Unit II: Contact: Europe and America Meet, 1492-1673

Question/Problem 1:What were the geographic, economic, technological, personal, and political factors between the Crusades and 1492 that coused the europeans to explore?

Geographic Factors:

• Land routes took longer.

• Portuguese explorers found route to Asia by sailing south.

• Monopoly of trade routes by Venice and Genoa. They knew safe trade routes overland.

• High prices of goods because of distance travelled and passing through many hands.

• Portuguese contact with Africa resulted in a new source for some goods (i.e., gold, salt, ivory, and slaves).

• Great improvements in sails, shipbuilding, and navigational instruments.

• astrolabe - to determine latitude and time
• compass - to determine direction
• caravel - faster, larger than other ships

• Prince Henry the Navigator, started school for navigators.

• Ottoman Turks controlled much of land and known sea routes.

• A collection of small kingdoms changed into large nations, with large armies and treasuries.

• Portugal became leader, found new route to Asia, new source for gold.