european exploration

Vikings

Nov 18, 1000

the vikings named Leif Eriksson headed west from Greenland. he was looking for a land since he was a boy. he reached a land that is now Canada. sailers went ashore and built houses of mud and grass. leif's brouther led a trip to Vinland. When the vikings arived they looked at three knolls at the beach. they found people sleeping under boats. they killed them , but one person that excaped. people came to vin land and attacked the Vikings.

Marco Polo

Nov 19, 1271

When Marc Polo was 17 years old he lived in Venice,Italy and set out to go to Asia with his father and uncle. After walking thousands of miles they reached China and saw a palace that thay described as gold and silver decorated with dragons. Marco went to asia, India, and persia. He never whent to japan but heard there was alot of gold there. 24 years after leaving Venice he came home with pockets of jewels. When Marco Polo finished writing his book, people started wanting to share great wealth.

Trade Routes to the East

Nov 20, 1453

Europeans most wanted gold,jewels,perfumes, and spices. People wanted these spices because they didn't have refrigerators for there food and the spices would hide the bad ot the food. For most Europeans, traveling to Asia took to much time. Most Europeans traveld half way to Asia. they called North Africa and Southwest Asia, the Middle East. Europeans traded goods for the goods that the Middle East had got from Asia. In1453, the Turks took over the Middel East . Europeans couldn't go to Asia.

Portugal Leads the Way

Nov 22, 1488

King John, the king of Portugal hired Prince Henry to direct the countrie"s search for a water route to Asia. Prince Henry set up many schools for training sailors in navigation, and he thought that the most direct route to Asia was to go south around Africa and then sail east. In 1488 Dias became the first to sail around the southern tip of Africa but had to turn back because his sailers were hungry and sick.

The Known World

Nov 22, 1492

Martin Behaim made a map in the shape of a ball, and this was the first globe ever made in Europe. There were some problems with the globe, for example, the globe was too small, did not have the continents North and South America, Africa was too small and not the right shape, and it did not show Australia and Antartica.

A Water Route to Asia Descovered

Nov 22, 1498

Almost 10 years later, Vasco da Gama, Siald around Cape of Good Hope to India . Afterwards he went back to portugal with a bunch of spices. He found a sea route to Asia, Showing the way for future explorers.