The Age of Exploration
From the fifteenth century European sailors explored the world by sea, seeking trade routes, wealth and new lands.
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From the fifteenth century European sailors explored the world by sea, seeking trade routes, wealth and new lands.
- Columbus reached the Americas in 1492
- Da Gama sailed to India
- Magellan's crew circled the globe
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Age of Exploration?
Within History, which covers ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world, this topic explains The Age of Exploration. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Check that you can explain The Age of Exploration in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Age of Exploration helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
The Age of Exploration in detail
From the 15th century, European states sent ships across the oceans, looking for new trade routes to Asia, wealth, new lands and to spread Christianity. Advances in ships (the caravel), navigation (the compass, astrolabe) and maps made long voyages possible.
Portugal led under Prince Henry the Navigator; Bartholomew Diaz and Vasco da Gama sailed round Africa to India, and Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain in 1492, reached the Americas. Magellan's expedition went round the world. Exploration led to empires, trade and the exchange of goods, but also conquest, disease and the destruction of native peoples.
How the interactive helps you understand The Age of Exploration
Watch the globe in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the globe responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Age of Exploration.
Real-life uses and examples
- Compare The Age of Exploration with another event to spot patterns of change and continuity.
- Build a timeline that shows when The Age of Exploration happened and what came before and after.
- Judge how important The Age of Exploration was by weighing evidence from more than one source.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating one source as the whole story when you study The Age of Exploration.
- Describing events without explaining why they happened.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Age of Exploration
What is The Age of Exploration?
From the fifteenth century European sailors explored the world by sea, seeking trade routes, wealth and new lands.
What are the most important points about The Age of Exploration?
The main points are: Columbus reached the Americas in 1492; Da Gama sailed to India; Magellan's crew circled the globe.
Why is The Age of Exploration useful?
Understanding The Age of Exploration helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
How can I practise The Age of Exploration?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Age of Exploration?
Related topics in History include The Abolition of Slavery, The Enlightenment, Napoleon Bonaparte.