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Portugal gains enough strength to expand into Muslim North Africa, after seizing Cueta in 1415 Prince Henry, otherwise known as Henry the Navigator, organizes voyages along the western Coast of Africa.
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Spain, inspired by Portugal, funded Christopher Columbus' voyage in an attempt to find a trade route to Asia and ended up discovering the Americas
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Spain and Portugal press rival claims for the land Columbus' explores so Pope Alexander VI divided the land into two zones. Spain has trading and exploration rights on all the land to west while Portugal has the same rights on the east of the line.
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In the Treaty of Tordesillas, Portugal claims Brazil and issues grants of land to Portuguese nobles. European settlers move to Brazil to farm brazilwood and sugar.
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John Cabot sets out on a voyage from England. When he lands on the east coast of North America, he claims the land in the name of King Henry VII, mistakenly believing he is in Asia.
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Vasco da Gama reaches India after rounding the southern tip of Africa. Although the Portuguese lose half their ships and many sailors die on the voyage, the venture is highly profitable and he returns with a cargo of spices.
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da Gama is able to outfit a new fleet, and in 1502 he forces a treaty of cooperation on the ruler of Calicut. He then leaves Portuguese merchants in Calicut to set up trade with spice merchants.
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A German mapmaker reads reports about Columbus' "New World," written by the Italian sailor Amerigo Vespucci. The mapmaker names the region America, and the Caribbean islands Columbus initially explored are named the West Indies.
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After da Gama's success in setting up a trading post, the Portuguese begin to capture key ports around the Indian Ocean. In 1511 they seize Malacca, which allows them to ally with Asian leaders and establish a major foothold in Asian trade routes.
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Hernan Cortés lands on the coast of Mexico with 600 men, 16 horses, and a few cannons. While the Spaniards are vastly outnumbered by the Aztecs, they capture and demolish the capital city of Tenochtitlán in a brutal assault in 1521.
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The Vittoria completes the first circumnavigation of the globe, nearly three years after first setting out. While Ferdinand Magellan leads the initial expedition, he and four other ships do not survive the entire voyage.
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Francisco Pizarro arrives in Peru in 1532. He capitalizes on the unrest in the Incan empire and quickly captures the Inca emperor, whom he executes in 1533.
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English explorer Martin Frobisher sets sail for North America. In 1576 he sights the coast of what is now Labrador, Canada. Despite three voyages, Frobisher is unsuccessful in finding the Northwest Passage.
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Hoping to exploit trade in East and Southeast Asia and India, a group of English merchants form the East India Company by royal charter. With this company, the English break the Spanish and Portuguese monopoly of the East Indian spice trade.
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In the late 1500s, the Dutch set up colonies and trading posts around the world. A group of wealthy merchants found the Dutch East India Company, which furthers their quest to be the major European commercial power in the east.
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The English move into the Americas. They started with 4,000 settlers but soon increased to 40,000.
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French explorer and navigator who mapped much of northeastern North America and started a settlement in Quebec. Discovered Lake Champlain in 1609.
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Was originally hired by the Dutch East India Company to find a trade route through the Americas to India. He failed at this but instead discovered the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and Hudson Strait.
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Found the Mississippi River. They travelled along Lake Michigan to Green Bay, to Fox River, and the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi River. Joliet expanded fur trade westward, did extensive mapping, and established a fort on Anticosti Island.
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French Explorer who was sent by Kind Louis XIV to travel south from Canada and sail down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Explored Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.
