Age+of+Exploration

1500-1800  Dylan and Sadie   //“Riches don't make a man rich, they only make him busier.” // -Christopher Columbus media type="custom" key="10464366" align="center" A World Map in this time


 * __Terms:__**
 * 1) Portolani- These were sailing charts that recorded the shapes of coastlines and the distances between ports. They were helpful over short distances, but not on oversea voyages because they didn't show the curve of the earth.
 * 2) Balance of Trade- This is the difference in value of the items that a nation imports and the items it exports over time. It's generally good to export things of greater value than the ones imported.
 * 3) Mercantilism- This is a set of principles in the seventeenth century that said the prosperity of a nation depended on its supply of gold and silver.
 * 4) Encomienda- This was the right Queen Isabella granted to the Spanish invadors of America to use the natives as forced laborers.
 * 5) Colony- A settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with its parent country by trade and direct governmental control.

Queen Isabella

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__**Important People:**__
 * 1) Christopher Columbus- This was the Italian that believed he could reach Asia by sailing across the Atlantic Ocean instead of around Africa. He instead discovered the Americas.
 * 2) Queen Isabella- She was the Queen of Spain who financed Christopher Columbus' journey to America. She also granted her conquistadors the right to use the natives as laberors.
 * 3) Amerigo Vespucci- He was another Italian who went on several voyages to America and wrote letters describing the land. America was eventually named after him.
 * 4) Francisco Pizarro- He took control of the Incan Empire in the Peruvian Andes Mountains. He brought the western part of Latin America under Spanish control.
 * 5) Vasco da Gama- The first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope and travel all the way to India to trade for spices. This route became immensely popular after he returned and made a huge profit.

Christopher Columbus **__Overview of The Age of Exploration__** In the Age of Exploration, the most obvious theme is exploring! There were several reasons for this interest. First, the Europeans wanted to expand their trading horizons. They were looking for new, easier ways to trade with Asia for their spices. Next, they wanted to spread their religion to the "poor heathen" that did not know Christianity. Therefore, on their journeys, they tried to convert those they encountered. The last reason for exploration is simple: Adventure! The Europeans wanted to have a daring adventure that would hopefully end with them discovering something important or becoming rich.

There were several important discoveries in this era. The first was made by a man named Vasco da Gama. He was the first European to reach India on the route around the Cape of Good Hope. This was a very profitable journey for him- his profit covered the cost of his journey sixty times over! The second important discovery was made by a man every American knows- Christopher Columbus. He sailed west from Europe, hoping to find a shorter, easier route to Asia for trade. He ended up sailing into the Americas, though he, to the end of his life, believed he'd discovered a way to India. Finally, there was Vasco Balboa. He was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. He named it the South Sea.

There were also several peoples conquered during this time. The first was the Native Americans, or the Indians, as Columbus called them. They traded with Columbus when he arrived. They gave corn, turkeys, potatoes, and precious metal; he gave horses, guns, and smallpox, a disease to which they had no resistance. Second, Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico. Cortes gave the Aztecs smallpox like the Native Americans, and also slaughtered them because they gave human sacrifices to their gods. Last, there were the Incans. Francisco Pizarro conquered this empire of Peru. Pizarro killed their Emperor, Atahualpa, himself. media type="custom" key="12013299" align="center" Depiction of a ship during this time