The Maritime Revolution

Voyages of Zheng He

Jan 1, 1405

Zheng He was an emperial eunuch who is credited to extending the maritime and commerical influence in China. He was ordered by the emperor Yongle to partake in various expeditions around the Indian Ocean region, in areas such as Malacca, the island of Java, and Calicut. Zheng He was important in raising awareness of maritime exploration and thus, is regarded for doing so.

Henry the Navigator Sponserships

Jan 1, 1418

Prince Henry (the Navigator) of Portugal was not a sailor nor much of an explorer, though he sponsered voyages and also set up navigator schools in order to encourage exploration. He realized that exploration was beneficial to the state and for this, he is known as the originator of the Age of Discovery due to his profound interest in matters of cartography, navigation, geography, etc.

Slave trade

Jan 1, 1440

With the onset of the Maritime Revolution, an interest in the slave trade emerged in the 15th century. Many Europeans as well as Africans realized the potential for profit and reaped the benefits by engaging in the slave trade, whereas the latter went so far as encouraging it by selling off prisoners of war. Horrible conditions ensued during the slave trade, and resulted in the loss of many slaves, as indicated in the trips within the Middle Passage.

Bartholomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope

Jan 1, 1488

Dias is credited for rounding the southern tip of Africa, and as a result, was able to open up a sea route from Europe to Asia. The ordeal itself was proven to be difficult because the area was rather dangerous, hence, not many explorers before had attempted to do so. This breakthrough allowed for trade to flourish between India and many other Asian powers at the time as well.

Columbus reaches the Caribbean

Jan 1, 1492

Colombus sought a route to the Far East, and thought he was able to reach it by travelling westward, which led him to the Bahamas and eventually resulted in the exploration of the Caribbean. He was sponsered by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand who were impressed by Colombus's confidence and desire to engage in the expedition. Upon reaching the New World, he desired to find gold and other mineral resources in order to attain greater wealth.

Francisco da Gama reaches India

Jan 1, 1496

Francisco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who set off an expedition to sail around Africa and reached India as a result. He had to make various stops along the way in Africa, but he eventually made his way over to Calicut, India. This successful expedition allowed for more profitable trade within the Indian Ocean region.

Cabral reaches Brazil

Jan 1, 1500

Pedro Cabral was a Portuguese explorer who is credited as one of the first Europeans to reach Brazil. Cabral's expedition was also significant because it was one of the second voyages to take the route via the Cape of Good Hope, while the first had been done by Vasco de Gama. Cabral's patron was King Manuel I of Portugal.

Magellan circumnavigates the world

Jan 1, 1519

Ferdinand Magellan set out as a member of the Portuguese expedition in order to explore the East Indies, which consists of maritime Southeast Asia. Eight years later, he decided to make an example of himself and made it a point that he could reach the East Indies by sailing west from Europe. Around 1520, Magellan had found success in sailing across the Atlantic, rounding the southern tip of South America, and crossing the Pacific Ocean, however, he subsequently died in a battle.

Cortes conquers the Aztec Empire

Jan 1, 1521

Hernan Cortes captured Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, after a three-month siege, and subsequently sought to take over the Aztec Empire. He was partly successful due to the implementation of biological warfare and the spread of smallpox, better weapons, and the help of other Amerindian rival tribes. The Aztecs, especially Monteczuma, actually welcomed the Europeans because he considered them to be some type of god. He is known to be brutal and treated the Aztecs very harshly.

Pizarro conquers the Inca Empire

Jan 1, 1531

Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who went on to conquer the Inca Empire and founded the capital, Lima. He conquered the empire quickly and harshly by killing the last Inca ruler, Atahualpa, and stealing hoards of mineral resources such as gold, silver, etc. Pizarro could not enjoy his wealth, however, because he was assassinated shortly after.