Between about 1400 and 1600, European sailors crossed oceans that had never before been mapped, connecting continents that had developed separately for thousands of years.
Why did Europeans sail?
Several reasons pushed European rulers and sailors to explore: trade (direct access to Asia's spices and silk, without paying middlemen), gold and glory, religion (spreading Christianity), and technology — better ships, the compass and the astrolabe made long voyages possible.
Columbus and the Americas
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, crossed the Atlantic and reached islands in the Caribbean. He believed he had reached Asia, but he had in fact arrived in the Americas.
Put these voyages in order, earliest first:
- Portuguese ships round the southern tip of Africa (1488)
- Columbus reaches the Caribbean, sailing for Spain (1492)
- Vasco da Gama reaches India by sea (1498)
- Magellan's expedition completes the first voyage around the world (1522)
The Columbian Exchange
The linking of the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia) and New World (the Americas) caused a huge two-way transfer known as the Columbian Exchange.
| From the Americas | To the Americas |
|---|---|
| Potatoes, maize, tomatoes, chocolate | Wheat, horses, cattle |
This transformed diets worldwide, but contact also brought terrible harm: European diseases such as smallpox killed millions of Indigenous people who had no immunity, and conquest and colonisation followed.