The Age of
Exploration
Timeline Cards
Chapter 5, Card 11 Tyler Pack
Subject Matter Expert Chapter 5, Card 12 Avi Katz
J. Chris Arndt, PhD, Department of History, James Madison University Chapter 5, Card 13 James Johnson
Chapter 6, Card 14 Map tracing Magellan’s world voyage, once owned by Charles V, 1545 (vellum) by Battista
Illustration and Photo Credits Agnese (1514–64)/John Carter Brown Library, Brown University, RI, USA/Bridgeman Images
Chapter 6, Card 14 Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521)/Pictures from History/Bridgeman Images
Title Age Fotostock/SuperStock Chapter 7, Card 15 Angela Padron
Chapter 1, Card 1 Martin Hargreaves Chapter 7, Card 16 Marti Major
Chapter 1, Card 2 Album/Oronoz/Superstock Chapter 7, Card 17 Daniel Hughes
Chapter 1, Card 2 “Portrait of Marco Polo (1254–1324), by Dolfino / Biblioteca Nazionale, Turin, Italy / Chapter 7, Card 18 Bryan Beus
Bridgeman Images” Chapter 8, Card 19 Erika Baird
Chapter 3, Card 3 DeAgostini / SuperStock Chapter 8, Card 20 “Lifting of the Siege of Pondicherry, 1748, engraved 1789 after work by Antoine Louis
Chapter 3, Card 4 Vasco da Gama lands at Kozhikode (Calicut, India), May 20, 1498/Pictures from History/ Francois Sergent-Marceau (1751–1847) / Private Collection / The Stapleton Collection /
Bridgeman Images Bridgeman Images”
Chapter 3, Card 5 Christian Goupi/age fotostock/SuperStock Chapter 9, Card 21 Japan: Dejima Island, with Dutch flag flying. Chromolithograph of a painting by Johan
Chapter 4 , Card 7 Dustin Mackay Maurits (1807–1874)./Pictures from History/Bridgeman Images
Chapter 4, Card 8 Signing of Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal, June 7, 1494/De Agostini Chapter 9, Card 22 Scott Hammond
Picture Library/G. Dagli Orti/Bridgeman Images Chapter 10, Card 23 Durga Bernhard
Chapter 5, Card 9 Jacob Wyatt
Chapter 5, Card 10 Shari Darley Griffiths
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ISBN: 978-1-68380-067-5
CHAPTER 1: The Spice Islands
During the Middle Ages (400s–1400s),
the people of Europe relied on spices
to preserve and flavor their food. These
spices could be obtained only through the
Arab spice trade.
Big Question:
According to the
author, how did
the search for the
Spice Islands change
history?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 1: The Spice Islands
Between 1271 and 1295, Venetian
Marco Polo traveled throughout
Asia with his father and brother.
He later wrote of his experiences,
providing inspiration to future
explorers. This illustration of
Venice is from Polo’s book.
Big Question: According to the author, how did the search
for the Spice Islands change history?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 3: Portuguese Exploration
Early Portuguese Exploration
In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded Africa’s Cape of Good
Hope. This made him the first European to sail from Europe
Portugal
ian la
to the Indian Ocean.
er su
Ib nin 40°N
Lisbon Pe
Mediterranean Sea
Cape Bojador
S A H A R A D E S E R T
20°N
AFRICA
Gulf of Guinea
Equator 0°
Malindi
Mombasa
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
car
Mozambique
s
aga
Beira
Mad
20°S
Maputo Bay
Big Question: Why do you
N
INDIAN
W E OCEAN
think Portugal is described as a
Cape of
Good Hope 40°S
Key
Dias (1487–1488)
seagoing pioneer?
da Gama (1497–1499) 0 1,000 miles
20°W 0° 20°E 40°E
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 3: Portuguese Exploration
Early Portuguese Exploration
In 1497, Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope
and sailed to India, the first European to do so.
Portugal
ian la
er su
Ib nin 40°N
Lisbon Pe
Mediterranean Sea
Cape Bojador
S A H A R A D E S E R T
20°N
AFRICA
Gulf of Guinea
Equator 0°
Malindi
Mombasa
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
car
Mozambique
s
aga
Beira
Mad
20°S
Maputo Bay
Big Question: Why do you
N
INDIAN
W E OCEAN
think Portugal is described as a
Cape of
Good Hope 40°S
Key
Dias (1487–1488)
seagoing pioneer?
da Gama (1497–1499) 0 1,000 miles
20°W 0° 20°E 40°E
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 3: Portuguese Exploration
Cabral’s Expedition In 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral happened
Portugal
upon present-day Brazil and claimed the
NORTH
AMERICA
40°S land for Portugal.
Canary
Islands
20°S
Cape Verde
Islands AFRICA
Gulf of Guinea
0°
SOUTH
AMERICA
Brazil
20°S
PACIFIC Ca
bral
OCEAN ’s
N ATLANTIC rou INDIAN
te
E OCEAN OCEAN
40°S
W Cape of
S Good Hope
120°W 100°W 80°W 60°W 40°W 20°W 0° 20°E 40°E 60°E
Big Question: Why do you think Portugal is described
as a seagoing pioneer?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 3: Portuguese Exploration
Portugal’s Trade Empire During the early 1500s, Portugal established
Medit
erran
a powerful presence in Africa, primarily
ean S
ea on the east coast (Swahili Coast) of the
Portugal China
continent.
Ar insu
Pe
The Spice Islands
ab la
India
n
ian
(Maluku Islands)
AFRICA
INDIAN
OCEAN
ATLANTIC Swahili Coast
OCEAN East Indies
(Indonesia)
N
AUSTRALIA
W E 0 1,000 miles
S Portuguese influence and trade
Big Question: Why do you think Portugal is described
as a seagoing pioneer?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 4: Christopher Columbus
With the financial backing of
Spain’s King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella, Christopher
Columbus sailed west in 1492,
believing that he would reach
the East Indies.
Big Question: Why do you think Columbus kept a
secret log?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 4: Christopher Columbus
In 1494, Portugal
and Spain signed the
Treaty of Tordesillas,
which divided newly
explored territories
between the two
nations.
Big Question: Why do you think Columbus kept a
secret log?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 5: A Spanish Empire and Its Critics
After Columbus, other
Spanish expeditions
explored the Americas,
including expeditions
led by Juan Ponce de
León, Hernando de
Soto, and Francisco
Vázquez de Coronado.
Big Question: How did European explorers and colonists
treat the indigenous people of the Americas?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 5: A Spanish Empire and Its Critics
In 1513 Vasco Núñez de
Balboa and 190 of his
men became the first
Europeans to reach the
South Sea (today called
the Pacific Ocean).
Big Question: How did European explorers and colonists
treat the indigenous people of the Americas?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 5: A Spanish Empire and Its Critics
Between 1519 and
1522, Spanish soldiers
under the command of
conquistador Hernán
Cortés conquered
the Aztec Empire in
present-day Mexico.
Big Question: How did European explorers and colonists
treat the indigenous people of the Americas?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 5: A Spanish Empire and Its Critics
Between 1531 and 1533, Spanish
soldiers under the command of
conquistador Francisco Pizarro
conquered the Inca Empire in
present-day Peru.
Big Question: How did European explorers and colonists
treat the indigenous people of the Americas?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 5: A Spanish Empire and Its Critics
Bartolomé de Las
Casas’s 1542 book
The Devastation of the
Indies: A Brief Account
helped turn Spain’s
king against that
country’s encomienda
system.
Big Question: How did European explorers and colonists
treat the indigenous people of the Americas?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 6: Magellan’s Voyage
In September 1522, the 18 survivors
of Ferdinand Magellan’s three-year
expedition became the first Europeans
to circumnavigate the globe.
Big Question: How important was it for explorers to
have finally circumnavigated the globe?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 7: England Explores and Colonizes
From the 1400s
through the 1750s,
Europeans sought a
Northwest Passage
through North America
to the Pacific Ocean.
Big Question: How did European exploration of the
Americas lead to settlement and colonization?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 7: England Explores and Colonizes
In 1497, John Cabot
became one of the first
Europeans to seek the
Northwest Passage. He
reached a “new found
land” in what is now
Canada.
Big Question: How did European exploration of the
Americas lead to settlement and colonization?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 7: England Explores and Colonizes
Between 1577 and
1580, Sir Francis Drake
robbed other ships’
treasures to give to
Queen Elizabeth I of
England.
Big Question: How did European exploration of the
Americas lead to settlement and colonization?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 7: England Explores and Colonizes
In 1607, England
established its first
permanent colony
in North America at
Jamestown in what
became Virginia.
Big Question: How did European exploration of the
Americas lead to settlement and colonization?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 8: France and the Fur Trade
Between 1604 and 1610,
Samuel de Champlain
established colonies in New
France in what is now Canada.
Big Question: The French and the English had different
approaches to settlement in North America. In what ways
were they different?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 8: France and the Fur Trade
In addition to competing for colonies in
North America, France and England also
competed for trade in India.
Big Question: The French and the English had different
approaches to settlement in North America. In what ways
were they different?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 9: Dutch Trade
After the death of
Portugal’s king in the
early 1600s, control of the
Spice Islands and other
Portuguese holdings
shifted to the Dutch.
Big Question: How did the death of a king affect the
Spice Trade?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 9: Dutch Trade
In 1609, Henry Hudson
searched for the
Northwest Passage for
the Netherlands.
Big Question: How did the death of a king affect the
Spice Trade?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
CHAPTER 10: Slavery
During the 1600s, enslaved Africans were
brought to the Americas to work on the
sugar plantations.
Big Question:
How did the Age of
Exploration lead to the
development of the
slave trade?
THE AGE OF EXPLORATION
