THE AGE OF EXPLORATION

Venturing into the Unknown

THE DESIRE TO EXPLORE

Using your prior knowledge of the Renaissance and the

spread of ideas, list several reasons as to why you think the
Europeans suddenly had a desire to explore.

BEYOND CURIOSITY AND ADVENTURE

DANGEROUS ROUTES

IDEAS ABOUT THE WORLD

HUMANIST INFLUENCE ON
EXPLORATION
Renaissance artists and scientists had a new worldview about the
role of the individual.
Explorers shared their faith in the potential of human beings.
They had enough confidence in their dreams and abilities to take on
the challenge of a dangerous task.
Monarchs supported these voyages, such as Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand of Spain for Christopher Columbus.
Discussion: Why might monarchs have been willing to finance such
risky projects?

Exploring to Expand Trade

Economic worldview encouraged growth and expansion.
Remember the start of the city-states? Commerce and manufacturing
continued to expand the desire for luxury goods.
Trade with the East was key. Spices and luxury goods continued to pour
in from the Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade routes.
Constantinople and Alexandria (in Egypt) became enormous trade
centers as a link between East and West.
The further the product travelled, the more expensive it was. By the
time it reached European markets, some items were 2000x their value.
Europeans looked for ways to get involved in these trades.

Security on the Trade Routes

1405 - the Mongol Empire collapsed in the East,
making trade routes to and from China
increasingly dangerous.
1453 Muslim Turks conquer Constantinople,
eliminating the trading link between East and
West.
Europeans now looked for a sea route that would
guarantee safety and a direct link to the Asian
markets.
They hoped to get rich by bringing spices and
other trade goods to sell on the European
market.

Exploring to Expand the Gold Supply

What does todays currency look like?
What if there wasnt enough money to go around?
Coins in Europe were used to exchange for goods in markets. Gold and silver
coins began to become scarce as European mines were running low.
Europeans hoped to find additional resources through exploration as well.

Exploring to Expand Christianity

Religion was a powerful aspect of
peoples worldview during the
Renaissance.
Christian Bible Mark 16:15 Go into
all the world, and proclaim the
good news to the whole creation
Monarchs and explorers thought
they were doing good to bring
Christianity to the people in the
lands they visited.
Remember the Reformation: What
happened to those who did not
want to join a particular religion?

Religious Empires = Religious Motives

On an exit slip:
List 10 countries from
this map and what
religious
denomination they
belong to. If one
country/kingdom has
more than one, be
sure to list them all.