Second, advances in knowledge and technology helped to make the Age of Exploration possible.įor early explorers, one of the main motives for exploration was the desire to find new trade routes to Asia.
First, Europeans of this time had several motives for exploring the world. Why did European exploration begin to flourish in the 1400s? Two main reasons stand out. The Age of Exploration, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment helped to shape the world we live in today. Their work led to new ideas about government, human nature, and human rights. Enlightenment thinkers used observation and reason to try to solve problems in society. The Enlightenment began in the late 1600s. The Scientific Revolution also led to the invention of new tools, such as the microscope and the thermometer.Īdvances in science helped pave the way for a period called the Enlightenment. For example, Isaac Newton formulated the laws of gravity. Between 15, scientists used observation and experiments to make dramatic discoveries. By increasing Europe’s food supply, these crops helped create population growth.Īnother great change during the early modern age was the Scientific Revolution. For example, from the Americas came crops such as corn and potatoes, which grew well in Europe. The Americas, in turn, made important contributions to Europe and the rest of the world. As nations competed for territory, Europe had an enormous impact on people living in distant lands. European countries claimed large parts of the world. Because of them, cultures divided by 3,000 miles or more of water began interacting. The crew of one Portuguese expedition even sailed completely around the world.Įuropean explorers changed the world in many dramatic ways. They traveled to Africa, past the kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. They sailed south from Portugal and Spain to South America, to lands where the Incas lived. They sailed west from England, Spain, and Portugal to North America. Would you be willing to undertake such a voyage? Only those most adventurous, most daring, and most confident in their abilities to sail in any weather, manage any crew, and meet any circumstance dared do so. Days would have run together, with no sounds but the voices of the captain and the crew, the creaking of the sails, the blowing wind, and the splash of waves against the ship’s hull. How long would it take to get there? That depended on the wind, the weather, and the distance. What lay across the ocean? In the early 1400s in Europe, few people knew. With today’s global positioning satellites, Internet maps, cell phones, and superfast travel, it is hard to imagine exactly how it might have felt to embark on a voyage across an unknown ocean. (Detail from Maris Pacifici by Ortelius, 1589.) / Wikimedia CommonsĪ time when Europe was swept up in the Renaissance and the Reformation, other major changes were taking place in the world. Victoria, the single ship to have completed the first world circumnavigation.