Background of opening up new routes

During the Renaissance, Europe made breakthroughs in many fields. In terms of geography, the understanding of the earth has gradually deepened. Coupled with the leap of navigation technology, it has promoted a series of voyage activities of explorers from Portugal, Spain, Italy and other countries, and profoundly affected the development process of mankind.

Before the Renaissance, Europeans had a narrow understanding of the world. They know little about Africa, and their knowledge of Asia mainly depends on books in The Travels of Marco Polo and precious commodities from far away, such as silk, spices and porcelain.

/kloc-After the rise of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in the 0/4th century, the land and sea trade from Europe to Asia was blocked by the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

Europeans are highly dependent on spices. In the era when there was no refrigerator, the preservation of meat depended on various spices such as pepper, but this spice was not produced in Europe, and the trade line was blocked and controlled by the Ottoman Empire, so the price of spices was very expensive, so Europeans urgently needed to find a new route to the East.

Lured by the opening of air routes and the search for wealth, Europeans began their adventures. Europeans also unexpectedly discovered the new continent of America, which not only opened people's eyes, but also pushed mankind into a new era.

02

The opening of a new airline.

Let's talk about Columbus' sailing story first.

145 1 year, Columbus was born in the northern Italian city of Genoa. As a teenager, Columbus got a copy of Travel Notes of Marco Polo. The story inside made him yearn for the cause of navigation. At the age of 20, he really became a sailor.

1476 was injured in a maritime conflict and fell into the water. Washed to the beach in Portugal by the waves, this penniless poor boy started his lobbying with the dream of traveling around the world and discovering new routes. His previous experience has accumulated rich sailing experience for him.

Since 1484, persistent Columbus has been trying to sell his plan to the kings of Portugal, Spain, England and France, hoping to get the support of the royal family. He thinks that the earth is round, and sailing westward along the Atlantic Ocean can also reach the east of the world.

However, these kings reacted indifferently to this. They think the plan is ridiculous, and it may even be a trick to cheat money. At that time, King Joao II of Portugal preferred to go south along the Atlantic Ocean and cross the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to the east of the world, and Portuguese navigator Diaz had already discovered the Cape of Good Hope. So he didn't accept Columbus's plan.

Until 1492, Spanish Queen Isabella I signed the Santa Fe Treaty with Columbus, and allocated funds to make Columbus's voyage possible. In order to encourage Columbus to take risks, the Spanish ruler also wrote a bad check. The royal family promised that Columbus could become the governor there if new territory was discovered.

Although Columbus was Italian, the achievements of this voyage were generally attributed to Spain, because it was the Spanish rulers who supported this voyage with a lot of money and ships. Isabella I, who sponsored Columbus, was the queen who made Spain the first powerful country in Europe and the first truly great queen in Europe. She laid the foundation for the political unification of Spain and tried to unify Spain ideologically, making Spain the center of the world at that time. Spanish hegemony began.

1On August 3rd, 492, Columbus led a fleet of three ships and set sail from Barros Port at the southern tip of Spain for the Atlantic Ocean.

It can be said with certainty that Columbus sailed all the way, without great winds and waves. Columbus thought that he would arrive in the East loaded with gold and spices. In order to alleviate the sailors' panic caused by being far away from land, Columbus adjusted the ship's odometer.

After sailing for dozens of days, someone on board found a piece of green and thought it was land. But when the ship approached this green land. It was discovered that this is a sea with a lot of Sargassum. Not only was there no shore to go ashore, but even the seagoing ships were entangled in seaweed and could not travel, and the sailors struggled to get rid of it. It took more than ten days to get out of this seaweed.

On the vast sea, many crew members lost confidence and patience and demanded to return. Columbus firmly said to everyone, please believe me, the land will be seen in three days.

1492 65438+1October 12 After more than two months of sailing, Pinta finally found land. Everyone on board was amazed, and the sound of guns broke the silence and celebrated this moment. Columbus, who has always been as strong as iron, also burst into tears.

Now we know that this discovered island belongs to the Bahamas and is already the territory of the United States. When Columbus announced his occupation of the island. Gave the island a Christian name, called San Salvador. But Columbus always thought he had arrived in India, a legendary place full of spices and gold. So he called the natives he met here Indians, that is, Indians. Later, in order to distinguish, it had to be translated into Indian. Not only that, the aborigines all over America are also called Indians. The term "making mistakes" has continued to this day.

On the following voyage, Columbus discovered Cuba, Haiti and other places. Based on the level of scientific and technological understanding at that time, Columbus did not know that he had discovered the new continent.

1493 In March, Columbus returned to Barros, Spain after a successful voyage. The former Italian tramp is now riding a burly horse, wearing a crimson military uniform, taking captive locals and a lot of wealth, and walking happily in the street. Amid people's cheers, Columbus became the king's guest.

In fact, before Columbus returned to Spain, he went to Portugal to meet King Joao II of Portugal. Joao II regretted it and sighed, "What about people with short knowledge? Why did he let such an important thing pass him by! "

Columbus's discovery not only shook Spain, but also caused a great earthquake in Europe. An era of scrambling to explore overseas and occupy colonies is coming.

However, the discovery of such exploration results and routes did not make Columbus rich all his life. Unable to find the East full of gold and spices, the Spanish rulers were not satisfied with Columbus's sailing achievements, and his official title as governor of the new colony was also banned, and his due income was deprived. 1506, Columbus died of anxiety and injustice at the age of 55. But the new air route he opened has opened people's eyes and promoted the process of human development.

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Magellan's Sailing Story

1480, a Portuguese named Magellan was born. At the age of 25, he began to join the expedition with the Portuguese fleet. Accumulated rich sailing experience. Sailing madman put forward the idea of looking for the Oriental Strait to the Portuguese king, but it was met with a cold reception.

15 17, Magellan left the motherland and went to Spain to realize his wish. He suggested to the king of Spain that he would open up a new route, which could bypass the control of the Portuguese and reach the rich East. At this time, Portugal has controlled the routes along the coast of Africa. The king of Spain, eager for success, listened to Magellan's advice and provided him with five ocean-going sailboats.

1565438+On September 20th, 2009, after careful preparation, Magellan's fleet of five ships and a Spanish fleet of 265 people set sail from the port of San Rugar for the Atlantic Ocean. Unexpectedly, it was originally just a trip to the East, but it completed the first round-the-world voyage of mankind. Although Magellan failed to participate in the whole process in the end, his fleet successfully circled the earth once, so Magellan still made a name for himself in history.

A few months later, the fleet arrived in what is now Brazil. The fleet continued to sail along the coast of Brazil, hoping to find a channel that could cross eastward.

1520 In August, the fleet arrived in a bay in southern Argentina, ready to anchor in this desolate place for the winter. Due to repeated failures, the crew's morale was low, and even a mutiny occurred, and Magellan decisively subsided. The fleet held out until the end of August. Magellan ordered a fresh start.

1520101October 2 1 day, the fleet sailed into a strange bay. Magellan judged from the direction and speed of seawater that it was not a bay or estuary, but an entrance to a strait. During the expedition, one of the five ships was destroyed, one turned around and fled, and the other three sailed for 28 days before leaving the gorge. When the boundless sea appeared in front of the crew, the crew couldn't help cheering, and Magellan wept for it. This route that Europeans have been searching for for decades was finally discovered by Magellan. This strait is also called strait of magellan.

There was no storm for three months when the fleet continued to sail on a larger sea. It was so calm and peaceful that the weather-beaten crew were deeply gratified. Magellan and his crew happily named this ocean the Pacific Ocean, which is the origin of its name.

1521April 7, Magellan came to Cebu Island in the Philippines, when Cebu islanders were fighting with nearby Macatan islanders. Magellan and his men decided to help Cebu islanders, but unfortunately, Magellan was killed by local people on April 27th, 152 1.

In fact, by this time, Magellan had sailed halfway around the world, but he could not see the achievements of sailing himself. After Magellan's death, the fleet came to the spice islands according to his plan. During the voyage, one ship was abandoned and the other was seriously damaged, so it had to be left for repair. Leaving only a ship, the Victoria, set off from the Spice Islands and returned to Spain alone.

1522 On September 6th, Victoria, full of spices, arrived at the port of St. Rugar, leaving only the ragged and exhausted 18 crew. Magellan's fleet took nearly three years to finally complete the feat of sailing around the world in human history.

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Da Gama's Sailing Story

1469, Da Gama was born into a famous aristocratic family in Portugal. His father is also an excellent maritime explorer. He was sent by King Joao II to explore the sea route to Asia. After several setbacks, his grand ambition was not realized, but he died suddenly.

Baour, Da Gama's brother, is also a captain who has been engaged in navigation all his life. With Da Gama, he explored India's maritime activities in 1497. To this end, da Gama is a noble son, who was trained in navigation when he was young and was born in a maritime family.

1492, the news that the Spanish fleet led by Columbus discovered a new route spread all over Europe, facing the challenge that Spain would dominate the sea. The Portuguese royal family is determined to speed up the exploration of maritime activities leading to India. The grape royal family entrusted this important political mission to the young and adventurous aristocratic son Da Gama.

1497 On July 8th, da Gama was ordered by Portuguese King Manuel I to set sail from the capital Lisbon with four boats and 170 sailors, and embarked on a voyage to explore India.

He sailed east along the route where Diaz discovered the Cape of Good Hope ten years ago. Sailors have experienced all kinds of hardships. After nearly four months and more than 4,500 nautical miles, they came to St. Helezhang Bay adjacent to the Cape of Good Hope and saw a piece of land.

1498 In June, da Gama and his party arrived in mozambique channel, East Africa, which was the first deep-sea voyage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean in human history. Subsequently, the fleet sailed northward against the powerful Mosbik current, bypassing Central Africa and at the mouth of the Zambezi River.

The Portuguese fleet, led by da Gama, set sail from Malindi on April 24th and finally arrived in Kallikat, the most powerful port city on the southwest coast of India, on May 20th. 1498. And this port, it is more than half a century ago, China's famous navigator Zheng He passed by and docked.

1498 On August 29th, Da Gama left several contacts and set up their first commercial station in India. He set sail for home in a hurry with his fleet. When returning home, many sailors in the fleet died of illness on the way, including Da Gama's younger brother, leaving only two ships.

1499 July 10, Beriau returned to Portugal, and on September 9th, D 'Gama flagship1499 arrived in Lisbon. Unfortunately, only half of the sailors survived when they set out. After that, Da Gama sailed on this route many times and gained huge wealth through shipping and trade.

152 1 year (52 years old), the old king died, and the new king appointed dagama as the deputy king of India, responsible for governing India. Da Gama sent more warships to East Africa and India to control the local situation and plunder a lot of property. 1524 September (55 years old), Da Gama arrived in India for the third time as the governor of Portuguese India. Soon, he contracted malaria locally. 12 On February 24th, da Gama died in Kallikat at the age of 55. Opened the Indian route, conquered India's Dagama, and died in India.

As far as the breakthrough of navigation technology is concerned, Da Gama bypassed the Cape of Good Hope and arrived in India, which seems to be difficult to compare with Columbus and Magellan. But he was the first navigator to come to Asia from the west by opening up new routes. Moreover, Da Gama's voyage to the Western Ocean brought huge economic benefits and promoted Portugal's colonial expansion.