Exploration and Voyages of Discovery Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Renaissance, and when did it happen?
A
- Means rebirth
- Started in the 1400s
- Was mostly new approaches to science, technology and forms of art
2
Q
List 4 goods that were in high demand from the Far East, and 2 issues with transporting them.
A
- Tea, silk, spices and perfumes
- They had to travel from places such as China/ India across land only, which had 2 main problems:
1. It was slow and time consuming
2. They had to pay taxes on the goods to the authorities of every territory they passed through
3
Q
What did people believe the world was like at the beginning of the 15th century, and how did the Renaissance affect this?
A
- They believed the world was flat, with edges that only went as far as Africa and Asia
- During Renaissance they started to realise the world was laid out differently
- They thought about sailing to the Far East
4
Q
When it came to exploration, how did England compare to the rest of Europe?
A
- Until Elizabeth’s reign, England was very behind
- Spain and Portugal were the furthest ahead
- They had discovered new continents, created new trade routes and conquered land from the Aztec and Inca empires
5
Q
List 8 reasons why there was more overseas exploration in Elizabeth’s reign.
A
- Sailors could make longer voyages due to developments in ship design and navigational instruments
- English seamen were well-trained, so supported captains such as Drake and Hawkins well
- The Renaissance had created a thirst for knowledge, which was fed with logs from sailors on voyages with people such as Francis Drake. For example, The Principal Navigations, Voyages and Discoveries of The English Nation by Richard Hakluyt
- Some Elizabethans felt like they had a duty to spread the advantages of their age and country to others, and believed that their influence would help the Native Americans
- English merchants needed to find new markets for their goods after the woollen cloth trade collapsed in the 1550s
- Spain was becoming increasingly powerful and rich due to the gold and silver from new Spanish colonies (mostly Mexico and Peru), and as relations worsened with England, these territories became big targets for English pirates
- The capture of Spanish cargo ships (such as the Cacafuego) carrying gold and silver, were highly profitable. It was a way for investors (usually the Queen and the upper-class) to make a quick profit, and also created a regular wage for sailors
- A motive was to convert ‘heathen’ lands to Christianity- Spain had been converting them to Catholicism, so English explorers wanted to spread Protestantism and prevent the rise of Catholicism
6
Q
Describe 6 ways in which ships and navigation were improved.
A
- The Portuguese had improved ships in the early 1500s to produce huge galleons and compact caravels as well
- Lateen (triangular) sails were now fitted on ships, which allowed them to catch strong winds more easily
- More sophisticated artillery existed, such as rapid-firing guns
- In 1569 Mercator, a Flemish mapmaker, made sea charts showing latitude and longitude
- Astrolabes- devices used to find latitude- were more sophisticated
- Astrolabes and magnetic compasses were used together to determine true north
7
Q
Give 3 examples of Portuguese accomplishments during the age of discovery.
A
- Diaz was the first European navigator around Africa’s southern tip, which then became a trade route to Asia
- Da Gama was the first European to get to India by sea
- Amerigo Vespucci (for whom South America was named) realised the ‘New World’ was a fourth continent
8
Q
Give 2 examples of Spanish accomplishments during the age of discovery.
A
- Columbus made the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America
- Magellan was the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean, circumnavigate the world, and he found the southern tip of South America
9
Q
Give an example of an English accomplishment during the early age of discovery.
A
- Cabot made the first known exploration of North America
10
Q
What did John Hawkins do?
A
- 3 voyages during the 1560s
- Captured Africans from West Africa, and sold them to Spanish settlers in Central America and the West Indies
- On his third voyage in 1567, the Spanish attacked his fleet (1568), and he lost 4 ships and more than 200 men
- He stayed in England after this and designed ships for the navy instead
11
Q
When did Drake circumnavigate the world, and what were his 5 aims?
A
- 1577-80
- He wanted to attack Spanish settlements as revenge for the Spanish attack on Hawkins’ fleet in 1568
- To capture gold and silver to pay back his investors
- Drake was a Puritan, so wanted to weaken strong Catholic nations
- He wanted to establish colonies to strengthen England
- As many of his investors were merchants, he wanted to find new trade routes and markets
12
Q
What did Drake leave with when before his circumnavigation, and what did he return with?
A
- 5 ships, 164 sailors
- Gold, silver and jewels worth £140,000 (around £200 million today)
- 1 ship (the Golden Hind), 55 men
13
Q
When did Drake leave England on his circumnavigation of the world?
A
- 15th November 1577
- The ships encountered such severe storms they came back for repairs 3 days later
- They set off again in December
14
Q
How did Drake sail to Brazil, and when did he reach it?
A
- He sailed down the west coast of Africa to the Cape Verde Islands
- He captured a Portuguese ship and its cargo of wine
- They then began to cross the Atlantic Ocean
- April 1578
15
Q
Describe what Drake and his crew did when navigating around South America, and when they left the continent.
A
- Drake reduced the size of the fleet to 3 ships
- They reached the Strait of Magellan in August 1578
- Drake realised Tierra Del Fuego (the land south of the Strait of Magellan) was a group of islands
- While sailing up the west coast of South America, the crew encountered storms and only the Golden Hind continued the voyage
- They attacked Spanish settlements and the Cacafuego and took gold, silver, silk and coins
- They left the continent in April 1579
