Tag: india's contemporary economic condition

Prince Henry, a Portuguese made great efforts in this direction. Hence, he was known as Henry the Navigator. He started a school for navigators and encouraged extensive exploration.  The sailors were taught how to make use of Mariner's compass and the astrolabe. 

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by Ottoman Empire. It used to be the prime route for the Europe that allowed the trade of spice and other commodities from India and China. Its fall caused the loss in spice trade due to which the European sailors went on to discover an alternate sea route.

The Venetian traveler Marco Polo, as well as his father and uncle, traveled to China during the period of Mongol rule in the 13th century. Basically he was a merchant.

Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to India in 1497-1498. Actually, an unnamed Indian navigator he hired in Kenya directed the journey from the east coast of Africa to what is now Kozhikode, India.

On May 20, 1498, sailing for the Portuguese crown, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India. Having successfully sailed around the southern tip of Africa, da Gama had pioneered a sea route from Europe to Asia that bypassed the Muslim nations that controlled the overland spice trade.

Christopher Columbus was the first to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1472 with three ships and 88 crew members. He reached America on 11th October 1492 after great difficulties. This was the most significant discovery of Columbus and it came to be known as 'The New World.'

Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic ocean in 1472. He did four trips across the Atlantic ocean and discovered America. He was determined to find the sea route form Europe to Asia, but he never could. 

The Cape of Good Hope is a headland on the Atlantic coast side of South Africa. It is known for its spectacular scenery. It was originally named the Cape of Storms by Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias in 1488. It was later renamed, by King John II of Portugal, the Cape of Good Hope because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East.

He was the first to sail across the Atlantic ocean in 1472 with three ships- the Nina, the Santa-Maria and the Pinta with 88 crew members.