Maritime Exploration in the Age of Discovery, 1415-1800

Ronald S. Love

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9780313320439
• eBook ISBN: 9780313086816
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Despite earlier naval expeditions undertaken for reasons of diplomacy or trade, it wasn't until the early 1400s that European maritime explorers established sea routes through most of the globe's inhabited regions, uniting a divided earth into a single system of navigation. From the early Portuguese and Spanish quests for gold and glory, to later scientific explorations of land and culture, this new understanding of the world's geography created global trade, built empires, defined taste and alliances of power, and began the journey toward the cultural, political, and economic globalization in which we live today. Ronald Love's engaging narrative chapters guide the reader from Marco Polo's exploration of the Mongol empire to Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, the search for a Northern Passage, Henry Hudson's voyage to Greenland, the discovery of Tahiti, the perils of scurvy, mutiny, and warring empires, and the eventual extension of Western influence into almost every corner of the globe. Biographies and primary documents round out the work.

Table of contents

• CONTENTS
• Series Foreword by Linda S. Frey and Marsha L. Frey
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chronology of Events
• Chapter 1 Historical Overview
• Chapter 2 Portugal and the Search for a Sea Route to Asia
• Chapter 3 Spain and the Discovery of a New World
• Chapter 4 Circumnavigation and the Search for a Northern Passage to China
• Chapter 5 Exploration of the Great South Sea
• Epilogue
• Biographies: Personalities of the Age of Discovery
• Primary Documents Relating to Maritime Discovery and Exploration
• Glossary of Selected Terms
• Annotated Bibliography
• Index