Ch.14 Lesson 2: Adventure and Profit

How did these expeditions influence other Portuguese rulers?

Because of this, Portuguese rulers continued to support these expeditions and some thought it was possible to sail all the way around Africa to the East.

What did Henry vouch about the exploration?

Even though he could not guarantee that Portugal would benefit directly from the exploration he knew that gold and other expensive goods could be found in Africa.

What did Henry require his sailors do?

He required the to keep accurate accounts of all the things they saw while sailing along a coastline. This helped the maps more accurate.

What did Prince Henry do once he left Ceuta?

Instead of returning to his luxurious life, he sailed to the town Sagres on Cape St. Vincent, the southern most point of Portugal.

What was the first problem of most explorers?

The first problem was finding someone to finance their expeditions because they were so expensive.

What were the three things Henry hoped of finding in Africa?

The source of African gold, new markets and goods, and even finding Prester John or new believers in the Christian faith.

Why did explorers need more than improved maps to help them during explorations?

This is because when they were at sea, they only had the sun, moon and stars to help them find their way. They also had to deal with bad storms and unseen currents. Last, they didn't know of the hardships ahead or how long it will take them to reach their destination.

Why did they make such a large profit from this sugar?

This was because the crusaders had created a demand for sugar in Europe after tasting it in the Middle East.

What did Henry's designers build?

They built a new kind of ship better suited to voyages on the open sea. The old ships were hard to maneuver on the open sea and had difficulty changing course with the wind. The new ship was called a caravel and was created by borrowing the best features from other sailing vessels.

What was the goal of the first expeditions down the African coast?

The goal of these expeditions organized by Prince Henry was to round the dreaded point of land called Cape Bojador.

How did the Portuguese cope with this problem?

At first, Prince Henry had to pay for these expeditions himself but soon people higher up in the royal family saw that the voyages could be extremely profitable and offered to pay for them by contributing capital, or money and materials.

What did Dom João II announce in 1485?

He announced that his Portugal ships would soon open up to the sea route to India.

What did Henry do in Sagres?

He developed a center for navigation and exploration. He someone mapmakers, sea captains and ship builders from all throughout Europe to come live on Sagres. He also invited sailors, travelers, and scholars so he could expand his geographical knowledge. He paid of expeditions to west Africa and his scholars even expanded the accuracy of maps developed at Sagres.

How did Henry know gold and other luxury goods could be found in Africa?

He had been a crusader in the Muslim port city Ceuta in North Africa. There he had seen that there were large amounts of gold, silver, grain, silks, and fragrant spices.

How many expeditions did Henry send to pass the cape and how many succeeded?

He sent 15 expeditions and only one returned to Sagres and withOUT success.

What was Prince Henry determined to overcome?

He wanted to overcome the fear surrounding Cape Bojador. Also, the unknown beyond this Cape interested him.

When did this expedition finally succeed?

In 1434 when a Portuguese captain named Gil Eanes round the cape. The barrier of fear was no longer there.

Why could sugar be sold for such a high price and what was the result of this?

It could be sold for these prices because the demand was much higher then the supply so the Europeans were willing to pay a large sum of money for it. Since the price paid for the sugar greatly surpassed the price to harvest the sugar the plantation owners made great profit.

Who was Prince Henry?

Prince Henry was the prince of Portugal and n was known as Henry the Navigator. He was a leader in the early years of European exploration and was considered curios and adventurous.

How did Prince Henry's experts help improve and adapt tools for navigation?

They created instruments such as the compass and the astrolabe that helped determine latitude. They also came up with methods that would help guide a ship when it sailed out of sight of land.

How did Portugal make up for the money the lost to foreign investors?

They gained money by establishing colonies or settlements of their own citizens in the lands they explored.

What did the Portuguese do with the open land they had found on the islands Sao Tome and the Cape Verde Islands?

They sent settlers there to grow sugar and wheat for export back to Portugal.

What did the Portuguese do with the African slaves they had captured?

They shipped many of these slaves to Europe while others were sent to Portuguese colonies to work on sugar plantations along with many of the natives that had been forced to work on the sugar plantations as well.

How did the Portuguese deal with this problem?

They turned to foreign bankers in southern Germany and Italian city states. In return for their investment, the bears became part owners of the valuable cargoes.

What was the problem even after the Portuguese kings and wealthy merchants helped pay for the voyages?

This money still could not supply enough materials and money for the large fleets that sailed to the East.

How was the first Portuguese trading post established?

Year after year, Henry sent ships farther down the African coast. Eventually, in 1448, a trading post was established. Merchants exchanged wheat, cloth and glass beads their in exchange for African slaves, pepper and gold.