Ch.04.01 Early European Exploration - 1450-1500
Starting in the early part of the fifteenth century a number of voyagers began to set out from European ports, mostly Portuguese. Initially intending to discover a route to the orient and east Asia these voyagers would initiate the age of discovery. With the discovery of the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in 1419 and 1427 allowing Portuguese voyagers a useful jumping off point to allow new and improved Portuguese vessels to range ever farther into the oceans. Sailors from Portugal (many of whom where Italian, but working under the employ of the Portuguese government) next discovering the coast of west Africa in 1434.
By the end of the century the Portuguese would have established an oceanic route to India, cutting out the Ottoman and Venetian merchants which had previously dominated the trade with the subcontinent and wider Asian world.
Well aware of the Portuguese efforts to find a navigable route around Africa the newly unified dual crowns of Aragon and Castile would sponsor several of their own voyagers to attempt to jump Portuguese efforts.
One of these sailors was the Genoese Christopher Columbus (Christoforo Colombo in Italian) who during 1492-1493 set out on what became his first voyage with three ships. Aiming to discover a new and faster route to the Indies by sailing west rather than around the African continent. Needless to say he failed, instead of landing in India he instead made landfall on a small island on the 12th of October 1492 after many weeks at sea. Visiting several Caribbean islands and making contact with native peoples before he set sail for home, bringing several natives with him and also leaving a small contingent behind.
Columbus would not learn until later that he had failed in his mission to discover a new route to the indies. But his expedition, and subsequent voyages, would be the first of many such European missions to what was soon realized to be anew world. Or at least a world new to the Europeans.
By the end of the century the Portuguese would have established an oceanic route to India, cutting out the Ottoman and Venetian merchants which had previously dominated the trade with the subcontinent and wider Asian world.
Well aware of the Portuguese efforts to find a navigable route around Africa the newly unified dual crowns of Aragon and Castile would sponsor several of their own voyagers to attempt to jump Portuguese efforts.
One of these sailors was the Genoese Christopher Columbus (Christoforo Colombo in Italian) who during 1492-1493 set out on what became his first voyage with three ships. Aiming to discover a new and faster route to the Indies by sailing west rather than around the African continent. Needless to say he failed, instead of landing in India he instead made landfall on a small island on the 12th of October 1492 after many weeks at sea. Visiting several Caribbean islands and making contact with native peoples before he set sail for home, bringing several natives with him and also leaving a small contingent behind.
Columbus would not learn until later that he had failed in his mission to discover a new route to the indies. But his expedition, and subsequent voyages, would be the first of many such European missions to what was soon realized to be anew world. Or at least a world new to the Europeans.