EUROPEANS EXPLORE THE EASTCh. 3 Section 1

Europeans were exposed to other lands before the 1400’s but for the most part were not interested in exploration.

the Crusades in the Holy Lands in the 1100’s and the Italian trader Marco Polo reached the court of Kublai Khan in China. This all changed in the early 1400’s with Europeans’ desire to spread Christianity, gain wealth from trade combined with new sailing technology spurred an age of European exploration.

God, Glory and GoldThe desire for new sources of wealth was the main reason for European exploration. Spices such as nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and pepper were introduced during the Crusades and demand only grew after the wars’ end.

The Muslims and Italians controlled the trade of goods from East to West. Muslims sold Asian goods to Italian merchants, who controlled

trade across the land routes of the Mediterranean region.

By the 1400’s European

merchants (as well as the new

monarchs of England, Spain,

Portugal and France) tried to

bypass the Italian

merchants in order to increase

their profits.

The desire to spread Christianity also fueled European exploration. The Crusades left hostilities between Christians and Muslims.

Christians believed that it was their duty to continue to fight the Muslims and to convert non-Christians throughout the world. Explorers like Bartolomeu Dias (Portugal) believed that they should serve God by converting non-Christians and in the process become rich by direct trade with the converted.

TechnologyTechnological advances enabled the explorers to pursue their goals of “God, glory and gold.” Before the 1400’s, ships could not sail against the wind, making long trans-oceanic voyages nearly impossible.

The caravel was a new ship built in the 1400’s which was sturdier than its predecessors. It allowed ships to navigate the rough open seas. Moreover, this vessel had triangular shaped sails which allowed it to sail against the wind.

Navigational techniques improved as well. The astrolabe (perfected by the Muslims) was a brass circle with carefully adjusted rings marked off in degrees. This was used to sight the stars and determine how far north or south of the equator the ship was.

A magnetic compass (invented by the Chinese) enabled sea captains to accurately track their direction.