People in the Age of Exploration
Bartholomew Dias
A Portugese explorer who was the first to go around the Cape of Good Hope below Africa.
Francisco Pizzaro
A conquistador who conquered the Incas
Samuel de Champlain
Cartographer, explorer, governor of New France. The major role Champlain played in the St Lawrence River area earned him the title of "father of New France."
Henry Hudson
Discovered what today is known as the Hudson River. Sailed for the Dutch even though he was originally from England. He was looking for a northwest passage through North America.
Francis Drake
English explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)
Amerigo Vespucci
Florentine navigator who explored the coast of South America
Jaques Cartier
French explorer, found the St. Lawrence River and laid claim to Canada as a French possesion (1534)
Christopher Columbus
Italian navigator and explorer who sailed for Spain and explored the Caribbean and the coast of Central and South America
Giovanni de Verrazano
Italian navigator, who was commissioned by France to find a Northwest Passage leading through the Americas to Asia; explored part of North America's eastern coast, including New York harbor (France)
John Cabot
Italian-born navigator explored the coast of New England, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Gave England a claim in North America.
Atahualpa
Last ruling Inca emperor of Peru. He was executed by the Spanish. (p. 438)
Pedro Alvares Cabral
Portugese navigator who landed on the coast of Brazil in 1500 and claimed it for Portugal.
Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese navigator who led the Spanish expedition of 1519-1522 that was the first to sail around the world.
Hernan Cortez
Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)
Prince Henry the Navigator
The son of the king of Portugal. Founder of the most advanced navigation school in Europe in the 1400's.
Vasco de Gama
a Portuguese explorer who was the first person to reach India by sailing around Africa.
Montezuma II
the last Aztec emperor in Mexico who was overthrown and killed by Hernando Cortes (1466-1520)