Age of Exploration

By Troy Davies
  • 1341

    The First Expedition

    Portugal had the first expedition which started the “Age Of Exploration”
  • Period: 1341 to

    Age of Exploration

  • 1419

    Prince Henry the Navigator’s School of Navigation

    Prince Henry established a navigation school in Sagres, Portugal, which played a crucial role in training explorers and advancing maritime technology.
  • 1488

    Bartolomeu Dias Rounds the Cape of Good Hope

    Dias became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, proving a sea route to Asia was possible.
  • 1492

    Christopher Columbus' First Voyage

    Columbus, sponsored by Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, set sail and reached the Americas, marking the beginning of Spanish exploration and colonization in the New World.
  • 1494

    Treaty of Tordesillas

    Portugal and Spain signed this treaty, dividing newly discovered lands outside Europe. It granted Portugal control over Brazil, Africa, and parts of Asia, shaping its global empire.
  • 1497

    John Cabot’s Voyage to North America

    Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing under the English flag, reached the coast of present-day Canada, becoming the first European (after the Norse) to explore parts of North America.
  • 1513

    Vasco Núñez de Balboa Discovers the Pacific Ocean

    Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the New World, claiming it for Spain.
  • 1519

    Ferdinand Magellan’s Expedition

    Magellan, under Spanish sponsorship, led the first circumnavigation of the globe. Though he died in the Philippines, his fleet completed the journey, proving the world was round and interconnected by ocean routes.
  • 1521

    Hernán Cortés Conquers the Aztec Empire

    Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés led an expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire, securing Mexico for Spain
  • 1533

    Francisco Pizarro Conquers the Inca Empire

    Pizarro and his men defeated the Inca ruler Atahualpa, leading to Spanish control over present-day Peru and vast South American riches
  • 1534

    Jacques Cartier’s First Voyage

    French explorer Jacques Cartier set sail to explore the New World on behalf of King Francis I. He reached present-day Canada, claiming land for France and beginning France’s involvement in North America.
  • 1541

    Establishment of Charlesbourg-Royal

    Cartier attempted to establish the first French colony in North America (modern-day Quebec), but it failed due to harsh conditions and conflict with Indigenous peoples.
  • 1562

    Jean Ribault's Expedition to Florida

    Jean Ribault, a French naval officer, led an expedition to establish a Huguenot (French Protestant) colony in Florida.
  • 1577

    Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation of the Globe

    Sir Francis Drake, an English privateer, became the first Englishman to sail around the world, raiding Spanish settlements along the way and claiming new territories for England.

  • Defeat of the Spanish Armada

    England, under Queen Elizabeth I, defeated the Spanish Armada, marking the rise of England as a dominant naval power and opening the way for greater English exploration and colonization.

  • Founding of Port Royal, Acadia

    The French, led by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, and Samuel de Champlain, established Port Royal (in present-day Nova Scotia, Canada) as part of the colony of Acadia.

  • Founding of the Virginia Colony

    The English established Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English colony in North America, laying the foundation for British expansion in the New World.

  • Pilgrims Land at Plymouth

    The Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, sailed on the Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, furthering England’s colonial presence in North America.