European Explorations

Prince Henry the Navigator's School

Sep 29, 1418

He was the Prince of Portugal and sponsered explorations. He made a school to train people in oceanic navigation, mapmaking, shipbuilding and astronomical observation. He trained them in order to sail down the west of Africa.

Gil Eannes Explores West Africa

Jan 1, 1434

Prince Henry sent 14 ships out to "The Sea of Darkness" (West Africa where exploreers refused to go because of the frequent storms and rough currents) for twelve years trying to pass Cape Bojador. Finally, in 1934, Prince Henry convinced Gil Eannes to try, and he succeeded. Eannes (Portuguese) was the first explorer to sail beyond Cape Bojador and return alive.

Bartolomeu Dias

Mar 12, 1488

Portuguese explorer. He was the first European to succeesively saiol around the southernmost tip of Africa and back up the east coast. On his return voyage, he discovered the Cape of Good Hope. Now Europeans could trade directly with India and other parts of Asia.

Christopher Columbus' 1st Voyage

Aug 3, 1492

Sponsered by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle of Spain, Columbus set out in search for Asia. Following his plotted course, instead of Asia, he landed in what is now the Bahamas. He named the area, San Salvador where he found native Indians. On August 3, he set out with three ships; Santa María, Niña, and Pinta.

Chistopher Columbus' 2nd Voyage

Sep 24, 1493

Columbus set sail in search of new land (The New World) with 17 ships and 1,200 men. He came acroos about 10 islands in what is now Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Dominican Republic. While in Puerto Rico, he came in contact with the Natives. That was the first fight between the Native Americans and Europeans since the Vikings.

Giovanni Caboto

Jun 24, 1497

Being sponsered by England, Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) sailed from England to the coast of North America; Newfoundland, Canada. He thought he was the first European to set foot in Norh America since the Vikings. He did not come in contact with any native people, but found signs of human activity; emains of fire, nets, tools. and human footprints. He claimed Canada and the United States for England.

Vasco da Gama 1497-1499

Jul 8, 1497

He was the first European to sail around the south of Africa to and reach India. He then had passed the Great Fish River on waters unexplored to Europeans. His crew also became the first Europens to be at the ports of Mombassa, and the port of Malindi (1498). In May, 1498, he arrived in Calicut, India.

Christopher Columbus' 3rd Voyage

May 30, 1498

He sailed out again in search for the New World with six ships. He sailed to the Portuguese Island of Porto Santo, then to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. On July 31, he landed on the island of Trinidad (An island in the Carribean) and explored the mainland of South America.

Amerigo Vespucci: Brazil

Nov 29, 1499

Sponsered by Spain, Vespucci joind forces with commander, Alonso de Ojeda. They wanted to sail aound the south end of Africa into the Indian Ocean, but after landing on Guyana both ended up seperate. Vespucci reached land in Brazil and explored the Amazon River. He turned around and went back to Spain.

Vespucci: South America

May 19, 1501

Leaving from Lisbon, Vespucci again wanted to sail west to Asia. He reached the east coast of Brazil and sailed down the coastof South America until he hit Rio de Janiero's bay. While on this voyage Vespucci mapped the stars he saw; the Southern Cross, Alpha, and Beta Centauri. Because of his location in Europe, everyone ignored these stars the Greek knew about. The name 'America' derived from Amerigo Vespucci.

Christopher Columbus' 4th Voyage

May 11, 1502

He set sail in search of the Stait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean. He sailed to the coast of Morraco, but a hurricane sent him back to the Carribean. There he explored Centeral America; Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica. Columbus left for Hispaniola and spotted the Cayman Islands. Because of the damage from the previos storm, they were trapped in Jamaica for a year. He arrived in back in Spain months later.

Hernan Cortes Encounter with the Mayans

Feb 1, 1519

He headed to the Yucatan Peninsula on Mayan land along with cannons, horses, eleven ships, and 500 men. A Spanish man from earlier exploration joined Cortes and could translate for him. He sailed to Tabasco and won a battle against the unwelcoming natives, and converted the women. They told him abou the riches beheld by the Aztecs.

Hernan Cortes' Encounter with the Aztecs

Jul 1, 1519

He went to Veracruz and wanted to meet with the leader of the Aztecs, Moctezuma. When Montezuma refused, Cortes came with more canons, horses, and men to the city of Cholula. They waited in Tenochtitlan for Moctezuma, and when he came Cortes had a big army. Now knowing the Aztecs took out previous Spaniards, Cortes help Moctezuma captive.

Ferdinand Magellan: Atlantic & Pacific Oceans

Aug 10, 1519

Magellan, five ships, and about 234 men set sail on September 20. They went from the Canary Islands and Cape Verde to Brazil two months later. He continued south along South America's coast for the strait he thought would lead them to the Spice Islands. On March 30, they landed in what is now Argentina. Four ships traveled through a long passageway no named the Strait of Magellen. On November 28, 1520, they reached the Pacific Ocean (named by Magellan),

Magellan: Philippines

Feb 13, 1521

Crew reached Guam. On March 16, he reached the island of Homonhon in the Philippines. Magellan sailed to Macatac to attack and was hit with a bamboo spear, and was later attacked with other weapons. On April 27, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan died. The rest of the men abandoned a ship, left with two.

Cortes and Mexico City

Aug 13, 1521

Because of a massacre made by Cortes' men, they escaped from the rampage of the Tenochtitlans and lost treasures and artillery along the way. After a battle in Otumba, and the capture of the Tenochtitlan leader, the Aztec Empire dissapeared. So, Cortes could not claim it for Spain, and re-named the city, Mexico City. Cortes governed Mexico City after.

Magellan's Crew: Spice Islands and Circumnavigation

Nov 6, 1521

The remainding men of Magellan sailed westward and on November 6, all 115 men found the Spice Islands. They loaded spices on one of their boats, and later found out the boat couldnt carry all of it nd neither could the second smaller boat. The boat contaning spices and men crashed in a storm while at anchor under Portuguese control. The last ship sailed back to Spain on the Indian Ocean in December. They past the Cape of Good Hope in March. Twenty more crewmen died. They reached Spain in 1522.

Francisco Pizarro: 1st Voyage

Sep 13, 1524

While in Panama Pizarro partnered with, Hernando de Luque and Diego de Almagro to conquer the south. They decided, after they conquered the land, to split up the land between the three of them. They left Panama for Peru with 80 men and 40, they left Almagro behind to recruit men and gather supplies. Pizarro's conquistadors (Spanish army) sailed down the Pacific coast but couldn't exceed past Columbia because of disease and weather. Pizarro returned to Panama and declared his voyage a failure.

Pizarro: 2nd Voyage

Aug 1, 1526

Pizarro, Luque, and Almagro left Panama with two ships and reached the Colombian San Juan River, where they split up; Pizarro goes to explore, and Almagro sent back for reinforcements. Pizarro's sailor (Ruiz) continued sailing south when they captured a raft of natives holding riches and textiles. When he reached Pizarro with the riches and Almagro with the reinforcement, they sailed back to were Ruiz was and found the natives. The natives were in large groups, and aggressive, so the crew left.

Pizarro: Peru & Incas

Jul 1, 1532

Pizarro wanted to be the first Spaniard to conquer Peru. Partner, Hernando de Soto explored there and came back with an invite from the Incans for a meeting with the them. When they arrived, Pizarro sent de Soto to the leader, Atahualpa, and he refused to meet with them. Because of this, Pizarro attacked the Incan army(Battle of Cajamarca). The Spanish won, and took Atahualpa as a hostage, but strangled him to death. When they conquered Cuzco, that made it final that the Spanish ruled Peru.

Jacques Cartier: 1st Voyage

May 10, 1534

Cartier set sail in seeking for a western passage to the markets of Asia.Leaving France, it took him about twenty days to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to explore the New World. He explored Newfoundland, Canada and the Gulf of St. Lawerence. He traded with the people native to Canada that he ran into. He possed a piece of land on the coast of Gaspe Bay in the name of the French King. Thinking that he found an Asian continent, he sailed back to France in September, 1934.

Cartier: 2nd Voyage

May 19, 1535

He set sail with three ships. He sailed up river to a providence now known as Montreal in October. His arrival in Montreal is the start of the Sainte-Marie Sault (Area where the bridge named after Cartier is). He couldn't go further since the rapids in the river blocked him, he thought the rapids blocked him from going to China, so he named them La Chine (China in French). The name La Chine is used in the town of Lachine, Quebec. He went to scurvy infected Stadacona, then Saint-Malo in 1536.

Hernando de Soto: FL, GA, SC, NC, TN

May 1, 1539

Hernando de Soto, along with nine ships, landed in present day Bradenton, Florida. He traveled north exploring the westcoast and ran into many different native tribes along the way. They left Florida's panhandle into today's Georgia. Their expedition lead them to South Carolina, where the chief gave them food and pearls. They headed north into the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, then into eastern Tennessee.

De Soto: War, MS, AR, OK, TX.

Jan 1, 1540

They traveled down the Tennessee River, into Alabama. While in Mabila, Alabama, under the chiefs' commands, the Mobilian tribe ambushed de Soto's army. They fought their way out and burned the city down, killing pretty much all of the Mobilians. Hernando led his army into Mississippi. In March 1541, they reached the Mississippi River. After a month, they crossed the river near Memphis, TN., and continued to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Francisco Coronado: Arizona

Feb 23, 1540

Left Mexico with 335 Spaniards, monks, slaves, and 1300 natives. They headed north and reached the southern tip of Arizona. They continued up and stopped at the Grand Canyon and Colorado River (Northern Arizona), being the fist Europeans to see it. Three leaders in Coronados' expedition reached the Colorado River. They sailed up the Colorado to the lower haf of the Grand Canyon, and turned back when worms were eating the boat. One of them died when they returned back to camp.

Coronado: War

Dec 1, 1540

His expedition lead them east to a village in Rio Grande. Corronado set up quarters on the land near present day Alberquerque, New Mexico. They had numerous conflicts with the native Tiguex people, and eventually got in a brutal war with them; the Tiguex War. Many pueblos (Little clay homes) where destoyed as well as many deaths of the natives. That's when Coronado heard of the wealthy civilization called Quivira, and headed east to the Great Plains.

Coronado: Quivira

Mar 1, 1541

While in the Great Plains, they met Native Indians (Teyas) and told him he was going in the wrong direction; Quivira was north. Coronado traveled to present day Kansas and saw the Quivirans hunting buffalo. They reached Quivira a few days after. When they got there, they noticed the people where plain; many houses and fields of food. They only sign of wealth was a copper bell. Dissapointed, Coronado returned to New Mexico, then to Mexico city after a bad fall off his horse. He died in 1554.

Cartier: Last Voyage

May 23, 1541

He left Saint-Malo and sailed up-river to present day Cap-Rouge, Quebec. They set up forts, grew food, established a settlement there and called it Charlesbourg-Royal. He found what he thought were diamonds, but found out later they were only quartz crystals. He sailed back to France in June 1542, and arrived in October. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant General of France, Roberval took command at Charlesbourg-Royal, but was abandoned a year later because of disease and bad weather.

Henry Hudson: Hudson River

Jun 13, 1607

He sailed on behalf of England, and his first voyage landed in Greenland. In 1609 he was sent to find an easterly passage to Asia. Instead of sailing through the Arctic Ocean, into the Pacific, then east, ice blocked his way and he had to find a westerly passage through North America. In August, he arrived at Cape Cod. Continuing north, past Delaware Bay, he found a part of the river, now name the Hudson River. He also explored present day Albany, NY. He returned to Europe on November 7, 1609.

Hudson: Hudson Strait & Hudson Bay

May 11, 1610

He reached Iceland on May 11, and rounded the tip of Greenland a month later. They had finally reached the Northwest Passage through the continent, and on June 25, the crew reached what is now the Hudson Strait. On August 2, they entered a bay now name the Hudson Bay. Hudson never found the passage to Asia. But in June. 1611, the crew wanted to return home, while Hudson wanted to explore, and the crew sent him out on a small boat and left. Hudson and some of the crew never returned.