Greatest explorers
what led to the great geographic discoveries;
who were the great explorers;
which territories they discovered.
The Greeks were the first sailors in the antiquity. The medieval times were marked by [the Vikings] Vikings. However, they were sailing only near the coasts because of the poor ships that were used at that time.
It was the curiosity, creativity and courage of the Renaissance people that led to the great sea expeditions. They ventured for the faraway seas and oceans willing to explore the unknown and to bring new, exotic goods to Europe.
The new innovations came along: the compasscompass and astrolabeastrolabe that enabled sailing much further. Moreover, the new type of ships have appeared – the caravelscaravels.
The most famous explorers originated from Portugal and Spain. The authorities of those states were strongly engaged in the organisation of the expeditions. Prince Henry the Navigator was one of the involved. His compatriot - Bartolomeu Dias - was the one who has discovered the Cape of Good Hope. Thanks to another Portuguese, Vasco da Gama, we now can travel to India by sea.
However, it's the popularity of Christopher Columbus that no one can deny. With the support of the Spanish authorities, he organised the expedition we now know as the one which has discovered America. The year of this amazing achievement - 1492 - has been set the finishing date of the medieval era.
Another Portuguese sailor on Spanish service, Ferdinand Magellan, made a name for himself by circulating across the globe for the first time. Unfortunately, he died in the Philippines fighting the locals. Nonetheless, the ship „Victoria”'s crew returned to Spain after 3 years of the journey between 1519 and 1522. This achievement is now considered one of the most crucial events in the history of geographical discoveries: it has proven the sphericity of the globe.
Look at the most important events from the explorers' times and organize your knowledge. Which of the events were the most important and why?
How old was:
Christopher Columbus when he discovered America,
Vasco da Gama, when he discovered the way to India,
Pedro Alvares Cabral, when he discovered Brazil.
Link the term with the definition.
light and fast, three-mast ship that can sail against the wind, trade route enabling the import of luxurious good from Far East to Europe, the name given to America after its discovery, instrument determining the geographical location of the ship on the sea based on the stars' location, tribe inhabiting today's Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, instrument determining the cardinal directions invented in China
| Caravel | |
| Silk Road | |
| Vikings | |
| Astrolabe | |
| Compass | |
| New World |
Keywords
explorers, discoveries, podróżnicy, New Word, Vikings
Glossary
Astrolabium – przyrząd, dzięki któremu żeglarze określali położenie geograficzne statku na morzu według położenia gwiazd.
Karawela – lekki, szybki statek, trzymasztowy statek, który mógł żeglować nawet pod wiatr.
Kompas – przyrząd wynaleziony przez Chińczyków, umożliwiający dokładne określenie stron świata.
Nowy Świat – określenie wprowadzone w czasie wielkich odkryć geograficznych dla dwóch kontynentów półkuli zachodniej: Ameryki Północnej i Ameryki Południowej.
Szlak Jedwabny – szlak handlowy umożliwiający sprowadzanie luksusowych towarów z Dalekiego Wschodu do Europy.
Wikingowie – skandynawscy wojownicy, którzy od VIII w. podejmowali dalekie wyprawy o charakterze kupieckim, rabunkowym lub osadniczym.