Age of Exploration and Discovery (Spain and Portugal)

The Age of Exploration (also known as the Age of Discovery) reaches the years 1400 to 1600. In
1492, Christopher Columbus discover the New World of the Americas. Early in the Age of
Exploration, Portugal and Spain made history. Through the Treaty of Tordesillas, the two
countries agreed to divide the New World. The Age of Exploration had a massive global impact,
transforming geography into the modern science that it is nowadays.
The Age of Exploration was an influential period in global geography history. Throughout this
limited moment, a significant portion of the unknown world was mapped. Furthermore,
significant advances in route planning were made, which aided future explorers.
It can be difficult and dangerous to equip a journey. Several ships never returned. So, what drew
Europeans to go exploring? The simple answer is money. While some explorers sought fame or
adventure, the primary goal of an exploration mission was to make money.
Endeavours made most of their money by discovering new trade routes for their respective
countries. When the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople in 1453, many existing trade
routes to India and China were cut off. But since they brought in expensive goods like spices and
silk, these trade routes were extremely valuable. New expeditions sought sea routes to India and
East Asia. Some expeditions, such as the Spanish expeditions to the Americas, became wealthy
after discovering gold and silver. They also discovered new land to establish colonies and grow
crops like sugar, cotton, and tobacco.
Portugal is thought to have started the Age of Exploration before the other three major nations,
thanks to expeditions led by Prince Henry the Navigator. Although he never went on his own
trips, Henry was instrumental in the early trips to Portugal and in revolutionizing the way these
trips were recorded. He founded a navigation school in 1419, where sailors honed their sailing
strategies, navigational tools, sail designs, and various methods. He is credited with being the
first to require ship captains to keep a record or log of their voyages. This was significant
because it allowed various explorers to combine their discoveries to create a common
denominator.
Early Portuguese explorers traveled south along Africa's western coast in search of a new route
to India and China in the early 1400s. Due to the overall success of these early explorers, Lisbon,
Portugal's capital, became Europe's main trade center at the time. Spain, Portugal's neighbor, was
envious of Portugal's explorations and the wealth that resulted from them, and wished to begin
its own explorations. Spanish explorers crossed the Atlantic Ocean westward rather than
southward, as Portuguese sailors did.
These early explorers sought a quicker trade route to East Asia, specifically China and India. The
most well-known example of an early Spanish explorer is Christopher Columbus. Despite his
Italian ancestry, Columbus sailed for Spain after receiving funding from the king and queen of
Spain.

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Age of exploration is divided into three major sectors. They are there to advance their economy,
religion, and glory. They desired to strengthen their economy by acquiring more spices, gold,
and better and faster trading routes. The impact of exploration voyages on European trade was
significant. Exploration and trade aided the growth of capitalism. This system is based on
making money by investing it profitably. By trading and selling goods from all over the world,
merchants amassed vast fortune.
The major developments in Europe that enabled the Age of Exploration were the development of
new navigational technology and the enhancement of existing technology. The Portuguese
improved the magnetic compass and astrolabe's accuracy, making navigation easier and more
practical. Spain and Portugal's objectives were to spread Catholicism and gain a commercial
advantage over Portugal. To that end, Ferdinand and Isabella funded extensive Atlantic
exploration.
The Age of Exploration was founded on revolutionary Renaissance technologies and ideas, such
as advances in cartography, navigation, and shipbuilding. The most significant development in
Iberia was the invention of the Carrack and then the Caravel.
Several tools were needed to make the Age of Exploration a success. These tools were most
useful in assisting explorers in crossing seas. The explorers were able to make their discoveries
thanks to technological advancements. Despite the fact that early explorers were frequently
motivated by a desire for gold or riches, or to conquer people and acquire land, often in the name
of religion, they used tools that were attempting to cut at the time.
What motivates you to go exploring? Interest. People were interested in finding out who and
what else was out there in the world. Wealth. Many people set out to find their fortune. Fame.
Some people wished to be remembered as a great historical figure. National esteem, religion,
foreign goods, and improved trade routes are all factors to consider.
What was the Age of Exploration's most significant impact? The spread of plants, animals, and
diseases was one of the most significant consequences of the Age of Exploration. Consider the
following examples of how biological exchanges have impacted people all over the world.
Explorers and conquistadors brought many new plants to the Americas. They brought with them
European crops such as barley and rye.
The Influence of the Age of Exploration New foods, plants, and animals were exchanged
between the colonies and Europe. Through a combination of disease, overwork, and massacres,
Europeans wiped out indigenous peoples.
Explorers did more harm than good during the Age of Exploration. Although the explorers
conquered new lands, amassed vast wealth, and spread the Word of God, the manner in which
they conquered other lands and treated natives was not truly kind.

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What were the differences and similarities between the first Spanish and Portuguese
explorations? In the Atlantic, Spain traveled more to the Americas, whereas Portugal traveled
east. Both countries were exploring new lands, which made them similar.
A variety of factors influenced European exploration, including economic, political, and
religious preferences. The growing desire to meet European demand for luxury goods, as well as
the desire to discover precious metals such as gold and silver, was a powerful motivator.
Portugal is an interesting country that has accomplished remarkable things due to its small size.
It extended its dominance over many parts of the world as a result of its industry, virtues, and
values, as well as the many heroes who served the country in succession.
Other reasons, intellectual in nature, drove the Portuguese to explore the world. The spirit of
crusade, chivalry, adventure, and profit energized the Portuguese of all social classes. Some
men's initiatives shaped Portugal's history. Among the most influential figures of the Age of
Discoveries were the navigators Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama, as well as Prince Henry
the Navigator and King D. Joo II.

The principle of discovery has been critically examined, and the history of the periodization's
core term has been presented. The phrase "age of discovery" has been used in historical literature
and is still popular today. According to J. H. Parry, who refers to the period as the Age of
Reconnaissance, the era resulted not only in European explorations to previously unknown
regions, but also in the expansion of geographical knowledge and empirical science. It also
witnessed the first significant victories of empirical inquiry over authority, as well as the
beginnings of the close relationship between science, technology, and everyday work that is an
essential feature of the modern Western world.
The use of the magnetic compass, as well as advances in ship design, were significant
technological advances during the Age of Exploration.
The navigation system was an addition to the ancient method of navigation based on sightings of
the sun and stars. By the 11th century, the compass was being used for navigation in China, and
Arab traders in the Indian Ocean had adopted it. The compass had spread throughout Europe by
the late 12th or early 13th century. The compass was first mentioned as a tool for navigation in
the Indian Ocean. In 1180, the compass was first mentioned in Europe. A "dry" compass with a
pivoting needle was used by the Europeans. Europe was also the birthplace of the compass card.
The Malay humans invented junk sails for seafaring independently at least several hundred years
before 1 BC, made of woven mats reinforced with bamboo. By the time of the Han dynasty (206
BC to 220 AD), the Chinese were using such sails, having learned about them from Malay
sailors who visited their southern coast. In addition to this type of sail, they also produced

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balance lugsails (Tanja sails). Because of their ability to sail against the wind, these sails made it
possible to sail around Africa's western coast. This type of sail also influenced the Arabs to the
west and the Polynesians to the east in the development of lateen and crab claw sails.
The Javanese have been building ocean-going merchant ships known as po since at least the first
century. It was over 50 meters long and had a freeboard of 4–7 meters. The PO was capable of
transporting 700 people as well as more than 10,000 h () of cargo (250–1000 tons, depending on
interpretation). They had four sails plus a bowsprit sail and were built with multiple planks to
withstand storms. The Javanese had arrived in Ghana by the eighth century.
Ships continued to expand, necessitating smaller crews and allowing them to sail for longer
periods of time without stopping. Long-distance shipping costs had dropped significantly by the
14th century.
Although its desire to simply explore the unknown and discover new knowledge is a common
human trait, many of the world's famous explorers lacked the funding necessary to embark on
their journeys with a ship, supplies, and a crew. As a result, many people turned to their
governments, which also had a desire to explore new territories. Several nations wanted
commodities like silver and gold, but one of the most compelling reasons for exploration was the
desire to find a new route for the spice and silk trades. Once the Ottoman Empire captured
Constantinople in 1453, it effectively closed off European access to the region, severely limiting
trade.

The first voyages associated with the Age of Discovery were led by the Portuguese. These
voyages differed from previous Portuguese expeditions in that they covered a much larger area.
Previously, sailors relied on portolan charts, which are land-feature-based maps created for
navigators. Previous voyages followed the coastlines because these charts relied on the ability to
see land. Sailing out of sight of land, the Portuguese used this method of navigation to discover
the Madeira Islands in 1419 and the Azores in 1427. The main goal of the Portuguese voyages,
on the other hand, was to find a trade route to West Africa that did not require crossing the
Sahara Desert. That first goal is reached in the mid-1400s with the establishment of a trading
port at Elmina in West Africa.
Christopher Columbus' famous voyages took place during the Age of Discovery as well. These
expeditions started as an attempt to find a western trade route to Asia. Instead, in 1492, he
arrived in America and shared knowledge of the newly discovered continent with Spain and the
rest of Europe. Soon after, the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral explored Brazil,
sparking a conflict between Spain and Portugal over newly claimed territories. As a result, the
Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, divided the world in half.

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During the Age of Exploration, other significant voyages of exploration included Ferdinand
Magellan's attempted circumnavigation of the globe, the search for a trade route to Asia via the
Northwest Passage, and Captain James Cook's voyages, which allowed him to map various areas
and travel as far as Alaska.
During the Commercial Revolution, European maritime nations competed for overseas markets,
colonies, and resources. The emergence of a new economic system occurred. New monetary and
banking systems were put in place. Mercantilism and other forms of economic activity evolved.
The mother country's economic needs hampered colonial economies.
Mercantilism: An economic practice adopted by European colonial powers in order to achieve
self-sufficiency; based on the theory that colonies existed to benefit the mother country. The
economic system of Europe. The goal is self-sufficiency (do not need outside help). To supply
resources, the mother country has colonies.

Person's journeys, such as Prince Henry the Navigator's, also improved navigation and mapping
methods. Previously, navigators relied on traditional portolan charts to keep them anchored to
the coast. One of the many goals of his expeditions was to create a new nautical chart so that
future sailors could sail out of sight of land. He did so by creating one of the first nautical maps.
Explorers such as Vasco De Gama, Columbus, and Cabral refined them later.
Despite the fact that much of the travel during the Age of Exploration was done to discover new
trade routes, it had a significant impact on geography. By traveling to different parts of the
world, explorers were able to learn more about areas such as Africa and the Americas. By
learning more about such places, explorers were able to bring knowledge of a larger world back
to Europe.
These explorations frequently brought to light new species (important for biogeography) and
human cultures, in addition to learning about the presence of the lands themselves. Cook's
voyages, for example, returned a substantial amount of information from previously unexplored
parts of the world.

The most significant outcomes of The Age of Exploration are as follows: great explorers of
distant lands and vast oceans discover overseas routes to connect to foreign lands for commodity
trading; the emergence of colonial empires that rise and fall as they compete for power and
wealth; and economic development, with both its benefits and atrocities in history.

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These were Spanish explorers who scouted vast areas of South and Central America in search of
riches and fame. The Aztecs of Mexico were conquered by Hernando Cortez, while the Incas of
South America were conquered by Francisco Pizarro.
CORTEZ AND THE AZTECS: In the early 1500s, rumors of a vast and wealthy empire in the
interior of the new continent, where Mexico is today, began to circulate. Hernando Cortez
decided to investigate to see if they were true. Cortez arrived in 1519 from Cuba with 600 men,
18 horses, and four cannons. The news quickly reached the Aztec Emperor Montezuma in the
Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. At the time, the Aztecs had constructed massive Pyramid Temples
where they sacrificed humans to their gods. The Aztecs were literate and could write, but they
had not discovered iron or how to make a wheel. They, too, had never seen horses.
The Spanish established a vast land empire. The government was determined to treat the natives
well, but the colonists were unconcerned about a distant government. They established vast
estates and enslaved the indigenous peoples.
The consequences of exploration and colonization: Spain became extremely wealthy as a result
of the extraction of tons of gold and silver from the Americas. Millions of natives died as a result
of European diseases to which they had no immunity. Millions more natives were sold as slaves
to work the land they had owned prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. As the Aztecs were
converted to Christianity, their native religion died. Native languages became extinct as Spanish
and Portuguese became the official languages of the new colonies.
The discovery of the New World fundamentally altered European worldviews. They realized that
the Bible, which they had assumed contained all of the world's knowledge, had fallen short of
their expectations. New objects, people, and animals were being introduced to the Old World,
and the Bible said nothing about any of them.

As a result, people began to question religion and whether it truly was the answer to all
problems. Science began to rise in importance, even rivaling religion in terms of power. This is
around the time when important discoveries about the world, such as Galileo's experiments with
space and gravity, were made. The Age of Exploration brought new ideas to the world, changing
it for the better. As soon as Cortes discovered the Aztecs living in what is now Mexico, Native
Americans began to die in droves. From the Old to the New World, a terrible disease had spread.
Over the years since the Europeans arrived, smallpox has killed 90 percent of all natives in the
new world. But how come this disease didn't wipe out the Europeans? The Europeans had spent
their entire lives in filth and dirt, making them susceptible to illness.
Only when Europeans met the Americans, they both saw new animals and plants. The horses of
Europe were large and majestic in comparison to the small animals that Americans were used to.

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Cows and pigs were also brought over from the Old World, introducing beef and pork to the
United States. Asian rice quickly gained popularity in the United States. Plants and animals from
the New World were similarly brought back to the Old World. Crops like potatoes, cacao, and
tobacco, as well as livestock like turkey, had never been seen in the New World before the Age
of Exploration. Delightful flavors were introduced to both sides of the Atlantic during the Age of
Exploration, and every food we eat today is a result of this connection.
Following the Europeans' discovery of the New World, more plants and crops were discovered.
These crops were in high demand in the Old World, and tens of thousands had to be imported
from America. They would kidnap Africans from their homes and bring them to the New World,
where they would be forced to work as slaves in the fields because there were so many crops to
grow and harvest. Slavery lasted more than 200 years.
The Renaissance came to an end in the early 17th century, when technological advances and
increased knowledge of the world enabled Europeans to sail around the world with ease.
Furthermore, by establishing settlements along the coasts of newly discovered areas, a network
of communication and trade was established, eliminating the need to search for trade routes.

Although this Age of Exploration came to an end in the 17th century, it is important to note that
exploration did not stop there. The Arctic and Antarctic regions were not extensively explored
until the nineteenth century, despite the discovery of Eastern Australia in 1770. Much of Africa
remained unexplored until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The Age of Discovery changed due to technological advancements and newfound knowledge of
the world. Europeans could easily travel across the seas to almost any part of the world in the
late 17th century. Because new settlements along coastlines established trade and community
networks, nations no longer saw direct trade routes as a necessity or a desire to invest in.
Following the Age of Discovery, other significant discoveries occurred. For example, Australia
was discovered in 1770. The Arctic and Antarctic regions of the world were not seriously
explored until the 1800s.
Though several trade routes sailed around and near Africa during the Age of Discovery, the
continent was not heavily explored until the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Throughout the end, the story of the Age of Exploration is about what it means to be human.
When faced with an inexplicable situation, some people reacted with greed, violence, and fear.
Others, on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity for innovation, creativity, and compassion.
They discovered a way to be human in a situation that no other human had ever faced. They were
the true heroes of the time.

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When the New World was discovered, the Europeans were introduced to many new things: new
races of people, new cultures and religions, new animals and plants, and everything was new.
Because many people were unsure what to do, some reacted instinctively: they did what was best
for them. To obtain resources, they would either use slaves to collect crops for money or start
wars with natives. Others, such as Bartolomé de las Casas, recognized the importance of other
people.
Individuals advocated for enslaved people and other victims. The heroes are not those who have
accumulated wealth or power by being evil. Heroes are those who speak up for the poor and the
weak.
This is noticeable that the world would be a different place today if not for the Age of
Exploration. Many of the changes that took place at the time can still be seen today. When you
order pizza in an Italian restaurant, keep in mind that the tomato was originally sent from
America to Italy. When you see Native Americans riding horses in a cowboy movie, it's easy to
forget that horses were brought to America from Europe. The concept of gravity, which we now
take for granted, was unknown at the time.

References:
10 great facts about the age of discoveries. (2019, April 24). Retrieved September 17, 2021, from
https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/10-great-facts-about-the-age-of-discoveries/

The age of discovery - European age of exploration: Famous explorers. (2014, November 08).
Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://famous-explorers.org/the-age-of-discovery/
Age of explorations. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2021, from
https://cr77madera.weebly.com/age-of-explorations.html