topic five

Reasons for Exploration

Let's take a look at 2 minutes of the following video starting at 1:08. It gives us a bit of insight into why the Portuguese were so keen on exploring the world.

Traders from Europe had to cross Arabia and Persia to trade with India and China. Europeans wanted to find a sea route to the East that did not cross Arab land.

People who lived in Europe could not produce everything they wanted or needed, so they traded with the Arab Muslims to get what they wanted. The Arab traders, in turn, traded with the countries in the East, like India and China. The Arabs had complete control over the trade routes across the land to the East. The Arabs charged high taxes on all goods that passed through the routes they controlled. It made the price of things that Europeans wanted, more expensive.

If the European traders could buy goods more cheaply they could make a bigger profit.

Europeans wanted to find a sea route to the East that did not cross Arab land. The Europeans knew very little about Africa and the east, and in order to find another trade route, they went on voyages or journeys of exploration across the sea.

People used salt to keep their food from going rotten. There were no fridges. All the salt they had to put on their food made it taste very salty, and not very flavoursome. Spices like nutmeg, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon could also be used to stop the food from going rotten, and these spices made the food taste better. Spices did not grow in the cold climate of Europe, but grew in tropical climates of India and Malaysia.

Europeans were also looking for gold and silver to make coins. Coins were beginning to be used in exchanges, instead of bartering. All the gold and silver in Europe had been used up so they had to look elsewhere to find it.

Europeans were also looking to trade directly in silk. Silk is made from the thread that silkworms spin. The Chinese had perfected the art of using the silk from silkworms and making it into beautiful clothes. Rich people in Europe liked to wear these silk clothes.

Spreading the Christian religion

In the late 1400s, there was only one religion in Europe, Christianity. The European rulers were very religious. They wanted to, convert everyone to Christianity.

Jesus said: ‘Go then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples.’ These words are written in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. These words encouraged Christians in Europe to spread their religion to people in other parts of the world.

European explorers believed it was their Christian duty to lead the world.

Trade and Making a profit

Some Portuguese men became very good sailors. These sailors used the new inventions like the caravel and the telescope to travel across the seas to explore lands they had never seen before.

The Portuguese did not have much to offer the people in the east. They were forced to pay for goods in precious metals like gold. Their search for gold and a sea route to the East led to the voyages around Africa.

Crossing the sea and finding the East

Kings and queens in Europe were very rich. They paid explorers to find new trade routes. These voyages were very, very expensive. These sea journeys cost a lot of money as the explorers needed ships that were properly equipped with food and weapons such as cannon balls. They had to take enough food and drink on the ship to last the whole journey in case they did not find a safe place to stop for fresh food and water.

The Portuguese sailed west as they thought they could reach the east by sailing around Africa. The Portuguese eventually found the source of the spices in the East, and of gold in south-east Africa.

!!! Compulsory Activity Time !!!

To test your understanding of today's lesson, please complete the Google Form inside Google Classroom on Topic 5. This must be completed before the next lesson. Good luck! :)

EXTENSION ACTIVITY

Now try the follow quiz to see what you can remember from today's lesson.

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