The document summarizes the motivations, means, and consequences of major European voyages of discovery between the 1400s and 1500s. Motivations included finding new trade routes to Asia to bypass Islamic controls and spreading Christianity. Technological advances like the compass and astrolabe enabled long voyages. Notable explorers included Da Gama, who found a sea route to India; Columbus, who reached the Bahamas; and Magellan, whose crew circled the globe. The Spanish conquered the Aztec and Inca empires for their gold and silver, aided by military advantages. Competition between European powers for wealth from the new world intensified.

1. Great Voyages of Discovery
Meriel Hartling
CSE 684
Sailor's navigational compass (National Library of Canada)

2. A spirit of adventure swept across
Europe in the 1400s.
Explorers like Columbus
and Magellan set to find
new sea-routes, lands
and riches.
What motivated these
voyages?
Columbus on Santa Maria by Emanuel Leutze 1855
How did they impact on both Europe and the
peoples of the “new” worlds they unveiled?

3. In this lesson, we will consider...
● Motivations behind voyages
● Means which made the journeys possible
● Spanish and Portuguese explorations of
Da Gama, Columbus and Magellan
● Spanish conquest of the new world
● Competition between European powers

4. Motivation behind voyages
Traditional Silk and Spice
Routes to Aisa
Italian, Egyptian and Turkish control of trade
routes to Asia meant new direct sea-routes were
desired. The wish to spread Christianity also
played a role.

5. Update
●Motivations behind voyages
●Means which made the journeys possible
●Spanish and Portuguese explorations of
Da Gama, Columbus and Magellan
●Spanish conquest of the new world
●Competition between European powers

6. Means behind the voyages
Astrolabe and compass
New technological developments such as the
astrolabe (for measuring star positions), the
magnetic compass and developments in ship
building paved the way for ocean voyages.

7. Update
●Motivations behind voyages
●Means which made the journeys possible
●Spanish and Portuguese explorations of
Da Gama, Columbus and Magellan
●Spanish conquest of the new world
●Competition between European powers

8. Portuguese and Spanish Explorations
● In 1498 Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa
and landed on the West Coast of India. Thus a
direct sea route to Aisa was found.

9. In 1492, an Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus
sailed west. It was well known amongst seafarers
that the Earth was round and so Columbus hoped
to find a direct route to Asia. Instead he landed in
the what we now call the Bahamas.

10. In 1519, a Portuguese sailor named Ferdinand
Magellan accidentally discovered South America
while trying to sail around Africa. He continued
West and although was killed during the voyage,
his crew became the first to circumnavigate (go
all the way round) the globe.

11. Update
●Motivations behind voyages
●Means which made the journeys possible
●Spanish and Portuguese explorations of
Da Gama, Columbus and Magellan
●Spanish conquest of the new world
●Competition between European powers

12. Conquest of the New World
In the 1500s the Aztec
empire in Mexico and
the Inca empire in Peru
were at their zenith.
The Spanish saw these
as great sources of gold
and silver. With the
added motivation of
religious conversion
they set out to conquer.
The remains of the Inca city of Machu
Pichu in Peru

13. Why did the Spanish conquests
succeed?
● Guns: Gunpowder had not reached the
Americas.
● Cavalry: The Americans had no horses and
had no knowledge of riding an animal.
● Steel weapons: The American weapons
(usually made of obsidian) were no match for
Spanish steel.
● Germs: diseases like smallpox wiped out huge
numbers of Americans who had no previous
exposure to these European diseases.

14. Update
● Motivations behind voyages
● Means which made the journeys possible
● Spanish and Portuguese explorations of
Da Gama, Columbus and Magellan
● Spanish conquest of the new world
● Competition between European powers

15. Competition for treasure
England and France soon
joined the race to carve up
the new world. Competition
for the wealth led Spain in
1588 to send an enormous
fleet (the armada) to attack
England. But faster English
ships and better guns
defeated the Spanish.
The Spanish Armada (English School 1600)

16. Update
● Motivations behind voyages
● Means which made the journeys possible
● Spanish and Portuguese explorations of
Da Gama, Columbus and Magellan
● Spanish conquest of the new world
● Competition between European powers

17. Conclusion: A new European
Worldview.
The voyages of discovery changed the way
Europeans saw the world. They learned that the
Americas were a separate landmass from Asia.
Many saw this as a source of great wealth and
set up trade networks and began to establish
colonies. This would have wide ranging
consequences.

18. Summary
● The voyages were motivated by a need for new routes to Asia.
● They were made possible by new technology: compass,
astrolabe, better ships.
● Da Gama discovered a new route to India by sailing around
Africa.
● Columbus discovered a route to the Caribbean islands
unveiling the continent of North America.
● Magellan discovered South America before his crew rounded
the globe.
● Better technology and resistance to disease helped the
Spanish conquer the new world.
● Greed for treasure led to competition between European
powers like Spain and England.

19. References
● Text based on World History by Burskein and
Shek
● All graphics come from Wikipedia.