Exploration Timeline 1400-1610

Prince Henry

Sep 1, 1415

Prince Henry is known as the "Navigator", He sent many sailing expeditions to the west coast of Africa, but didn't go on them himself. Prince Henry did this to defeat the Muslims, spread christianity, and to establish trade routes.

Christopher Columbus

Aug 3, 1492

Christopher Columbus was a Italian explorer who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, expectiing to find a routh to India. He thought he could trade things there like spices. He made a total of four trips.

Vasco Da Gama

Dec 11, 1497

Vasco sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, around Africa's Cape of Good Hope to India and back in 1497-1499. Everyone thought it was impossible to do because they assumed the Indian Ocean wasn't connected to any other seas.

Diogo Dias

Apr 3, 1500

Diogo was a Portuguese navigator who was the first Eurpoean to sail to Madagasgar. He landed in Madagasgar in 1500 and named it the Isle of St. Lawrence.

Sebastian Cabot

Feb 10, 1508

Sebastian secretly explored for Venice. He searched for the NorthWest passage across North America. He's a cartogrpaher. Later, for Spain, he began a trip around the world in a journey that was supposed to sail to China and the Moluccas but he only made it as far as the Rio de la plata.

Bernal Diaz

Mar 4, 1517

In 1517, he sailed to the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico with someone else's expedition. He returned in Mexico in 1518 with Grijavala. Then, in 1519 with Hernando Cortes.

Ferdinand Magellan

Sep 8, 1519

Ferdinand was a Portugues explorer who led the first expedition that sailed around the earth. He also names the Pacific Ocean. Magellan and his astronomer, friend proposed to King Charles V a westward voyage around the tip of South America that would take them to the Moluccas. This began September 8th, 1519 and ended September 6th, 1522.

Jacques Cartier

Apr 20, 1534

Cartier was sent to look for the western passage to the wealthy markets of Asia under the Kings, Francis I, orders. In other words, he was sent to discover certain islands and lands that had great quanity of gold and other materials they were in need of.

Samuel de Champlain

Jul 3, 1608

Champlain started exploring North America in 1603 under the guidence of his uncle. From 1604-1607 Samuel participated in n the exploration and settlement of the first permanent European settlement north of Florida. In 1608 he founded the French settlement that is now Quebec City.

Henry Hudson

Sep 3, 1609

Henry was hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1609 to try and find the NorthWest passage further South. On this journey, they were on a ship called Half Moon. He sailed to Novia Scotia and then he decided to sail South. He found the Hudson River. He claimed the land by the Hudson. His reports ended in many Dutch settlements.