

● They were scared to travel too far in any direction. Why would this be scary?

● Soon though, Europeans would travel farther than they ever had before.

● New tools made this possible!

New Trade Routes● Merchants are people who make their living buying and

selling goods. European merchants would risk everything for the chance to make money.

● Chinese traders brought goods along a trade route called the Silk Road.

● European merchants purchased these goods and then sold them in Europe.

● Where was the Silk Road?

New Trade Routes● The Silk Road was protected by the

Mongolian Empire. When the empire collapsed, traveling on the Silk Road became dangerous.

● What happened to the price of Asian goods? Why would this happen?

● European merchants tried new trade routes throughout the Middle East and Africa but Arab merchants charged high prices. Europeans were at a loss of what to do!

● If only there was another way!

Exploring the OceansEuropeans still wanted goods from Asia, but they had to find another way to get them.

They turned to the seas despite their fears!

Portugal Sails South

● Prince Henry of Portugal did not believe the legends about monsters and other dangers lurking in the ocean.

● He wanted Portuguese ships to sail south along Africa to get to Asia.

● European sailors were scared because this route was not well known to them. However, Prince Henry encouraged them!

Portugal Sails South

● Prince Henry and his men were successful in sailing the coasts of Africa.

● Portugal became a major super power in Europe.

● Soon, other European powers wanted to find new routes to Asia as well.

● The Age of Exploration had begun!

Primary and Secondary Sources

● For centuries, people told tales of Prince Henry’s “school for sailors.”

● Recently, historians have shown that no such school existed. However, we have paintings of it.

● Paintings like this were secondary sources.

● Why is it always important to have more than one source when studying history?

Improving Navigation● Navigation tools from other countries made European

explorations easier.● Navigation is the science of getting ships from place to

place.● As we discuss each navigation tool, think about how

each made exploration safer and easier.

The Astrolabe

● Europeans learned about the Astrolabe from Arab traders.

● This tool measures the height of stars in the sky.

● The Astrolabe helped sailors find their ship’s latitude.

● How would this make navigation safer and easier?

● Remember, latitude is a location north or south of the Equator.

Orienteering Compass

● The orienteering compass is an ancient Chinese invention.

● The compass shows the direction of travel. It helps sailors orient, or position, their ships.

● Compasses have a magnetic arrow that aligns itself with Earth’s magnetic poles.

● How would the orienteering compass make navigation safer and easier?

The Sextant

● Measuring longitude was still impossible until the invention of the sextant.

● John Bird invented this tool.● Now, navigation and mapmaking became

more accurate.● In fact, this tool is still used today!

Seaworthy Ships● The Stern Rudder- The Chinese used an oar that hung off the stern

(back of the boat) to control the direction of a ship. This addition made steering much easier.

● The Caravel- Sailing still was not perfect. Sailors needed to be able to catch more wind so they could travel faster. The Portuguese developed the caravel. How did the caravel work? Why was this ship better than previous ships that explorers used?