Exploration and Trade in the Early Modern Period

European Exploration in the Early Modern Period

During the early modern period, European expeditions explored many new parts of the world. At the beginning of the 15th century, Europeans had limited geographical knowledge. They were very familiar with all of Europe. They also knew about India, China, and Japan because travelers and merchants like Marco Polo brought silk, spices, and other products back from Asia. Silk and spices were highly appreciated in medieval Europe. The merchants carried them along the Silk Road. In 1453, the Turks conquered Constantinople and occupied the Byzantine Empire.

Cartography

Portolan charts were nautical charts showing coasts, sea routes, and possible obstacles.

Navigational Instruments

Compass was probably brought to the Mediterranean region by Arab merchants. Sailors could calculate latitude by using the astrolabe and the quadrant. The log and sandglass helped to measure the ship's speed.

Ship Design

New types of ships were built, like the caravel, which was lighter and safer.

Portuguese Exploration

From the early 15th century, Portugal wanted to find a trade route to India. This would not be the same as the trade routes across the Mediterranean Sea that were used by Italian and Arab merchants. Prince Henry the Navigator, the son of King John I of Portugal, promoted this ambitious project. He created a school of navigators, which trained crews of expeditions.

The Portuguese carried out a series of expeditions in the 15th century. After the conquest of Ceuta (1415), Portuguese expeditions in the Atlantic Ocean discovered Madeira (1419) and the Azores (1431). Other Portuguese expeditions explored the coastline of West Africa. They occupied Cape Verde (1446) and sailed to the Gulf of Guinea (1460).

After the death of Henry the Navigator in 1460, in 1487 Bartolomeu Dias reached the Cape of Good Hope. This opened a route to the Indian Ocean. Christopher Columbus planned to travel west across the Atlantic Ocean to establish a new route to Asia, and he requested financing from the King of Portugal. In 1497, Vasco da Gama's expedition left Lisbon, reaching India in 1498. In this way, Portugal strengthened its presence in the Indian Ocean. In 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered Brazil after his ship sailed too far west during a voyage in the Atlantic Ocean. It was defended by fortified trading posts, called factories, which controlled trade and guaranteed supplies for the Portuguese fleets.