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Explorers
Early Explorers of the World
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Leif Eriksson | Viking Explorer that found Vinland or what is now known as Newfoundland |
Christopher Columbus | Italian explorer that sailed for the Spanish to find a shorter western route to Asia. He sailed west and found the West Indies. He claimed the land for Spain. This caused other countries to become interested in the New World. |
Ferdinand Magellan | A Portugese explorer that sailed for the Spanish. The first crew to circumnavigate the world (even though he died part way through the voyage the crew finished the trip in three years). |
Hernando de Soto | A Spanish conquistador that explored and claimed the Southeastern part of America for the Spanish. |
John Cabot | An English explorer that sailed for England. He was looking for the Northwest Passage through America to Asia. He claimed land for England that became part of the 13 colonies. |
Henry Hudson | An explorer that sailed for both the Netherlands (Dutch) and the English. While searching for the Northwest Passage he mapped and claimed New York for the Dutch and parts of Canada for the English. |
Robert La Salle | An explorer that sailed for France. He explored the Mississippi River to the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico and claimed the land for France and named it Louisiana. |
conquistador | conqueror for the Spanish |
caravels | Spanish ships that were very fast |
astrolabes | navigation tools that helped sailors find their way using the stars |
compass | a tool that uses the magnetic poles of the earth to help sailors know what direction they are going |
printing press | a machine that helped make new maps and newspapers quickly instead of hand copying everything |
middle man | the person that took money to far away places to purchase goods and then bought and brought back the goods to the first person for a fee |
political power | more land = more power |
technological factors for exploration | caravel, astrolabe, compass, printing press |
economical factors for exploration | gold, faster routes, goods and spices |
political factors or exploration | competition between countries to find more land and obtain more power |
motivations for explorers | God, gold, and glory |
factors for exploration | technological, economical, political |