As a result of the Turkish conquests, the route to the countries of the East by land and further through in the 15th century became dangerous. There is a need to find new routes from Europe to Asia.

Reasons for the onset of the Age of Discovery

They also joined the fight to open a new route from Europe to Asia. Their aspirations marked the beginning. In addition, in Europe in the 15th century, certain conditions developed for large trips.

First, growth began major cities and trade developed rapidly. There was renewed interest in science, and there was a revival of ideas about the sphericity of the Earth. Scientists began to provide evidence that it is possible to reach the shores of India in two ways - southern (around Africa) and western (through).

Secondly, European printing developed. Such works as “The Book of the Diversity of the World” by Marco Polo about the rich in gold, precious stones and spices from the countries of the East. Thirdly, new maps appeared that included information previously collected by Europeans and Arabs.

Expeditions of Christopher Columbus

On his second voyage, Columbus discovered a number of other islands, on his third he reached the coast of South America, and on his last - the coast of Central America.

Monuments to the brave navigator were erected in Spain and a number of countries Latin America and in the USA. A country in South America is named after him. “Admiral of the Sea-Ocean,” as Columbus was called, died in poverty. Until the end of his days he never found out that he had discovered a new continent. This became known later as a result of expeditions. It is in his honor that the lands discovered by Columbus, began to be called “the country of Amerigo”, and later - America.

The significance of the discovery of the New World

Thanks to the discovery of the New World, Europeans not only received gold, but also learned about previously unknown cultivated plants, which quickly spread in the Old World. For the Indians, meeting new people turned into a tragedy. The warriors who came after the discoverers - the conquistadors - took away the ash and killed local residents, wiped out cities and destroyed temples, planting new language and faith.

Each era has its own people who are not limited to the idea of ​​the world given to them. Their whole life is a search. It was thanks to such restless natures that America, Australia, New Zealand and many other points on the map were discovered. And Europe became the richest in travelers in the 15th-16th centuries - the time of colonization.

Miklouho-Maclay (1846-1888)

The future traveler and ethnographer was born in St. Petersburg into the family of an engineer. He was quickly expelled from the university for participating in the student movement. So he finished his education in Germany. From there he set off on his first trip to Canary Islands, then to Madeira, Morocco, the Red Sea coast. I went there as a fauna researcher, and returned as an ethnographer. He was more interested not in animals and flowers, but in people.

Miklouho-Maclay explored the indigenous population South-East Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Lived for several years on the northwestern coast of New Guinea, visited the islands of Oceania. Made two expeditions to the Malay Peninsula. Studying the indigenous inhabitants of these little-explored lands, the scientist came to the conclusion about the species unity and kinship of different races. Last years He spent his life in Indonesia and Australia and even proposed a project for a Papuan Union in New Guinea. According to the researcher, he was supposed to resist the colonial invaders. One of his latest ideas is Russian artel communities in New Guinea - an ideal version of a government system.

The scientist died in his native St. Petersburg in a hospital bed; by the age of 42, numerous expeditions had completely worn out his body. Collections and papers of Miklouho-Maclay - sixteen notebooks, six thick notebooks, plans, maps, own drawings, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, diaries different years- were transferred to the Imperial Russian Geographical Society and placed in the museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

Christopher Columbus (1451 – 1506)

Christopher Columbus became a real navigator thanks to his father-in-law, the owner of one of the islands in Portugal. While studying geography, Columbus decided that the treasured India could be reached through Atlantic Ocean. Indeed, in those days, strong Turkey blocked the routes to the East, and Europe needed a new road to this land of spices. Only the Spanish crown agreed to sponsor Columbus, and in 1492 three caravels "Santa Maria", "Nina" and "Pinta" set sail open water. First, the ships headed for the Canary Islands, then to the west. Several times the crew demanded to return, but Columbus insisted on his own. As a result, they landed on the island of San Salvador (Guanahani). Then the islands of Juana (present-day Cuba) and Hispaniola (Haiti) were discovered. True, the traveler was sure that they were on the coast washed by the Indian Ocean. He returned to Spain in triumph, and a squadron consisting of 14 caravels and three merchant ships set off on a new journey.

But Columbus was not a scientist, but pursued completely selfish goals: to provide for his family and himself. And it affected him future fate: The indigenous population rebelled. In the colonies, where the main principle was acquisitiveness and greed, even the colonialists themselves wrote complaints to Spain about Columbus and his brother. But he did his job - he opened the Greater Archipelago to Europe. Antilles, mouth of the Orinoco River, Central America. True, until the end of my life I was sure that all this was adjacent to India.

Columbus, in illness and poverty, and even after death, did not find peace. His remains were transferred from city to city several times.


Vasco da Gama (1460 – 1524)

P was the first to travel across the ocean from Portugal to the East. The future discoverer grew up in a noble family in Portugal. He went on an expedition to the East instead of his father, a traveler, who died suddenly. In 1497 his ships left the port. Few people believed in the Portuguese's success. But he did it. Da Gama rounded the cape Good Hope and headed for India. Sailors died from scurvy and in skirmishes with Muslim traders who flooded Africa. They saw the traveler as a competitor. And for good reason. Two years later, the Portuguese brought back ships of spices - one of the most expensive goods at that time.

The second expedition was also successful. Da Gama already had warships at his disposal to protect himself from ill-wishers.

The third expedition was the last for Vasco da Gama. He was appointed as the royal family's representative in India. But he did not stay in this position for so long. In 1954 he died from a serious illness.


Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)

Born in 1480 northern Portugal. The first time he went to sea was as part of the fleet of Admiral Francisco Almeda. He took part in several expeditions before setting out on his own to find new routes to the Malay Archipelago in Indonesia. Spain supported Magellan - it sponsored a journey across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1519, five ships reached South America. The expedition made its way south along the coast of America with sweat and blood. But in 1520 the strait Pacific Ocean was found - later it will be called Magellanic. A year later, the traveler had already arrived at his destination - the Moluccas. But on Philippine Islands the traveler was drawn into a local war among the leaders and was killed. The return of the rest of the crew to their homeland was not easy. Only one ship out of five and 18 people out of 200 made it.


James Cook (1728-1779)

Cook was born into the family of an English farm laborer. But he made a career from a simple cabin boy to the leader of an expedition. Skill, intelligence and ingenuity were quickly appreciated. James Cook's first expedition began in 1767 on the ship Endeavor. Official version- observation of the passage of Venus through the disk of the Sun. But in fact, colonial England needed new lands. In addition, among the tasks was research east coast Australia. During the voyage, Cook did not stop studying cartography and navigation. The result of the expedition was the information that New Zealand- these are two independent islands, and not part of an unknown mainland. The scientist also compiled a map of the eastern coast of Australia and discovered the strait between Australia and New Guinea.

The results of the second expedition (1772 - 1775) became even more impressive. New Caledonia, South Georgia, Easter Island, Marquesas Islands, and Friendship Island were mapped. Cook's ship crossed the Antarctic Circle.

The third voyage took 4 years. Several others have also been explored. Exactly on Hawaiian Islands During one of the conflicts between the natives and the British, James Cook died - a spear pierced the back of his head. But evidence that the aborigines ate Cook has not been found.

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Travel has always attracted people, but before it was not only interesting, but also extremely difficult. The territories were unexplored, and when setting off, everyone became an explorer. Which travelers are the most famous and what exactly did each of them discover?

James Cook

The famous Englishman was one of the best cartographers of the eighteenth century. He was born in the north of England and by the age of thirteen began to work with his father. But the boy turned out to be incapable of trading, so he decided to take up sailing. In those days everything famous travelers the world went to distant countries on ships. James became interested in maritime affairs and rose through the ranks so quickly that he was offered to become a captain. He refused and went to the Royal Navy. Already in 1757, the talented Cook began to steer the ship himself. His first achievement was drawing up the river fairway. He discovered his talent as a navigator and cartographer. In the 1760s he explored Newfoundland, which attracted the attention of the Royal Society and the Admiralty. He was entrusted with a journey across the Pacific Ocean, where he reached the shores of New Zealand. In 1770, he accomplished something that other famous travelers had not achieved before - he discovered a new continent. Cook returned to England in 1771 as the famous pioneer of Australia. His last journey was an expedition in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Today, even schoolchildren know the sad fate of Cook, who was killed by cannibal natives.

Christopher Columbus

Famous travelers and their discoveries have always had a significant influence on the course of history, but few turned out to be as famous as this man. Columbus became a national hero of Spain, decisively expanding the map of the country. Christopher was born in 1451. The boy quickly achieved success because he was diligent and studied well. Already at the age of 14 he went to sea. In 1479, he met his love and began life in Portugal, but after the tragic death of his wife, he and his son went to Spain. Having received support Spanish king, he went on an expedition, the purpose of which was to find a way to Asia. Three ships sailed from the coast of Spain to the west. In October 1492 they reached Bahamas. This is how America was discovered. Christopher mistakenly decided to call the local residents Indians, believing that he had reached India. His report changed history: the two new continents and many islands discovered by Columbus became the main focus of colonial voyages over the next few centuries.

Vasco da Gama

The most famous traveler of Portugal was born in the city of Sines on September 29, 1460. From a young age he worked in the navy and became famous as a confident and fearless captain. In 1495, King Manuel came to power in Portugal, who dreamed of developing trade with India. For this, a sea route was needed, in search of which Vasco da Gama had to go. There were more famous sailors and travelers in the country, but for some reason the king chose him. In 1497, four ships sailed south, rounded and sailed to Mozambique. They had to stop there for a month - half the team by that time was suffering from scurvy. After the break, Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta. In India, he established trade relations for three months, and a year later returned to Portugal, where he became a national hero. Opening sea ​​route, which made it possible to get to Calcutta along the east coast of Africa, became his main achievement.

Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay

Famous Russian travelers also made many important discoveries. For example, the same Nikolai Mikhlukho-Maclay, born in 1864 in the Novgorod province. He was unable to graduate from St. Petersburg University, as he was expelled for participating in student demonstrations. To continue his education, Nikolai went to Germany, where he met Haeckel, a natural scientist who invited Miklouho-Maclay to his scientific expedition. This is how the world of wanderings opened up for him. His whole life was devoted to travel and scientific work. Nikolai lived in Sicily, Australia, studied New Guinea, implementing the Russian project Geographical Society, visited Indonesia, the Philippines, the Malacca Peninsula and Oceania. In 1886, the natural scientist returned to Russia and proposed to the emperor to found a Russian colony overseas. But the project with New Guinea did not receive royal support, and Miklouho-Maclay became seriously ill and soon died without completing his work on the travel book.

Ferdinand Magellan

Many famous navigators and travelers lived during the era of the Great Magellan is no exception. In 1480 he was born in Portugal, in the city of Sabrosa. Having gone to serve at court (at that time he was only 12 years old), he learned about the confrontation between his native country and Spain, about travel to the East Indies and trade routes. This is how he first became interested in the sea. In 1505, Fernand got on a ship. For seven years after that, he roamed the seas and took part in expeditions to India and Africa. In 1513, Magellan traveled to Morocco, where he was wounded in battle. But this did not curb his thirst for travel - he planned an expedition for spices. The king rejected his request, and Magellan went to Spain, where he received all the necessary support. Thus began his journey around the world. Fernand thought that from the west the route to India might be shorter. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean, reached South America and opened a strait that would later be named after him. became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. He used it to reach the Philippines and almost reached his goal - the Moluccas, but died in a battle with local tribes, wounded by a poisonous arrow. However, his journey revealed a new ocean to Europe and the understanding that the planet was much larger than scientists had previously thought.

Roald Amundsen

The Norwegian was born at the very end of an era in which many famous travelers became famous. Amundsen became the last of the explorers trying to find undiscovered lands. Since childhood, he was distinguished by perseverance and self-confidence, which allowed him to conquer the South Geographic Pole. The beginning of the journey is connected with 1893, when the boy dropped out of university and got a job as a sailor. In 1896 he became a navigator, and the following year he set off on his first expedition to Antarctica. The ship was lost in the ice, the crew suffered from scurvy, but Amundsen did not give up. He took command, cured the people, remembering his medical training, and led the ship back to Europe. Having become a captain, in 1903 he set out to search for the Northwest Passage off Canada. Famous travelers before him had never done anything like this - in two years the team covered the path from the east of the American continent to its west. Amundsen became famous throughout the world. The next expedition was a two-month trip to the Southern Plus, and the last enterprise was the search for Nobile, during which he went missing.

David Livingston

Many famous travelers are associated with sailing. He became a land explorer, namely the African continent. The famous Scot was born in March 1813. At age 20, he decided to become a missionary, met Robert Moffett and wanted to go to African villages. In 1841, he came to Kuruman, where he taught local residents how to farm, served as a doctor, and taught literacy. There he learned the Bechuana language, which helped him in his travels around Africa. Livingston studied in detail the life and customs of the local residents, wrote several books about them and went on an expedition in search of the sources of the Nile, in which he fell ill and died of a fever.

Amerigo Vespucci

The world's most famous travelers most often came from Spain or Portugal. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Italy and became one of the famous Florentines. He received a good education and trained as a financier. From 1490 he worked in Seville, in the Medici trade mission. His life was connected with sea travel, for example, he sponsored Columbus's second expedition. Christopher inspired him with the idea of ​​​​trying himself as a traveler, and already in 1499 Vespucci went to Suriname. The purpose of swimming was to study coastline. There he opened a settlement called Venezuela - little Venice. In 1500 he returned home, bringing 200 slaves. In 1501 and 1503 Amerigo repeated his travels, acting not only as a navigator, but also as a cartographer. He discovered the bay of Rio de Janeiro, the name of which he gave himself. From 1505 he served the king of Castile and did not participate in campaigns, only equipped other people’s expeditions.

Francis Drake

Many famous travelers and their discoveries benefited humanity. But among them there are also those who left behind a bad memory, since their names were associated with rather cruel events. The English Protestant, who sailed on a ship from the age of twelve, was no exception. He captured locals in the Caribbean, sold them into slavery to the Spaniards, attacked ships and fought with Catholics. Perhaps no one could match Drake in the number of captured foreign ships. His campaigns were sponsored by the Queen of England. In 1577 he went to South America to destroy the Spanish settlements. During the journey he found Tierra del Fuego and the strait which was subsequently named after him. Having sailed around Argentina, Drake plundered the port of Valparaiso and two Spanish ships. Having reached California, he met the natives who presented the British with gifts of tobacco and bird feathers. Drake crossed Indian Ocean and returned to Plymouth, becoming the first British person to visit trip around the world. He was admitted to the House of Commons and awarded the title of Sir. In 1595 he died on his last trip to the Caribbean.

Afanasy Nikitin

Few famous Russian travelers have achieved the same heights as this native of Tver. Afanasy Nikitin became the first European to visit India. He traveled to the Portuguese colonialists and wrote “Walking across the Three Seas” - a most valuable literary and historical monument. The success of the expedition was ensured by the career of a merchant: Afanasy knew several languages ​​and knew how to negotiate with people. On his journey, he visited Baku, lived in Persia for about two years and reached India by ship. Visiting several cities exotic country, he went to Parvat, where he stayed for a year and a half. After the province of Raichur, he headed to Russia, laying a route through the Arabian and Somali peninsulas. However, Afanasy Nikitin never made it home, because he fell ill and died near Smolensk, but his notes were preserved and provided the merchant with world fame.