States and private enterprises were similar in their roles in the fur, spice and slave trades in that they both tried to establish monopolies by any means possible as well as their roles in trade constantly benefitting Europe, however they differ greatly in their treatment of native people who were in their path to become involved in global commerce. Both private enterprises and states were similar in the spice, fur and slave trades as they both sought to establish monopolies on different forms of trade during the early modern era. After the travels of Vasco de Gama discovered the open commercial network of Indian Ocean commerce, which could provide valuable goods that could be used in Asian networks due to the low value of European goods,
Christopher Columbus determination to find a water route west from Europe to Asia influenced the Age of Exploration greatly. Especially King Henry VII who was eager to increase wealth for Europe. King Henry VII sent Columbus to discover a water route west from Europe to Asia. He also in 1496, issued letters patent to Cabot and his son, which authorized them to make a voyage of discovery and to return with goods for sale on the English market. He also encouraged Cabot’s second voyage.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa is a Spanish conquistador who spent many years exploring the Isthmus of Panama and the surrounding areas in the early 1500’s. Balboa was sent to explore anywhere in the New World as long as another explorer was of had not already explored there. The only other request of Balboa was that he had to give one fifth of the riches he found to Spain. We believe that Balboa’s personal motives in exploring this area were to take over the land and acquire gold and other riches. He would stop at nothing to acquire these riches.
This happened because they saw the value of Indian Ocean trade and began to colonize for economic purposes. Because of the dark ages, it took a while for the Europeans to discover the Indian Ocean trading. Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the Indian Ocean trade network resulted in Portuguese invasion attempts to capture the port cities, which harmed the once economically prosperous Swahili city states, as well as the commerce of the Indian Ocean itself. However, the attempts to control the commerce of the Indian Ocean by the Portuguese ultimately failed. Globally, just as European involvement increased in the commerce of the Indian Ocean region, Europeans began trading with the Americas during the Columbian Exchange.
Did you know that the Age of Exploration was one of the most important times in the history of world geography? Without explorers, the world would not be as developed as it is right now, which is why explorers should be celebrated and glorified in modern times. Explorers were great navigators, they developed technology for travelling, they have also spread, introduced, and traded food, animals, and resources as well as hugely contributed to the growth of capitalism. During the Age of Exploration, technology for travelling was not developed, but explorers were great navigators and came up with genius ideas to find their way through places.
During this period, innovations in ship building and knowledge on the sea made long travels possible. More people started exploring, searching for new information and wealth. Vasco da Gama and his expedition were exploring a sea route to India. Vasco da Gama said, “...they needed not what was to be found in this country...but desired to be his friend and brother.” (Doc 4) Vasco da Gama had been sent by the king of Portugal claiming that the king had wanted to improve his relationship with India.
The Age of Exploration, and the colonization that followed it, have shaped contemporary society in countless ways, all of which resulted in major cultural exchanges and monumental discoveries. Whether it be its influence on religion, colonization, government, or trade, the Age of Exploration has affected the entire world and has had a significant impact on geography. During this time period, European explorers and conquistadors colonized the Americas, the Transatlantic Slave Trade was established, and Portugal advanced trade by discovering a direct route to Asia. Essentially, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and Americans were notably impacted by the Age of Exploration because it allowed for the expansion of trade and trade routes, led to the mass
Knowing this, if Zheng He and Vasco de Gama had crossed paths on the Indian Ocean, China’s ships would have most likely attacked and demolished the Europeans ships because they were on what they recognized as their territory. Zheng He’s ships could’ve easily exterminated the four European ships due to their size and bulk. If this had happened Europe likely would have abandoned their voyage and over time would’ve stopped financing trips similar to de Gama’s. This would have then forced them to expand their empire somewhere else, or not at all. This may have greatly weakened or interrupted Western European dominance for another several hundred
In 1445, he sent a navigator named Alvise da Cadamosto on an expedition in west Africa in 1456. He sailed up The Gambia River to the Gene River and tried to trade with the Africans, but did not succeed. In 1458, Henry The Navigator sent Diogo Gomes on an expedition that reached Cape Palmas. Henry The Navigator died the same year the expedition returned in 1460. Portugal had become a strong sea coping nation with extraordinary income from sea trading routes because of Henry The Navigator.
Emphasis was placed on travelling by ship, as famous explorers like Henry the Navigator and Vasco de Gama launched explorations to try and find new passages to the West Indies. Possibly the most important voyage began by a European explorer during the Age of Exploration was Christopher Columbus’ journey, sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The goal of Columbus’ journey was, like other explorers during that time period, to find the shortest route possible to the world’s largest trading centers located in China, India, and islands off of Asia known as the West Indies. However, during Columbus’ journey, his ship
Vasco de Gama impacted the indigenous people of Africa. On the first expedition they spent 4 months out on sea before reaching a bay called St Helena Bay which Vasco de Gama named which was after a Religious Mother of Constantine the Great. When they stopped on land to make repairs, look for water, and check their position they make their first encounter with the Khoikhoi. They come to a misunderstanding and Khoikhoi throw spears which wounded Vasco in the thigh. Which then the battered ships came in three days later and Vasco starts to trade with the people.
European explorers and conquistadors during the age of exploration were motivated by three things: God, gold and glory. The two most prominent of the three between 1492 and 1607 were gold and glory. Beginning in 1492 gold motivated many explorers, from Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World to the Virginia Company’s colonization of America. Gold is a symbol for wealth, and many explorers soon realized the New World’s potential for wealth. The Spanish’s interest in wealth inspired Columbus’s expedition in the first place, as he was sent to India to trade for spices.
Some people did not think that the Atlantic Ocean was connected with the Indian Ocean so they taught that it was not possible. But Vasco Da Gama taught that it was possible so he left Lisbon on the 8th of July in 1497, with four ships and sailed on the Atlantic ocean. After five months of sailing on the Atlantic ocean,Vasco da Gama then successfully sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean on November The 22nd. After he made some stops along cities in the eastern African nations and after struggling with Muslim traders in the Indian Ocean with their trade routes. da Gama reached Calicut, India on 20th of May in
After news and information of Columbus’s expedition spread across Europe faster than ever with Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, colonists saw several benefits of settling in the newly-discovered land and European exploration began to skyrocket. In 1493, European colonization of the New World quickly became the single goal of several countries, including Spain, France, and England. European Colonists finally acquired the necessary resources to explore the New World and decided to take action around 1497. According to Eric Foner’s Give Me Liberty, Countries in Europe competed with each other in order to be regarded as the most superior and wealthiest nation along with having a high amount of national glory. (Eric Foner, ed., Give Me Liberty, 51).
The Age of Exploration, starting from the 15th century and lasting until the beginning of the 17th century, was a period of time in which the Europeans explored the Americas and Africa while searching for a more efficient trade route with Asia. However, the Europeans did not just discover this lands, but also made use of them and the native population. The causes of the Age of Exploration were “God, Gold and Glory” which effects were the expansion of Christianity, importation of precious resources into Europe and colonization of new lands. The first cause of the Age of Exploration was “God” which resulted in an expansion of Christianity.
