The Role Of Exploration In The Fifteenth Century

In the fifteenth century, most European countries tried to find a way to make their kingdoms and countries larger and richer. In those days, they saw that the ocean and the sea were a way to reach the outside world and expand their territories . They tried to find the closest routes to the East. In the fifteenth century, there was an epidemic called Black Death that “killed about a third of the European population” (page 34). This epidemic caused uncertainty and encouraged a few people to undertake explorations on the seas and ocean. This kind of exploration was supported by their Kings and Queens, such as King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel, monarchs who ruled Spain in the 15 century. Monarchs expected this kind of exploration to enlarge their
Many ordinary people thought that this kind of expansion promised them fame and fortune (page 34).Columbus, was such a person who was ordinary but had a vision and an obsession to reach the East by sailing west (page 36). Not only Columbus but also a lot of people such as Herman Cortez who finally conquered Mexico in 1504 (page 41) and Francisco Pizzaro who defeated Incan Empire in Peru (page 43). Not all people that had such obsession succeeded with their sea exploration but they had this same vision: To find fame and fortune. Most of kings in Europe sponsored their exploration. They saw this kind of venture as “an inexpensive gamble: the potential loss was small, but the potential gain was huge”(page 36). This kind of exploration also helped them to trade with outside world. The increasing demand for luxury goods from Asia and Africa made the merchants travel a lot to fulfil this demand. Those merchants traveled and traded gold, slaves, and ivory(page 35). By the 1498, Portugal had already capitalised commercial empire in India, Indonesia, and China(page 35), thanks to Bartolomeu Dias who sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and found out that was also possible to sail to India and China (page
century. They were rich not only because of the gold, but more so because of “uncompensated Indian labor” (page 46). The sea exploration was also supported by scientific and technological advances (page 34). In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented a movable type (page 34). This technology made the exchange of information easier because printing was “easier and cheaper”. Not only that, but also navigational aids such as compasses and hourglasses were a technology invented to help explorers to estimate speed, determine latitude, and calculate the time. A sea exploration had problems with having enough supplies for long period time and with surviving harsh waves in the ocean. To overcome these problems, Portuguese invented a caravel, “ A fast and sturdy ship”. This new development helped the Portuguese explorers to sail “into and around the Gulf of Guinea as far south as the Congo” (page 35). As we know that those kinds of technology were a crucial development for every maritime explorer and help make their journey safer. For Portuguese the idea of the Reconquest,also justified their expansion. This idea encouraged them to defeat the Muslim