The+age+of+Discovery

**__ UNIT 7 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY __** At the beginning of the 15th century, Europeans knew little more than Europe and the lands around the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. The existence of India, China and Japan was shown by **Marco Polo’s journeys** and the trade routes that brought silk and spices to Europe. The rest of the world was a total mistery. In the 15th century, European countries launched many maritime expeditions. There were different reasons for this. The Portuguese established trading posts along the new routes and created a great empire. He presented his project to the Catholic Monarchs who decided to finance the expedition. On 3 August 1492, the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa María, left the port of Palos de la Frontera, in Huelva. But Columbus’ calculations were wrong. He thought the Earth was much more smaller than it actually was. Weeks passed and the crew complained. Finally, they saw land on 12 October 1492. Columbus thought he had reached Cipango (Japan), but the land belonged to an unknown continent. It was later called **America** in honour of an Italian sailor, Amerigo Vespucci, who realised this fact. Columbus made three more expeditions to explore and establish Castilian dominion of these territories. He died in 1506, still firmly convinced that he had reached India. In 1519, an expedition of five boats and 250 sailors left Seville, captained by **Ferdinand Magellan**, with his second-in-command, **Juan Sebastián Elcano**. Their goal was to find a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, in Asia. They found a strait connecting both oceans, called the Strait of Magellan. The captain was killed in a fight with the Philippine natives, and Elcano took command. The expedition headed for the Moluccas and loaded up with valuable spices. Then, they set sail for Spain. After three years, only eighteen men and one ship, the Victoria, returned. They were the first to circumnavigate the world and prove that the Earth was round. Portugal and Spain created great overseas empires. To prevent problems between the two countries, unexplored regions were divided between them in the **Treaty of Tordesillas**, in 1494. These explorations marked the beginning of **European supremacy** over the rest of the world. Different European countries began to acquire territory and extend their influence on other continents, and the rivalry between them grew. The discoveries brought major progress in **science**. They contributed to developments in geography, natural sciences and cartography. One of the most important consequences was the contact between different peoples. Knowledge was exchanged. However, **diseases** introduced by the Europeans caused a big mortality in the **indigenous population** of America.
 * SOCIAL STUDIES. Summaries in English **
 * COUNTRIES KNOWN TO EUROPE IN THE 15TH CENTURY **
 * REASONS FOR THE DISCOVERIES **
 * Firstly, they needed to find new trade routes to the East. Constantinople fell in Turkish hands in 1453. This interrupted the trade routes between Europe and the Far East.
 * Secondly, there were important **technical advances** which improved navigation. New maps called **portulan charts** that showed the coastline and any obstacles at sea; **navigational instruments**, such as the **compass**, the **astrolabe** and the **quadrant**; ships, such as **caravels**, which could travel longer distances.
 * THE NEW SEA ROUTES **
 * Portuguese expeditions ** . From the early 15th century, the Portuguese monarchs and **Prince Henry the Navigator** looked for a new sea route to **India** around the coast of Africa. The Madeira Islands were discovered in 1418 and the Azores in 1431. Later expeditions explored the African coast. In 1488, **Bartolomeu Dias** rounded the Cape of Good Hope, opening the sea route to the Indian Ocean. Ten years after, **Vasco de Gama** reached India.
 * Spanish and Portuguese rivalry ** . The Crown of Castile was Portugal’s biggest rival in the search for new routes to India. The Castilians sailed to the west across the Atlantic, circumnavigating the Earth.
 * The Caravel ** . The caravel of the 15th and 16th centuries was faster and more spacious than its predecessors. It had square sails for speed and triangular sails for manoeuvre. It generally had three masts. Caravels had a crew of less than thirty men. The captain and the officials had their own cabins, but the rest of the crew slept in one cabin. Without oarsmen, there was more space in the hold for cargo. These ships also carried cannons to defend themselves.
 * THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA **
 * Christopher Columbus ** was a Genovese sailor. He was convinced he could reach the eastern coast of Asia by crossing the Atlantic Ocean because he thought that the world was round.
 * MAGELLAN’S EXPEDITION **
 * THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DISCOVERIES **