Reasons for European Exploration Flashcards
(22 cards)
What was the Rennaissance?
a period of time of major invention and creativity in Europe
What happened Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries? what were 5 causes of the change?
The Renaissance
People began to
- invent
- think about things
- paint
- build
- explore much more than they had done in the past
What do historians say was the reason for the creativity in Europe during the Rennaissance?
because Europeans had had made contact with other cultures
What did Europeans’ contact with other cultures inspire them to do?
- Make beautiful buildings & artworks
- Invent useful things
- Think about science
- Travel and explore the world
How did Europeans originally make contact with other cultures?
through trade with the Arab & African traders
Describe how Italian cities like Venice & Genoa got rich in the 1400 and 1500s
- Arab traders travelled to India & Africa and brought back spices & gold
- Arab traders sold those things to Italian traders
- Italian traders resold the goods at high prices
- Money was used to commission artists to
- build beautiful buildings
- paint pictures
What influenced the inventions of the Rennaisance?
Ideas that Italian traders got from the Arab traders
Discuss the impact that trade had on Europe during the 15th and 16th century
- Trade meant contact with other cultures and that inspired Europeans to:
- Make beautiful buildings & artworks
- Invent useful things
- Think about science
- Travel and explore the world - Trade made the Italians rich (because Italian traders got gold & spices from Arab and then the Italian traders resold at much higher prices). That meant they could commission artists
Give a reason why people from Europe began to explore the world during the Renaissance
New inventions made this easier
eg.
gunpowder
magnetic compass
Where was gunpowder first made?
China
What was gunpowder first used for?
fireworks to chase away evil spirits
How did Europeans find out about gunpowder?
information about gun powder was brought to Europe by Chinese & Indian traders who came to Europe overland
What was gunpowder a useful invention for Europeans who wanted to explore the world?
- Helped them make weapons
- They used the weapons to control towns along the coast of Africa
- These towns acted as places to stop on their exploration journeys
- They were able to restock food & fresh water at these towns
What is a compass?
An instrument that helps travellers find their way.
It uses the earth’s magnetic field to show North & South (because a magnet will always point North to South)
Why was the compass an important invention?
Made travelling easier when used with a map.
It made sure travelers didn’t get lost
Discuss how using a map and compass made it easier for travelers from Europe to explore the world
A compass helped the travelers know which direction they were going.
A map showed the travelers which direction the should be going
How did Europeans learn about magnetic instruments for finding North & South?
from China
the directions North, South, East & West were named by someone. Where was that someone from?
Italy
What features of the caravel made it a good ship for exploring the world?
- good for long voyages
- it managed well in rough seas
- could carry 20 people
- could move easily through the water
Why did the Portugese need better ships in the Renaissance?
They wanted to travel & explore the world
BUT
their ships were too big & heavy for long journeys
Where do Historians think the design for the caravel came from.
There are different ideas:
1. the design of local fishing boats were copied
2. the design from a small Arab trading boat
