Geographical discoveries and who opened the table. The most famous travelers and their discoveries

Without the Russian discoverers, the world map would be completely different. Our compatriots - travelers and seafarers - have made discoveries that have enriched world science. The eight most noticeable are in our material.

Bellingshausen's first Antarctic expedition

In 1819, the navigator, captain of the 2nd rank, Thaddeus Bellingshausen led the first Antarctic round-the-world expedition. The purpose of the voyage was to explore the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, as well as to prove or disprove the existence of the sixth continent - Antarctica. Having equipped two sloops - "Mirny" and "Vostok" (under command), Bellingshausen's detachment went to sea.

The expedition lasted 751 days and wrote many bright pages in the history of geographical discoveries. The main one - - was made on January 28, 1820.

By the way, attempts to open the white continent were made earlier, but did not bring the desired success: they lacked a little luck, or, perhaps, Russian tenacity.

So, the navigator James Cook, summing up the results of his second voyage around the world, wrote: "I went around the ocean of the southern hemisphere at high latitudes and rejected the possibility of the existence of a continent, which, if it can be discovered, then only near the pole in places inaccessible for navigation."

During Bellingshausen's Antarctic expedition, more than 20 islands were discovered and mapped, sketches of Antarctic species and animals living on it were made, and the navigator himself went down in history as a great discoverer.

“The name Bellingshausen can be directly put alongside the names of Columbus and Magellan, with the names of those people who did not give up before the difficulties and imaginary impossibilities created by their predecessors, with the names of people who followed their own independent path, and therefore were destroyers of obstacles to discoveries, which designate epochs, "wrote the German geographer August Petermann.

Discovery of Semyonov Tien Shansky

Central Asia at the beginning of the 19th century was one of the least explored regions of the world. An undeniable contribution to the study of the "unknown land" - as geographers called Central Asia - was made by Peter Semyonov.

In 1856, the main dream of the explorer came true - he went on an expedition to the Tien Shan.

“My works on Asian geography led me to a thorough acquaintance with everything that was known about inner Asia. Beckoned me in particular to itself the most central of the Asian mountain ranges - the Tien Shan, which had not yet been set foot by a European traveler and which was known only from scant Chinese sources.

Semenov's research in Central Asia lasted two years. During this time, the sources of the Chu, Syrdarya and Sary-Jaz rivers, the Khan-Tengri peaks and others were mapped.

The traveler established the location of the Tien Shan ridges, the height of the snow line in this area and discovered the huge Tien Shan glaciers.

In 1906, by decree of the emperor, for the merits of the discoverer, the prefix was added to his surname - Tien Shansky.

Asia Przewalski

In the 70's and 80's. XIX century Nikolai Przhevalsky led four expeditions to Central Asia. This little-studied area has always attracted the explorer, and a trip to Central Asia was his old dream.

Over the years of research have been studied mountain systems Kun-Lun , ridges of Northern Tibet, the sources of the Yellow River and Yangtze, basins Kuku-nora and Lob-nora.

Przewalski was the second person after Marco Polo to reach lakes-swamps Lob-nora!

In addition, the traveler discovered dozens of species of plants and animals that are named after him.

“Happy fate made it possible to carry out a feasible study of the least known and most inaccessible countries of inner Asia,” Nikolai Przhevalsky wrote in his diary.

Around the world of Kruzenshtern

The names of Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky became known after the first Russian round-the-world expedition.

For three years, from 1803 to 1806. - that is how long the first circumnavigation lasted - the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva", passing through Atlantic Ocean, circled Cape Horn, and then reached Kamchatka by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. The expedition refined the map of the Pacific Ocean, collected information about the nature and inhabitants of Kamchatka and the Kuriles.

During the voyage, Russian sailors crossed the equator for the first time. Celebrated this event, according to tradition, with the participation of Neptune.

The sailor, dressed in the lord of the seas, asked Kruzenstern why he had arrived here with his ships, because the Russian flag had not been seen in these places before. To which the commander of the expedition replied: "For the glory of science and our fatherland!"

Expedition of Nevelskoy

Admiral Gennady Nevelskoy is rightfully considered one of the outstanding navigators of the 19th century. In 1849, on the transport ship "Baikal", he went on an expedition to Far East.

The Amur expedition lasted until 1855, during which time Nevelskoy made several major discoveries in the lower reaches of the Amur and the northern shores of the Sea of Japan, annexed huge areas of the Amur and Primorye to Russia.

Thanks to the navigator, it became known that Sakhalin is an island, which is separated by the navigable Tatar Strait, and the mouth of the Amur is accessible for ships to enter from the sea.

In 1850, a detachment of Nevelskoy founded the Nikolaev post, which today is known as Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.

“The discoveries made by Nevelskoy are invaluable for Russia,” wrote Count Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky - many previous expeditions to these lands could achieve European glory, but none of them achieved domestic benefits, at least to the extent that Nevelskoy did it. "

Vilkitsky North

The purpose of the hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean in 1910-1915. was the development of the Northern Sea Route. By chance, the captain of the 2nd rank Boris Vilkitsky took over the duties of the head of the voyage. Icebreaking ships "Taimyr" and "Vaygach" went to sea.

Vilkitsky moved along the northern water area from east to west, and during the voyage he managed to compose a true description of the northern coast Eastern Siberia and many islands, received the most important information about currents and climate, and also became the first who made a through voyage from Vladivostok to Arkhangelsk.

The members of the expedition discovered the Land of Emperor Nicholas I. I., known today as Novaya Zemlya - this discovery is considered the last significant on the globe.

In addition, thanks to Vilkitsky, the islands of Maly Taimyr, Starokadomsky and Zhokhov were mapped.

At the end of the expedition, the First World War... The traveler Roald Amundsen, having learned about the success of Vilkitsky's voyage, could not resist exclaiming to him:

"In time of peace, this expedition would excite the whole world!"

Kamchatka campaign of Bering and Chirikov

The second quarter of the 18th century was rich in geographical discoveries. All of them were made during the First and Second Kamchatka expeditions, which immortalized the names of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov.

During the First Kamchatka Campaign, Bering, the leader of the expedition and his assistant, Chirikov, explored and mapped the Pacific coast of Kamchatka and Northeast Asia. They discovered two peninsulas - Kamchatsky and Ozerny, Kamchatsky Bay, Karaginsky Bay, Cross Bay, Providence Bay and St. Lawrence Island, as well as the strait, which today bears the name of Vitus Bering.

Companions - Bering and Chirikov - also led the Second Kamchatka Expedition. The aim of the campaign was to find a way to North America and explore the Pacific Islands.

In Avacha Bay, the expedition members laid the foundation for the Petropavlovsk prison - in honor of the ships of navigation "St. Peter" and "St. Paul" - which was later renamed Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

When the ships sailed to the shores of America, by the will of evil fate, Bering and Chirikov began to act alone - because of the fog, their ships lost each other.

"St. Peter" under the leadership of Bering reached west coast America.

And on the way back, the members of the expedition, who had a lot of difficulties, were thrown into a small island by a storm. Here Vitus Bering's life ended, and the island where the expedition members stopped for the winter was named after Bering.
"St. Paul" Chirikov also reached the shores of America, but for him the voyage ended more safely - on the way back, he discovered a number of islands in the Aleutian ridge and safely returned to the Peter and Paul prison.

Ivan Moskvitin's "Tumbling Lands"

Little is known about the life of Ivan Moskvitin, but this man still went down in history, and the reason for this is the new lands he discovered.

In 1639, Moskvitin, leading a detachment of Cossacks, set sail for the Far East. The main goal of the travelers was "to find new unseasoned land", to collect furs and fish. The Cossacks overcame the Aldan, Mayu and Yudomu rivers, discovered the Dzhugdzhur ridge, which separates the rivers of the Lena basin from the rivers flowing into the sea, and along the Ulya river entered the "Lamskoye" or Sea of Okhotsk. Having explored the coast, the Cossacks discovered the Tauiskaya Bay and entered the Sakhalin Bay, circling the Shantar Islands.

One of the Cossacks reported that the rivers in open lands"Sable, there are many animals, and fish, and the fish is big, there is no such thing in Siberia ... there are so many of them - just run the net and you can't drag the fish out with the fish ...".

The geographical data collected by Ivan Moskvitin formed the basis of the first map of the Far East.

It is of tremendous importance in the history of mankind. Most of the usual goods and foodstuffs simply would not exist in our market today without these two centuries.

Background

The era of great geographical discoveries is called the period from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century AD. This term originated from the active research and expansion that took place over two hundred years. At this time, the countries of Western Europe and the Moscow kingdom significantly expanded their possessions by including new territories.

Sometimes lands were bought, less often - they simply settled down, more often they had to be conquered.

Scientists today believe that the main reason for the surge in such expeditions was rivalry in the search for a shortcut to India. At the end of the Middle Ages, the opinion spread in the countries of Western Europe that this is a very rich state.

After the Portuguese began to bring spices, gold, fabrics and jewelry from there, Castile, France and other countries began to look for alternative routes. The crusades were no longer financially satisfying, so the need arose to open up new markets.

Portuguese expeditions

As we said earlier, the era of the great geographical discoveries began with the first expeditions of the Portuguese. They, exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa, reached the Cape of Good Hope and ended up in Indian Ocean... So the sea route to India was opened.

Before that, there were several important events that led to such an expedition. In 1453 Constantinople fell. Muslims took over one of the most important Christian shrines. From now on, the way for European merchants to the east, to China and India, was barred.

But without the ambitions of the Portuguese crown, perhaps the era of great geographical discoveries would never have begun. King Athos V started looking for Christian states in southern Africa. At that time, it was believed that the forgotten Christian peoples began behind the lands of the Muslims, behind Morocco.

So the islands of Cape Verde were discovered in 1456, and a decade later they began to develop the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Today it houses the Ivory Coast.

1488 marked the beginning of an era of discovery. Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Storms (later renamed Cape of Good Hope by the king) and anchored on the Pacific coast.

Thus, a detour to India was opened. The only problem for the Portuguese was that the journey took a year. For the rest of the monarchs, the discovery became a thorn, since according to the papal bull it was Portugal that monopolized it.

Discovery of America

Many believe that the era of great geographical discoveries began with the discovery of America. However, this was already the second stage.

The fifteenth century was a rather difficult stage for the two parts of modern Spain. Then these were separate kingdoms - Castile and Aragon. The first, in particular, at that time was the most powerful Mediterranean monarchy. It included the territories of southern France, southern Italy, several islands and part of the coast of North Africa.

However, the reconquest process and the war with the Arabs significantly alienated the country from geographical research. The main reason that the Castilians began to finance Christopher Columbus was the beginning of the confrontation with Portugal. This country, due to the opening of the route to India, received a monopoly on maritime trade.

In addition, there was a skirmish over the Canary Islands.

By the time Columbus was tired of persuading the Portuguese to equip an expedition, Castile was ready for such an adventure.

Three caravels reached Caribbean islands... On the first trip, San Salvador, parts of Haiti and Cuba were discovered. Later, several ships of workers and soldiers were transported. Initial plans for mountains of gold fell through. Therefore, the systematic colonization of the population began. But we'll talk about this later when it comes to the conquistadors.

Indian Ocean

After the return of the first expedition of Columbus, a diplomatic solution to the division of spheres of influence begins. To avoid conflict, the Pope issues a document defining the Portuguese and Spanish possessions. But João II was dissatisfied with the decree. According to the bull, he was losing the newly discovered lands of Brazil, which were then considered the island of Vera Cruz.

Therefore, in 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between the Castilian and Portuguese crowns. The border was two hundred and seventy leagues from Cape Verde. Everything to the east went to Portugal, to the west to Spain.

The era of great geographical discoveries continued with expeditions in the Indian Ocean. In May 1498, Vasco da Gama's ships reached the southwestern coast of India. Today it is the state of Kerala.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, Sri Lanka were discovered. The Portuguese gradually entered new markets.

Pacific Ocean

As we mentioned earlier, the era of great geographical discoveries began with the search for a sea route to India. However, after the ships of Vasco da Gama reached its coast, European expansion into the countries of the Far East began.

Here, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese discover the markets of the Philippines, China and Japan.

At the other end of the Pacific Ocean, Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama at this time and becomes the first Spaniard to see "the other sea."

The next inevitable step was the development of new spaces, which led to the first circumnavigation of the expedition of Magellan in 1519 - 1522.

Conquistadors

The navigators of the era of great geographical discoveries were not only engaged in the development of new lands. Often, waves of adventurers, entrepreneurs, immigrants followed the pioneers in search of a better life.

After Christopher Columbus first set foot on the coast of one of the Caribbean islands, thousands of people crossed over to the New World. The main reason was the misconception that they had reached India. But after the expectations of the treasure did not come true, the Europeans began to colonize the territories.

Juan de Leon, traveling from Costa Rica, discovered the Florida coast in 1508. Hernán Cortez, on the orders of Velázquez, left Santiago de Cuba, where he was mayor, with a flotilla of eleven ships and five hundred soldiers. He needed to conquer the aborigines of Yucatan. There, as it turned out, there were two rather powerful states - the empires of the Aztecs and the Mayans.

In August 1521, Cortes captured Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs, and renamed it Mexico City. From now on, the empire became part of Spain.

New trade routes

The age of great geographical discoveries has presented Western Europe with unexpected economic opportunities. New sales markets were opened, territories appeared, from where treasures and slaves were brought in for a pittance.

The colonization of the western and eastern coasts of Africa, the Asian coast of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific territories allowed the once small states to become world empires.

Japan, Philippines, China are open to European traders. The Portuguese even got their first colony there - Macau.

But the most important thing was that during the expansion to the west and east, the expeditions began to meet. Ships sailing from present-day Chile reached the coasts of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Thus, it was finally proved that our planet has the shape of a ball.

Gradually, sailors mastered the movement of the trade winds, the Gulf Stream. New ship models appeared. As a result of colonization, plantation farms were formed, where the labor of slaves was used.

Australia

The era of great geographical discoveries was not only marked by the search for a way to India. In short, humanity began to become familiar with the planet. When most of the coasts became known, there was only one question left. What is lurking in the south so massive that the northern continents do not outweigh it?

According to Aristotle, there was a certain continent - incognita terra australis ("unknown southern land").

After several misleading reports, the Dutchman Janszon finally landed in present-day Queensland in 1603.

And in the forties of the seventeenth century, Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania and New Zealand.

Conquest of Siberia

The era of great geographical discoveries was not only marked by the exploration of America, Africa and Australia. The trophy table and the map of the Baikal environs speak of important discoveries made by the Russian Cossacks.

So, in 1577, the ataman Ermak, who was financed by the Stroganovs, went to the east of Siberia. During the campaign, he inflicts a heavy defeat on the Siberian Khan Kuchum, but eventually dies in one of the battles.

However, his case was not forgotten. Since the seventeenth century, after the end of the Time of Troubles, the systematic colonization of these lands begins.

The Yenisei is being investigated. Lena, Angara. In 1632 Yakutsk was founded. Subsequently, it will become the most important staging post on the way to the east.

In 1639, Ivan Moskvitin's expedition reaches the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Kamchatka began to be developed only in the eighteenth century.

Results of the era of great geographical discoveries

The significance of the era of the great geographical discoveries is difficult to overestimate.

First, there has been a food revolution. Plants such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, pineapples and others came to Western Europe. There is a culture of drinking coffee and tea, people are starting to smoke.

Precious metals from the New World quickly flooded the markets " old Europe". Along with the emergence of a large number of colonies, the era of imperialism begins.

In the countries of Western Europe, there is a decline of some trading houses and the rise of others. It is to the era of geographical discoveries that the Netherlands owe their rise. Antwerp in the sixteenth century became the main transshipment port for goods from Asia and America to other European countries.

Thus, in this article, we figured it out in the course of geographical discoveries over two hundred years. We talked about different directions of expeditions, learned the names of famous sailors, as well as the time of discovery of some coasts and islands.

Good luck and new discoveries to you, dear readers!

The era of great geographical discoveries had a tremendous impact on the development of all mankind. The discovery of new lands, trade routes and more convenient sea routes made it possible to develop trade and social relations between countries and continents, to develop many sciences, and to expand people's understanding of the structure of the world.

Prerequisites for the great geographical discoveries

Throughout history, many geographical discoveries have been made, but only those that were made at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries entered world history as the Greats. This is due to the fact that neither before nor after this period, no one managed to repeat the success of the medieval discoverers and make such large-scale discoveries.

At the turn of the XV-XVI centuries, brave navigators managed to open previously unknown lands to the entire Western world - South Africa and America, find new ways to Japan, China, Indonesia, swim across the Pacific Ocean, conquer the harsh polar waters.

Rice. 1. Sea travel.

Travelers of that time had not only the desire to make discoveries, but all the means to achieve their goal:

high-speed sailing ships;
devices that helped to navigate in distant sea voyages;
special navigation charts that made it easier to plot courses on the high seas or ocean.

The main reason for making new geographical discoveries was the increased need for new goods, raw materials, more convenient and shorter trade routes.

Western merchants and industrialists saw the possibility of easy enrichment by robbing wealthy peoples from distant countries... Such magic land many imagined India, a free and safe route to which ran only across the Atlantic Ocean.

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Rice. 2. Indian goods.

Goods from India have been very popular in Europe since ancient times. However, there were no direct trade routes with this exotic country: there were hostile states on the way to India, and trade was carried out through numerous intermediaries. Indian spices, fabrics, gold, jewelry, like a magnet, attracted European travelers.

Great geographical discoveries

The first on the road to great geographical discoveries were the Portuguese. They were quickly joined by the Spaniards and the British, who also made desperate attempts to find new rich lands.

However, great geographical discoveries were made not only by European navigators. There were many brave pioneers in Russia who opened the vast expanses of Siberia and the Far East to the world.

Table "Great geographical discoveries"

*opening date*	*Traveler*	*Perfect discoveries*
	Bartolomeu Dias	Opening of the sea route to the Indian Ocean along the coast of Africa
	Christopher Columbus	Discovery of a new continent - America
	John Cabot	The beginning of the search for the northern route to India. Discovery of the Labrador Strait
	Vasco da Gama	Opening of the sea route to India
	Pedro Carbal	The discovery of Brazil
	Vasca Nunens Balboa	Crossing the Isthmus of Panama and opening the Pacific Ocean
	Fernand Magellan	The world's first trip around the world, during which it was proved that the Earth has the shape of a ball
	Abel Tasman	Discovery of Australia and New Zealand
	Semyon Dezhnev and Fedot Popov	Opening of the strait between Asia and North America

Consequences of great geographical discoveries

New, previously unknown lands, inhabited by completely unfamiliar peoples, seas and endless oceans amazed the imagination and opened up great opportunities that previously could not have been dreamed of.

Rice. 3. Discovery of America.

The most important consequences of great discoveries include:

Development of relations and strengthening of ties between different states.
Development of trade and industry.
The beginning of the era of colonialism.
Artificial interruption of Indian civilizations in the New World.
A leap forward in the development of natural sciences.
Establishment of the modern contours of the continents.

What have we learned?

When studying the topic "Table" Great geographical discoveries "in the 7th grade history program, we learned to what period the great geographical discoveries belong, and why they went down in history under that name. We found out which travelers made the most significant discoveries, and what role they played in the history of mankind.

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Assessment of the report

Average rating: 4.5. Total ratings received: 818.

The great geographical discoveries are the most important period in the history of mankind from the late 15th to the middle of the 16th centuries. The brave discoverers of Spain and Portugal discovered western world new lands, thus laying the foundation for the development of new trade routes and connections between continents.

The beginning of the period of great geographical discoveries

Throughout the existence of the human race, many important discoveries were made, however, under the name "great", only those that took place in the 16-17 centuries entered history. The fact is that neither before this period of time, nor after it, none of the travelers and researchers was able to repeat the success of the medieval discoverers.

Geographic discovery is understood as finding new, previously unknown geographic sites or patterns. It can be a part of the earth or a whole continent, a water basin or a strait, the existence of which on Earth the cultured mankind did not suspect.

Rice. 1. Middle Ages.

But why did the great geographical discoveries become possible precisely between the 15th and 17th centuries?

This was facilitated by the following factors:

active development of various crafts and trade;
the growth of European cities;
the need for precious metals - gold and silver;
development of technical sciences and knowledge;
major discoveries in navigation, the emergence of the most important navigation devices - the astrolabe and the compass;
development of cartography.

The catalyst for the Great Geographical Discoveries was the annoying fact that Constantinople in the Middle Ages came under the rule of the Ottoman Turks, who impeded direct trade between the European powers with India and China.

Great travelers and their geographical discoveries

If we consider the periodization of the Great Geographical Discoveries, then the first who gave the Western world new routes and endless opportunities were the Portuguese navigators. The British, Spaniards and Russians did not lag behind them, who also saw great prospects in the conquest of new lands. Their names have forever entered the history of navigation.

Bartolomeu Dias - Portuguese navigator, who in 1488, in search of a convenient direction to India, circled Africa, discovered the Cape of Good Hope and became the first European to find himself in the waters of the Indian Ocean.
- it is with his name that the discovery in 1492 of an entire continent - America is associated.

Rice. 2. Christopher Columbus.

Vasco da Gama - the commander of the Portuguese expedition, who in 1498 managed to lay a direct trade route from Europe to Asia.

For several years, from 1498 to 1502, Christopher Columbus, Alonso Ojeda, Amerigo Vespucci and many other navigators from Spain and Portugal were thoroughly investigated north coast South America... However, acquaintance with the Western conquerors did not bring anything good to the local residents - in the pursuit of easy money, they showed themselves extremely aggressive and cruel.

Vasca Nunens Balboa - in 1513, the brave Spaniard was the first to cross the Isthmus of Panama and discover the Pacific Ocean.
Fernand Magellan - the first person in history who made a round-the-world trip in 1519-1522, thereby proving that the Earth has the shape of a ball.
Abel Tasman - opened Australia and New Zealand to the Western world in 1642-1643.
Semyon Dezhnev - Russian traveler and pathfinder who was able to find the strait connecting Asia with North America.

Results of the great geographical discoveries

The great geographical discoveries significantly accelerated the transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age, with its most important achievements and the flourishing of most European states.

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Humanity has a different look at the world, new horizons have opened up for scientists. This contributed to the development of natural sciences, which could not but affect the general standard of living.

The conquest of new lands by Europeans led to the formation and strengthening of colonial empires, which became a powerful source of raw materials for the Old World. There was a cultural exchange between civilizations in various areas, there was a movement of animals, plants, diseases and even entire peoples.

Rice. 3. Colonies of the New World.

Geographical discoveries were continued after the 17th century, which made it possible to create full map the world.

What have we learned?

When studying the topic "Great geographical discoveries" in the 6th grade geography program, we learned briefly about the great geographical discoveries, their significance in world history... We also made short review the greatest personalities who managed to make important discoveries in the geography of the Earth.

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Not only professional historians, but also all history lovers are interested in knowing how the great geographical discoveries took place.

From this article you will learn everything you need to know about this period in.

So in front of you Great geographical discoveries.

The era of great geographical discoveries

The beginning of the 16th century in Western Europe is characterized by the development of internal and international relations, the creation of large centralized states (Portugal, Spain, etc.).

By this time, great strides had been made in production, processing, shipbuilding and military affairs.

With the search by Western Europeans for routes to the countries of South and East Asia, from which spices (, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon) and expensive silk fabrics came era of great geographical discoveries.

The Great Geographical Discoveries is a period in human history that began in the 15th century and lasted until the 17th century, during which Europeans discovered new lands and sea routes to, America, Asia and Oceania in search of new trading partners and sources of goods that were in great demand in Europe.

Causes of the great geographical discoveries

Time from the second half of the 15th century. until the middle of the 17th century. went down in history as the era of the great geographical discoveries. Europeans discovered previously unknown seas and oceans, islands and continents, and made the first round-the-world travels. All this completely changed the idea of.

Geographical discoveries, later called "Great", were made in the course of searching for ways to the countries of the East, especially in.

The growth of production and trade in Europe has caused the need for. Gold was also required for minting coins. In Europe itself, the extraction of precious metals could no longer satisfy the sharply increased demand for them.

It was believed that they are in abundance in the East. The "thirst for gold" was the main reason that forced the Europeans to embark on increasingly long sea voyages.

It was sea voyages that were caused by the fact that the long-used route to the East (along and further by land) was blocked by the Turkish conquest of the Balkan Peninsula, the Middle East, and then almost all of North Africa by the middle of the 15th century.

The next reason for the search for new ways was the desire of European merchants to get rid of trade intermediaries (Arab, Indian, Chinese, etc.) and establish a direct connection with the eastern markets.

The prerequisites for the discoveries were as follows. In and after the Reconquista (Spanish reconquistar - to recapture; the expulsion of the Arabs in the 13-15th centuries), many noblemen were left “without work”.

They had military experience and in order to get rich, they were ready to swim, jump or go to the ends of the world in the literal sense of the word. The fact that the countries of the Iberian Peninsula were the first to start organizing distant voyages was also explained by their peculiar geographic location.

New inventions were of great importance for the development of navigation. The creation of new, more reliable types of ships, the development of cartography, the improvement of the compass (invented in China) and the device for determining the latitude of the location of the ship - the sextant gave the navigators reliable means of navigation.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that in the 16th century. the idea of the spherical shape of the Earth has been recognized by scientists from a number of countries.

Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus

Conquest of Mexico and Peru

In 1516-1518. the Spaniards reached the places where they lived (the Yucatan Peninsula), and learned from them that there was a country nearby from which they received gold.

Rumors about the "Golden Empire" finally deprived the Spaniards of peace. In 1519, an expedition headed by Hernando Cortez, a poor young nobleman, set out for the shores of the Aztec state ().

He had 500 soldiers (including 16 on) and 13 cannons. Enlisting the support of the tribes conquered by the Aztecs, Cortes moved to the capital of the country - the city of Tenochtitlan.

He captured the ruler Montezuma and took possession of his enormous treasures. An uprising broke out, and the Spaniards had to flee.

Two years later, they again took possession of the capital, exterminating almost the entire male population. Within a few years, the Aztec state was conquered, and the Spaniards got a lot of gold and silver.

Meeting of Hernando Cortez and Montezuma II

The conquest of the Inca country by the Spaniards in 1531-1532 eased by the fragility of their military alliance. At the head of the campaign to the country of Biru (hence - Peru) was the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, a shepherd in his youth.

He had 600 warriors and 37 horses. Having met with the 15 thousandth army of the Incas, the Spaniards treacherously captured their king Atagualpa.

After that, the Inca army was defeated. The king paid a huge sum for the promise of release, but was killed by order of Pizarro. The Spaniards captured the capital of Peru - Cuzco. Peru (see) far surpassed Mexico in its wealth.

The conquest of Mexico and Peru served as the basis for Spain to create its colonies in America, which, along with conquests in other parts of the world, formed the huge colonial empire of the Spanish monarchy.

Colonies of Portugal

The Portuguese were the first to enter the oceanic expanses in search of a way to the distant countries of the East. Slowly moving along the western coast of Africa, they during the 15th century. reached the Cape of Good Hope, rounded it and went out to.

To complete the search for a sea route to India, the Portuguese king Manoel sent an expedition led by one of his courtiers, Vasco da Gama.

In the summer of 1497, four ships under his command left Lisbon and, circumnavigating, sailed along its eastern coast to the rich Arab city of Malindi, which traded with India.

Vasco da Gama entered into an alliance with the Sultan of Malindi, and he allowed him to take with him as a navigator the famous in those parts of Ahmed ibn Majid. Under his leadership, the Portuguese finished their voyage.

On May 20, 1498, the ships dropped anchors at the Indian port of Calicut - another great geographical discovery was made, as a sea route to India appeared.

In the fall of 1499, after a difficult expedition, with a half-diminished crew, the ships of Vasco da Gama returned to Lisbon. Their return from India with a load of spices was solemnly celebrated.

The opening of the sea route to India allowed Portugal to start mastering sea trade in South and East Asia. After capturing the Moluccas, the Portuguese went to, entered into trade with the South, reached, establishing the first European trading post there.

Vasco da Gama is a Portuguese navigator of the era of the great geographical discoveries. Commander of the expedition, which was the first in history to sail from Europe to India by sea.

In the course of their advancement, first along the western and then the eastern coast of Africa, the Portuguese founded their colonies there: (in the west) and (in the east).

Thus, not only the sea route from Western Europe to India and East Asia, but also created a vast colonial empire of Portugal.

Magellan's circumnavigation

The Spaniards, creating their colonial empire in America, reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The butterscotch of the strait, connecting it with the Atlantic, began.

In Europe, some geographers were so sure of the existence of this still unopened strait that they mapped it in advance.

A new plan for an expedition to open the strait and reach Asia by the western route was proposed to the Spanish king (1480-1521), a Portuguese sailor from a poor nobleman who lived in Spain.

When proposing his project, Magellan believed in the existence of the strait, and also had a very optimistic idea of the distances that he would have to cover.

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