The Monarchies of Europe

 What was the Scientific Revolution?  What happened during the Age of Exploration?  How was the English monarchy different from others in Europe?  What was the relationship between England and its colonies?

 Developed during the 1500s and 1600 ◦ The spirit of the Renaissance paved the way for its development.  During this period, the Europeans began looking at the world in a different way. ◦ Used instruments such as the microscope and the telescope ◦ Set up scientific experiments ◦ Used mathematics to learn about the natural world  This scientific approach produced new knowledge in the fields of astronomy, physics, and biology.  Other discoveries and advances such as better ships, improved maps, and compasses allowed explorers to venture farther over the seas than before. ◦ These discoveries paved the way for the Age of Exploration.

Sir. Isaac Newton Copernicus Galileo Galilei William Harvey What discoveries did these men make during the Scientific Revolution?

 Europeans were eager to find new and shorter sea routes so that they could trade with distant lands such as India and China for spices, silks, and jewels.  The combination of curiosity, technology, and the demand for new and highly valued products launched this remarkable period.

 A member of the Portuguese royal family named Prince Henry encouraged Portugal to become a leader in exploration. ◦ Prince Henry wanted to find a trade route to the rich spice trade of India. ◦ Portuguese explorers did eventually succeed in finding a way by sailing around Africa.  Spain sponsored the voyage of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus. ◦ Columbus hoped to find a direct route to India by sailing westward across the Atlantic Ocean. ◦ In 1492 Columbus reached an island in what is now called the Bahamas. ◦ Because he had no idea that the Americas lay between Europe and Asia, Columbus believed he had reached the east coast of India.  Later Spanish explorers who knew of the Americas were motivated more by the promise of conquest and riches than by the curiosity and the opening of trade routes.

Prince Henry Christopher Columbus

 The Spanish, French, English, Dutch and others established American colonies. ◦ A colony is a territory controlled by people from a foreign land.  As colonies expanded over seas, Europeans developed an economic theory called mercantilism. ◦ This theory said that a government should do everything it could to increase its wealth.

A country could increase its wealth by selling more than it bought from other countries. A country that could get natural resources from colonies would not have to import resources from competing countries. This desire to win overseas sources of materials helped to fuel the race for colonies. The Age of Exploration changed both Europe and the lands it colonized. Colonized lands did benefit from these changes. However, in general, Europe gained the most. During this time, goods, plants, animals, and even disease crossed the ocean between Europe and the Americas.

 The slave trade is a tragic result of exploration and colonization.  During the 1500s Europeans began to use enslaved Africans to work in their colonies overseas.  In Exchange for slaves, European merchants shipped cotton goods, weapons, and liquor to Africa.  These slaves were then sent across the Atlantic to the Americas, where they were traded for goods such as sugar and cotton.  These goods were then sent to Europe in exchange for manufactured products to be sold in the Americas.  Conditions aboard the slave ships were horrific, and slaves were treated brutally.  Many slaves died crossing the Atlantic in these slave ships.