Search Results: Exploration

One of the major motivating factors in the European Age of Exploration was the search for direct access to the highly lucrative Eastern spice trade. In the 15th century, spices came to Europe via the Middle East land and sea routes, and spices...

The French exploration of New Zealand has been overshadowed by the achievements of British navigator Captain James Cook (1728-1779), but French navigators who visited Aotearoa's (New Zealand) shores named over 100 geographical places and...

The Portuguese built an empire from 1420 onwards that was largely composed of trade centres dotted around the coasts of three continents. This colonial enterprise was driven by a search for African gold, Asian spices, and Christian kingdoms...

Ancient peoples were as curious as ourselves about the wider world and even if the transport at their disposal meant travel could be long, arduous and dangerous, they still managed to get about and visit different cities, sacred sites and...

A map illustrating the rise of Spain into a global colonial and trading power following the European Age of Exploration of the 15th Century.

A map illustrating the patterns and routes of westward exploration and settlement in the United States after the “Louisiana Purchase” from France in 1803. As Napoleonic dreams of a great North American Empire gave way to French hegemonic...

A map illustrating the evolution of Portugal into a global colonial power following the period of European exploration of the 15th century. Portugal’s colonial Empire began in the fifteenth century, with the kings of Portugal seeking trade...

A map illustrating the far-reaching voyages and settlements of the Vikings during the 8th to 11th centuries, spanning much of Europe, the North Atlantic, and parts of North America. Viking explorers and traders traveled as far west as Newfoundland...

The thing about European History is that it tends to leak out of Europe. Europeans haven't been great at staying put in Europe. As human beings do, the people of Europe were very busy traveling around to trade, to spread religion, and in...

The caravel (caravela in Spanish and Portuguese), was a type of medium-sized ship which, with its low draught and lateen or triangular sails, made it ideal for exploration from the 15th century onwards. Fast, manoeuvrable, and only needing...