Why Europeans Went Exploring

Ch 1

Crusades

• Crusades-began in France (1095), when Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont exhorted Christendom to war

• Religious motives dominated at first, but worldly considerations were never absent

• Constantinople in shreds

The Renaissance (1300-1600)

• Near the end of the middle ages, Christians of western Europe launched the crusades to take Jerusalem back from the Muslims (Islam).

• Thousands of europeans traveled to the holy land only to find they had much to learn from the east. (exchange of knowledge)

The Renaissance (cont.)

• Commerce grew

• Minds were opened as scholars translated books of poetry, adventures, and science from Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian

• This leads to a great revival of ancient architecture, learning, painting. (Leonardo de Vinci and Michelangelo)

The Renaissance (cont.)

• Books-previously all copied by hand (long books took 6 months)

• In 1456 Johann Gutenberg invented the movable type, and printed the bible the same year.

• This opened a new world for books and the age of learning had begun

• Astronomy was born: Copernicus showed that the earth revolved around the sun

The Rise of Nation States

• Age of nationalism was about to begin

• People began to take pride in their nationality.

• They were more adventurous and went out exploring to plant their flag abroad

• This contributes to age of discovery & learning.

The lure of the East

• In 1271 the Venetian merchants Maffeo, Nicolo Polo, and his son Marco, traveled to China. 17 years later they returned with gold, silks, and jewels.

• 2 centuries later when Marco Polo’s book was printed (read by Columbus) Monarchs began to think of a sea route to the east.

The Techniques of Discovery

• Prince Henry “The Navigator” (1394-1460)• Set up a school for explorers at Cape St. Vincent

on the Southwestern tip of Portugal• He pushed voyages of discovery along the coast of

Africa, although this was the long way • Portuguese designed new kind of sailing ship

called “Caravel”• 1488 Barthalomeu Diaz sails around the southern

tip of Africa and the eastern sea route to the East is now open