Download - Lesson 3: European Explorers
Lesson 3: European Explorers
September 17th, 2012
The VikingsSkilled sailors from Scandinavia
Sailed in sleek wooden sail boats powered by oars
They sailed as far east as Asia, as far south as Africa and as far west as North America
Eric the Red
Eric the RedEarly Viking explorer
Sailed west to Iceland He was eventually thrown out of Iceland
He sailed further west Eric landed in a place he called Greenland
The land was very cold, despite the name Why do you think he called it Greenland?
Leif Ericsson
Leif EricssonHeard about a land even further westHe sailed to find it in 1000 A.D.
Eventually landed in North AmericaEricsson and his crew were probably the first
Europeans to set foot on North America
VinlandEricsson and his crew landed on Newfoundland
His crew found grapes growing there, so they called it Vinland or “Land of Wine”
Vikings eventually settled in Vinland Until 1015, when conflicts with American Indians
sent them back home
Viking SagasHow do you think we know so much about
Vikings if they had no written language?
RecapWho were the two explorers we discussed?Where were they from?
The RenaissanceA new age that began in Italy about 1350Renaissance means rebirth
How do you think it was a rebirth?Cities like Venice became centers of trade
What do you think happened for Italy as a result of increased trade?
The Renaissance Spreads
The Renaissance spread to other parts of Europe This was thanks in part to the invention of the
printing press by Johann GutenbergWhat was the printing press?How did it help the spread of Renaissance ideas?
The Printing Press
Other Advances Improved ship design and ship building
Europeans adopted improvements from other cultures, such as the magnetic compass (Chinese) and the astrolabe (Muslims)
Ships were safer and fasterHow would this affect travel?
RecapWhat this period of rebirth known as?What helped it to spread?
The Portuguese Explore the African Coast
Europeans needed to find a better route to Asia The Silk Road was long and dangerous It was often controlled by merchants who
charged a high price for tradeEuropeans began looking for new trade routes
What alternatives do you think they could have used?
PortugalThe Portuguese took the lead in finding sea
routes
Prince Henry the Navigator
Portugal Explores the World
Prince Henry encouraged exploration He gathered the best in many fields to improve
navigationHenry sent Portuguese ships south along the
Atlantic coast of Africa Explorers continued travelling farther and farther
on each voyage They mapped the African shore and collected
African gold
The Slave TradeThe buying and selling of human beings
Turn to p. 113 and we will read about the slave trade
Recap What country took the lead in exploration in
the 1400’s?
A Sea Route to IndiaPortuguese exploration continued after Prince
Henry died (1460) This exploration was led by Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias
Dias Goes ExploringDias and his 3 ships nearly reached Africa’s
southern tipThey were caught in violent storms and blown
around the southern tip of Africa They reached the Indian Ocean
What do you think happened next?
The Cape of Good HopeDias went back to Portugal and reported he
found the tip of Africa, which he called the “Cape of Storms”
The king of Portugal renamed it the “Cape of Good Hope” Why is this a better name?
Recap What land did Dias discover in Africa?What did he call it?What was it eventually named?
Vasco Da Gama
Da Gama’s MissionVasco Da Gama and his four ships left to sail
around the Cape of Good HopeThey sailed east across the Indian Ocean and
reached India in 1498 Portuguese merchants eventually settled in
Calicut, IndiaThey bought spices at low prices and shipped
them back to Europe
RecapWhere did Da Gama and his crew eventually
land?
Exploration ContinuesTurn to p. 115