Spanish Explorers
Spain went west• Difference
between Portuguese and Spanish expeditions
• Portuguese sailed east around Africa to get to Spice Islands
• Spanish sailed west
• But looking for same thing!
• Spice islands and india
Christopher Columbus
• Born in Genoa, Italy in 1451
• Sailor• He studied old
maps• Believed the
world was round• Believed that by
sailing west he could reach India
Sponsorship
• Needed money to pay for expedition
• Asked Portuguese King• Refused – why?• Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella sponsored him• Why? Hoped to beat Portuguese in
control of the spice trade in east
Setting Sail
• Set sail from port of Palos – Aug 1492
• 3 ships – Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria
• Captain of Santa Maria, a naos
• Pinzon Brothers – Captain of 2 others
• Crew of 90
Essay on life onboard ship
• Ferdinand and Isabella had provided the food – dried fish, salted meat, beans, wine, salted bread
• In essay, always discuss food, disease, jobs of the crew, the sailor’s fears
Early Part
• Stopped at Canary Islands for supplies
• Fresh water and repairs• Then out to the unknown• Sailors very afraid they would
never see land again• Mutiny threatened• Put down by Pinzon brothers
Open sea
• Over a month in open sea• Fears increased• Columbus kept 2 logs – a real one
and one he showed to the crew• Why do you think he kept two?
Land!• After 33 day, land
was sighted• Landed on an island• Columbus named it
‘San Salvador’• Claimed it for Spain• Thought he had
reached Asia• Called the natives
‘Indians’ • Why?
The Islands
• Travelled around the islands
• Called them ‘The Indies’
• Landed at Cuba, Hispaniola
• Never actually touched mainland America
Home
• Returned home to Spain in March 1493
• Brought back no spices• But some gold, parrots, pineapples
and 6 ‘Indians’• Hero’s welcome• Title ‘Admiral of the Ocean Sea’• Made Governor of the lands he found
Famous
• Ferdinand and Isabella delighted• Sponsored more voyages for Columbus• Wanted to conquer this undiscovered
land for Spain• Columbus insisted he had reached the
East• Many people didn’t agree• Said it was the New World
Later Years
• Columbus – 3 more voyages• Brought Spanish settlers• Treated natives badly• Columbus recalled to Spain in
chains• Died a disappointed man, still
wished he had reached East
Results of Columbus’ voyage
• Although he never reached China he had discovered a New World
• Inspired many later explorers to sail west
• Most famous would be Magellan
Treaty of Tordesillas• 1494 – 2 main powers exploring the world• Spain and Portugal• They wanted to avoid war• Agreed to divide the new world between
them• The Pope decided the deal• What does this tell us about the power and
influence of Catholic Church in Europe?
Treaty of Tordesillas• 1494 Treaty –
Imaginary Line drawn down Atlantic Ocean map
• Anything discovered west belonged to Spain
• Argentina actually east of the line
• That’s why in South America every country speaks Spanish except Argentina
TREATY MAP
Landing on America
• An Italian explorer called Amerigo Vespucci
• Realised the land Columbus discovered was actually a ‘new world’
• Wrote a book about his voyage there
• New world named after him