European exploration
From the 1400s, European sailors opened sea routes to Africa, Asia, and the Americas, beginning an age of global connection and conquest.
Motives
Europeans explored for 'God, gold, and glory': spreading Christianity, seeking wealth, especially spices and gold, and gaining prestige. They wanted direct access to Asian trade, which was controlled by Ottoman, Venetian, and other intermediaries. Rivalry among European monarchies drove competition.
Technology
New and borrowed technologies made long voyages possible: the caravel (a nimble ship with lateen sails), the magnetic compass (from China), the astrolabe and improved maps, and gunpowder weapons. Printing helped spread geographic knowledge.
Portugal
Portugal led early exploration, encouraged by Prince Henry 'the Navigator'. Portuguese sailors worked down the West African coast; Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488; Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498. Portugal built a trading empire of fortified ports from Africa to Asia, including Goa and Macau, and claimed Brazil in 1500.
Columbus
Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, reached the Caribbean in October 1492, believing he had reached Asia. His voyages began sustained European contact with the Americas. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) divided newly found lands between Spain and Portugal along a line in the Atlantic.
Circumnavigation
Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, sailing for Spain from 1519, crossed the Pacific; Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521, but one ship, under Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the first circumnavigation of the globe in 1522, proving the scale of the oceans.
Other powers
Other European states followed. The Dutch East India Company (VOC, founded 1602) dominated the spice trade in Indonesia. The English and French established colonies in North America and trading posts in India. Joint-stock companies spread the risks and profits of overseas ventures among many investors.
Zheng He's voyages
Earlier, between 1405 and 1433, China's Ming dynasty sent Admiral Zheng He on seven great voyages to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa with huge fleets far larger than Columbus's. The voyages displayed Chinese power and collected tribute, but the Ming court ended them, turning toward internal concerns.
Worked example
Comparing Zheng He's fleet with Columbus's: Zheng He commanded hundreds of ships and about 27,000 men, with treasure ships much larger than any European vessel; Columbus sailed with three small ships and about 90 men. China had the capacity for overseas expansion but chose not to pursue it, while competing European states, seeking profit, kept pushing outward.
Key takeaways
Europeans explored for religion, wealth, and glory, aiming to reach Asian trade directly. Caravels, compasses, and astrolabes enabled voyages. Portugal led, reaching India in 1498 and building a trading empire. Columbus reached the Caribbean in 1492; Tordesillas (1494) divided claims. Magellan's expedition circumnavigated the globe by 1522. The Dutch, English, and French followed with joint-stock companies. Zheng He's earlier, larger Chinese voyages ended in 1433.
Flashcard
Motives for exploration
Check your understanding
Why did the Ming dynasty's great voyages under Zheng He end in 1433?