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Period: Sep 15, 1254 to Nov 6, 1324
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveller born on September 15,1254 in Venice. His book 11 Milione introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China.He learned about trading from his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time.The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa....(see event) -
Jul 12, 1269
Marco Polo's Epic Journey
Marco was imprisoned, and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married and had three children. He died in 1324, and was buried in San Lorenzo. His pioneering journey inspired Christopher Columbus and others. Marco Polo's other legacies include Venice Marco Polo Airport, the Marco Polo sheep, and several books and films. He also had an influence on European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map. -
Period: Mar 9, 1424 to Feb 22, 1512
Amerigo Vaspucci
Amerigo Vaspucci a Florentine was born on March 9,1424.He was an Italian explorer,financer,navigator and cartgrapher who first demonstrated that Brazil and the West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern outskirts as initially conjectured from Columbus' voyages, but instead constituted an entirely separate landmass hitherto to Afro-Eurasians.It's colloquially referred to as the New World,deriving it's name from the feminized Latin version of Vespucci's first name.He died Febuary 22,1512. -
Period: Jul 5, 1450 to Aug 1, 1499
John Cabot
John Cabot was an Italian navigator/explorer born in 1450 in the Republic of Genoa or Geata.In 1497 he discovered parts of North America under the commision on Henry VII(7) of England,and was commonly hailed to have been the first European to encounter the mainland of North America since the Norse Vikings visits to Vinland in the 11th century.He disappeared in 1499.... -
Period: Oct 27, 1451 to May 20, 1506
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was born before October 31,1451 and was born in Republic of Genoa in present day Italy.He persuaded Queen Isabella of Spain to finance the exploritory expedition. His destination was Aisa. He died on May 20,1506 still believing he had found Asia. -
Period: Mar 6, 1453 to Dec 16, 1515
Admiral Alfonso de Albequerque
Admiral Alfonso de Albequerque 1st Duke of Goa was a Portuguese nobleman born in 1453 in Alhandra, Kingdom of Portugual. He was an admiral whose military and administrative activities as second govenor of Portuguese India conquered and established the Portuguese colonial empire in the Indian Ocean. He ventured 4 major expeditions. On November 4,1509 he became the 2nd govenor of the State of India.He died December 16,1515. -
Period: Jun 24, 1460 to Dec 23, 1524
Vsco de Gama
Vasco de Gama 1st Count of Vidigueria was a Portuguese explorer born in 1460.He is one of the most successful men in the Age of Discovery being the first European to reach India through the sea.He died December 23,1524. -
Period: Oct 9, 1467 to May 12, 1520
Pedro Alvares Cabral
Pedro Alvares Cabral was a Portuguese Explorer, nobleman, and navigator born in 1467 or 1468 in Belmonte, Potugual. He conducted the first substantial exploration of the Northeast coast of South America and is regarded as the discoverer of Brazil. He died in 1520 and is regarded a major figure in the Age of Discovery. -
Period: Jun 14, 1471 to Jun 26, 1541
Francisco Pizzar Gonzalez
Fransico Pizzar Gonzalez was a Spanish conquistador born between 1471 or 1476 that conquered the Inca Empire by betraying it's people. He was born in Trujillo,Spain. He undertook 2 expeditions to conquer the Inca Empire in 1824 and in 1526. Both failed as resut to bad weather lack of provisions, and native hostilities. He was assassinated on June 26, 1541 by a son of Almargo a long time comarade in arms and his followers who believed he was overstepping his authority,even before killing Almargo. -
Period: Apr 10, 1480 to May 11, 1521
Ferdinand Magellan
Fernando de Magellan (Ferdinand Magellan) was a portuguese explorer. He was born around 1480 either at Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto in Douro Litoral Province or at Sabrosa, near Vila Real, in Tres-or-Montoe Alto Douro Province. He served Jing Charles I of Spain. Magellans most famous expedition was the first circumnavigation expedition of Earth.He was killed during the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines on April 27,1521 -
Period: Aug 6, 1485 to Dec 2, 1547
Hernan Cortez
Hernan Cortez 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca, was a Spanish conquistador born in 1485.He led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.He helped begin the first phase of the Spanish Colonization of the Americas. He went to Hispaniola and later to Cuba. In 1541 he returned to Spain where he died peacefully but embittered December2, 1547 -
Oct 15, 1492
Columbus' Expeditions
In October 1492 he reached the Americas, where he explored the Coastline of Carla and the island of Hispaniola.Columbus believed he had reached Asia even after 3 voyages of not finding a route to the Asian mainland.During his major voyages he reached all the major Carribean islands and Honduras in Central America-all f which he called the Indies. -
May 20, 1495
Vasco de Gama lands in Calicut
Vasco de Gama was the first European to reach India through the sea. It hepled the Portuguese establish a long lasting Empire in Aisa.He landed in Calicut,India on May 20,1495(the legendary spice routes). He was later named the govenor of India in 1524. -
May 14, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci's Major Voyages
His 4 major voyages were from Spain in May 1497-Oct.1498,1499-1500 sailing Southwest discovering North of the Amazon River, seeing Trinidad and Orinoco,1501-1502 from Libson to Cape Verde and other destinations, and finally 1503-104,from Portuguese to Brazil. -
Sep 13, 1497
John Cabot's Discovery
John Cabt discovered parts of North America. -
Mar 9, 1500
Pedro Alvares Cabral's Expedition to Calicut/Brazil
He departed from Libson on March 9th,1500 and discovered Brazil.Pedro sailed far in the Western Atlantic Ocean. According to the Treaty of Tordesillas, the land he found while exploring, he claimed it for the Portugal Crown. After a storm the remaining ships proceeded to Calicut in India. He arrived there September 13,1500 -
Apr 6, 1503
Alfonso de Albequerque's 2 Major Expeditions
Alfonso's was set on his first expedition to India on April 6,1503. His second expedition to India was in early 1506. He explored China in 1513 and the spice islands in 1512. -
Feb 6, 1519
Hernan Cortez's Aztec Expedition.
Herna's Journey to the Aztec's began in March 1519. In March 1519, Cortés formally claimed the land for the Spanish crown. -
Sep 10, 1519
Circumnavigation
Magellan's expedition of 1519-1522 became the first expedtion to sail from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean("peaceful sea"); the passage being named via the Strait of Magellan and first to cross the Pacific. His 4 major voyages were from Spain to the New World beginning in May 1497-Oct. 1498, 1499-1500 sailing Southwest discovering the mouth of the Amazon River,seeing Trinidad and Orinonco, 1501-1504 from Libson to Cape Verde and Brazil and finally 1503-1504, from Portuguese to Brazil. -
Sep 13, 1524
Francisco Pizzar Gonazalez's Expeditions
On 13 September 1524, he left from Panama for the conquest of Peru.Pizarro's first expedition, however, turned out to be a failure as his conquistadors, sailing down the Pacific coast, reached no farther than Columbia because of the hardships.In August 1526,Pizarro left Panama,reaching as far as the Colombian San Juan River.
