Spanish & Portuguese Exploration: Age of Discovery

Military Expansion & Discoveries

Military Expansion Outside the Iberian Peninsula

Italy

The forces of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, "The Great Captain," defeated the French and secured the Aragonese territories of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia.

The Atlantic Ocean

Castilla's Atlantic expansion began with the conquest and colonization of the Canary Islands (completed in 1496) and the discovery of America in 1492.

The Discovery of America

Portuguese Discoveries

In the 15th century, Portugal was the leading power in geographical discoveries. The Portuguese established trading posts on the African coast to obtain slaves, ivory, and gold. This exploration was supported by Henry the Navigator, who founded a school of navigators and mapmakers.

Christopher Columbus's Plan

The arrival of Europeans in the Americas is associated with Christopher Columbus, an experienced sailor who traveled the African routes established by Portugal and spent time in the Gulf of Guinea, where he became familiar with the trade winds. He was also familiar with the theories of Toscanelli, an Italian geographer who believed that the Earth was spherical.

His plan consisted of reaching Asia by sailing west, thus avoiding Africa. He first presented his plan to King Juan II of Portugal in 1482, but it was rejected. Columbus then traveled to Castilla to explain his plan to the Catholic Monarchs in 1486. However, they had begun the war against the Kingdom of Granada four years earlier and postponed his proposal.

After Granada fell in January 1492, the Catholic Monarchs signed the Capitulaciones de Santa Fe, a document in which they agreed to support Columbus's mission. They granted him the titles of Admiral and Viceroy of the lands he discovered, along with one-tenth of the profits from exploiting their riches.

Christopher Columbus departed from Palos (Huelva) on 3 August 1492 with three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. They arrived in the Bahamas on 12 October 1492. After three months, he returned to the Iberian Peninsula, convinced he had reached the coast of Asia, which is why he called these lands the West Indies. Columbus made three more voyages.