1.3 Early Spanish and Portuguese voyages

Early Spanish and Portuguese voyages marked the beginning of European exploration and colonization in the Americas. Explorers like Columbus and da Gama set sail across the Atlantic, seeking new trade routes and lands to claim for their monarchs.

These voyages led to the Columbian Exchange, transferring goods, people, and ideas between continents. The Treaty of Tordesillas divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal, shaping the geopolitical landscape of the Americas for centuries to come.

Early Explorers

Christopher Columbus and his voyages

Top images from around the web for Christopher Columbus and his voyages

• 

  File:Columbus Taking Possession.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Christopher Columbus voyages.gif - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Voyages of Christopher Columbus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Columbus Taking Possession.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Christopher Columbus voyages.gif - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

Top images from around the web for Christopher Columbus and his voyages

• 

  File:Columbus Taking Possession.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Christopher Columbus voyages.gif - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Voyages of Christopher Columbus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Columbus Taking Possession.jpg - Wikimedia Commons View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  File:Christopher Columbus voyages.gif - Wikipedia View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

• Italian explorer who made four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean under the sponsorship of the Spanish Crown (1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502)
• Aimed to find a western sea route to the Far East, but instead landed in the Bahamas archipelago, on an island he named San Salvador
• His voyages initiated the permanent European colonization of the Americas, known as the Columbian exchange, which involved the transfer of goods, culture, people (including slaves), communicable diseases, and ideas between the two worlds
• Controversy surrounds his expeditions due to his role in the violent colonization and exploitation of native populations, including acts of genocide, slavery, and forced conversions to Christianity

Vasco da Gama and the Portuguese exploration

• Portuguese explorer who became the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia via the Atlantic and Indian oceans
• His initial voyage to India (1497–1499) was the first to navigate directly from Europe to India, and marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism
• Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India opened the way for an age of global imperialism and enabled the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia (Estado da Índia)

Other notable explorers and their contributions

• Pedro Álvares Cabral: Portuguese noble, military commander, navigator, and explorer regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil (1500)
• Amerigo Vespucci: Italian navigator and cartographer who demonstrated that the lands discovered by European explorers in the late 15th century were not part of Asia but a separate landmass (the New World), which came to be named "America" after the Latin version of his first name
• Ferdinand Magellan: Portuguese explorer who organized the Spanish expedition to the East Indies (1519-1522), resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth, completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano after Magellan's death in the Philippines

Geopolitical Developments

Treaty of Tordesillas and its impact

• Agreement between Spain and Portugal aimed at settling conflicts over lands newly discovered or explored by Christopher Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers
• Signed in 1494, the treaty divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe into two areas of exploration and colonization, one for Spain and the other for Portugal, along a meridian 370 leagues (about 1,770 km) west of the Cape Verde islands
• The lands to the east of the line (roughly corresponding to parts of modern Brazil) would belong to Portugal, and the lands to the west (most of the Americas) to Spain
• The treaty was ratified by Spain (1494) and by the Pope in 1506, but it was ignored by other European nations (France, England, and the Netherlands), which colonized much of the territory allocated to Spain or Portugal by the treaty

Maritime Technology

The caravel and its role in exploration

• Small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean
• The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward (beating), while the hull design allowed it to sail in shallow coastal waters
• Caravels were used by the explorers during the Age of Discovery, including Christopher Columbus (Santa María) and Bartolomeu Dias
• Its speed, agility, and power made it esteemed as the best sailing vessel of its time, and contributed to the success of early Portuguese and Spanish exploration and colonization efforts