Chapter 4, Section 1 What motivated Europeans to begin the Age of Exploration and establish colonies?

Many Europeans read explorer Marco Polo’s book and were fascinated by what they imagined as the exotic East. They had high hopes of expanding trade, finding precious metals, and converting indigenous people to Christianity.

The development of new navigational instruments and technology made possible the journeys of European explorers like Columbus, de Gama and Dias.

Portuguese sea captains heard reports of a route to India around the southern tip of Africa. They sought to dominate the spice trade. Under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese fleets began probing southward along the western coast of Africa.

Christopher Columbus believed he could reach Asia by sailing west instead of east around Africa. He persuaded Queen Isabella of Spain to finance an exploratory expedition. In October 1492, he reached the Americas, where he explored the coastline of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.

Ferdinand Magellan: In September 1519, he set sail from Spain in search of a sea passage through the Americas. In October 1520, Magellan passed through the tip of South America, later called the Strait of Magellan, into the Pacific Ocean.

Conquistadores: The Spanish conquerors of the Americas whose firearms, organizational skills, and determination brought them extraordinary success.

Hernan Cortés arrived at Tenochtitlán (Mexico) and was welcomed by the Aztec monarch Montezuma. Cortes and his men had superior weapons, Indian allies, and carried small pox. After four months, the Aztec surrendered.

During the 30 years after the fall of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish expanded their control to all of Mexico.

Francisco Pizarro: Spanish conquistador who defeated the Incans of the Central Andes with a mix of steel weapons, gunpowder, horses, and smallpox. By 1535, Pizarro had established a new capital at Lima for a new colony of the Spanish Empire.

The Dutch formed the West India Company The Dutch formed the West India Company. In the 17th century, Dutch settlements were established on the North American continent and named New Netherland. In 1664 the English seized the colony of New Netherland from the Dutch and renamed it New York.

Treaty of Tordesillas: (1494) The treaty called for a boundary line extending from north to south through the Atlantic Ocean. This treaty gave Portugal control over its route around Africa, and it gave Spain rights to almost all of the Americas.