Definitions and Further Information
The Age of Discovery - Explorers of the New World
Bound means to be tied up or chain up like a criminal.
Columbus was returned to Spain bound in chains.
The Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa. A cape is a piece of land that pokes out into the water.
Da Gama explored around the Cape of Good Hope to India.
Circumnavigate means to travel all the way around something, like an island or the whole world.
Columbus circumnavigated the island of Jamaica. He sailed all the way around it.
To claim means to show ownership of something.
The explorers would claim the land they found for their country ignoring the people that already lived there.
Court can mean the place where Kings and Queens do their business.
Da Gama was a member of the Portuguese court.
Depart means to leave.
The explorer's ship departed on the evening of January 1, 1499.
Desert means to leave a job without permission.
One of the sailors deserted and went home.
The Dutch are the people of the Netherlands.
The Dutch New York for the Netherlands.
The East Indies are the islands near India.
Columbus thought he reached the East Indies but was actually near the Americas. Those islands became known as the West Indies.
Execute means to kill in punishment for a crime.
Magellan executed one of his captains for mutiny.
A group of ships under one commander is a fleet.
The fleet sailed to Spain and attacked.
To give money for something is to fund it. To pay for it.
The King funded the explorer's trip.
To be knighted is to be honored by a King or Queen.
Drake was knighted for his bravery against the Spanish in the war.
To reach land after a is to have landfall.
Columbus had landfall in the Bahamas Islands.
Linked words will bring you to this page where you can read more about them.
Land which is part of a continent like Asia or North America is the mainland.
Columbus discovered some islands and the mainland of South America.
The Muslims are the followers of the religion Islam. The Muslims from Africa and the Mid-East and the Christians from Europe were not friendly during the Age of Discovery.
Da Gama found a way around Africa and around the Muslims on his way to India.
To rise up against the captain of a ship is mutiny.
The crew mutinied against the captain. Later they were hung until dead.
A navigator is someone that knows how to get somewhere; someone who is in charge of the direction of travel.
Vasco De Gama ws a good navigator. He knew which way to go.
The New World are the Americas, North America and South America. It was "new" to the people from Europe because they did not know it existed.
Christopher Columbus found the New World when he saw the island, San Salvador, in the Bahamas.
The Northeast Passage is a way to get to Asia by going north
and east of Europe. It does not really exist. The polar ice cap keeps travel
from being possible that far north.
Sebastian Cabot helped search for the Northeast Passage to Asia.
The Northwest Passage is way to get to Asia by going north
and west of North America. It does not really exist. The polar ice cap keeps
travel from being possible that far north.
Sebastian Cabot thought Hudson Bay was the entrance to the Northwest Passage.
A pension is money paid to someone to live on.
Cabot lived on his pension until he went exploring again.
To steal and take things by force in a war is to plunder.
Drake plundered the rich Spanish cities in South America.
Polar means near the north or south pole. Ice pack means parts of the ocean that are frozen solid keeping ships from sailing.
Hudson reached the polar ice pack and had to sail a different way.
A pound is the unit of money in England; an English dollar.
A cold drink might cast 1 pound in the year 2003 in England.
The way a traveler goes is his or her route.
Columbus looked for a route to Asia by traveling west instead of east.
Royal means of the King or Queen or both.
The royal family dined on the finest foods.
The Spice Islands are the islands known today as Indonesia. Many valuable food spices were grown and traded there.
Magellan was killed in the Spice Islands in a fight with the natives.
strait and Strait of Magellan:
A strait is a narrow band of ocean separating two pieces of land. The Strait of Magellan is at the southern tip of South America.
Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Strait of Magellan, so it was named for him.
Trade means doing business. Buying and selling goods and products.
Sebastian Cabot helped establish trade with Russia by searching for the Northeast Passage to Asia.
A voyage is a trip by sea in a ship.
Christopher Columbus' first voyage brought him to the New World though he did not know it at the time.
The West Indies are the islands that Columbus discovered in the Caribbean Sea. He thought he was in the East Indies ( the islands near Asia). The East and West Indies were called "indies" because they were thought to be near India. Eventually, when the islands were known to be far from India they were called the "West" Indies.
The Native Americans were called Indians by mistake because of this misunderstanding about location.
Columbus discovered West Indies but thought he was in the East Indies.
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