AISJ PRETORIA

GRADE 8

Volume 1 BOOK OF EXPLORERS April/May 2014

Art Department: Director—Arami Chrystal

Assistant Director—Gabriella Macomber

Liako Anderson

Dawson Dickerson

Dancho Field

Nichelle Pickelsimer

Katie Rittershaus

Copy Department: Director—Annie Pan

Assistant Director—Noah Wilson

Keshav Naick

Jonathan Pizzasegola

Christopher Peter Kelevedjiev

Fausto Grinspun

Advertising Department: Director—Sharlene Broekman

Assistant Director—Alana Deacon

Amma

Iris

AISJ Pretoria

Grade 8

List of Contributors

North America _______________________

Giovanni da Verrazzano ____________________________________ 1

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca ________________________________ 3

Henry Hudson ___________________________________________ 5

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado _____________________________ 7

Jacques Cartier ___________________________________________ 9

Samuel de Champlain ____________________________________ 11

South America/Caribbean ______________

Amerigo Vespucci ________________________________________ 13

Ponce de León __________________________________________ 15

Vasco Núñez de Balboa ___________________________________ 17

Francisco Pizarro ________________________________________ 19

Ferdinand Magellan ______________________________________ 21

Hernán Cortés __________________________________________ 23

Blackbeard _____________________________________________ 25

Other ______________________________

Marco Polo _____________________________________________ 27

Bartolomeu Dias _________________________________________ 29

Vasco Da Gama __________________________________________ 31

Francis Drake ___________________________________________ 33

James Cook _____________________________________________ 35

Table of Contents

Giovanni da Verrazano 1485-1528

Giovanni da

Verrazano BY: Dawson Dickerson

Giovanni da Verrazano was

born around 1485 near Val di

Greve, Italy, was introduced to

adventure and exploration at an

early age. The first place he

adventured to, was Egypt and

Syria, which at that time, were

thought unreachable. He heard of

an offer the king of France was

talking about.

He slowly made his way up to

France between 1507 and 1508.

There he met King Francis I, at that

time, people like Columbus were

making a name for themselves and

their countries. King Francis I was

starting to worry that France was

falling behind, many countries were

coming back telling stories of

riches, and this brought Verrazano

to his attention. King Francis started

to send Verrazano to the Americas

to claim land in the name of

France.

Francis created an

exploratory voyage for Verrazano,

his ship was dubbed Delfina, in

honor of the kings first born

daughter. He

had

provisions/food to

last him and his

crew 8 months.

Shortly after

setting sail, the

Delfina was lost

in a storm, only to find a fight with

the Spanish. The Delfina was the

only ship to prove that it was, “Sea

Worthy”, after winning the fight.

After many months at sea,

the crew of the Delfina spotted

land, which is thought to be what

would become Cape Fear, North

Carolina. He continued down the

coast to the northern tip of Florida,

never losing sight of the coast line.

He sailed his way

into the bay of

New York,

towards the

island of

Manhattan. He

stayed there for

a good time

until a storm

pushed away

towards

Martha’s vine

yard.

He soon

came to a rest

at present day New Port, Rhode

Island. They stayed there for almost

two weeks. In that time Verrazano’s

men interacted with the natives.

They then left the island and

returned to France on July 1524.

They were most

likely caring

goods native of

that area back to

France. This

sparked

something in the

king of France.

A portrait of Giovanni da

Verrazzano

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Giovanni da Verrazano 1485-1528

After Verrazano arrived the

king of France set up another

exploratory expedition for him,

though it took four years, it would

be his last. In March, 1528, he and

his crew set off on another voyage

for France. Yet again sailing for a

route to India. In this expedition,

there was I slight change, his

brother decided to join him this

time.

This, sadly, would be his last

voyage. During his time in the

Caribbean, he and his crew

spotted a heavily vegetated island

and dropped anchor. Verrazano

took a hand full of men to explore

the island, this would be the final

minutes of his life. While on the

island, he and his crew were

attacked by a group of

cannibalistic natives. He was eaten

right in front of his brother, to help

the great explorer.

Giovani da Verrazano

led a full life. He claimed land

in the name of France, and

brought back many different

things for the people of Europe. He

did not explore as much as some,

but he did go to the area of New

York/Rhode Island. He went from

the south part of North America to

the very northern part of it.

the Exploration of the Unknown

Join Verrazano for

DISCLAIMER: Chances are that you will not survive. We do not know where we will

be going and you may be eaten by cannibals. You WILL be claiming land for

France

PG.2

Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca (1490-1559)

Across

2. One of Cabeza's roles within the Indian tribe.

4. Known as New Spain.

6. Decision made by the leader to split the forces.

11. Number of survivors living on the Isle of Misfortune.

12. A trade product

13. An Indian tribe.

15. Place of De Vaca's death.

Down

1. Published work of Cabeza de Vaca.

2. Land claimed for Spain in 1528.

3. A matter of concern around Cuba.

5. Cabeza was convicted of this.

7. Cabeza had no sympathy for Indians

8. Where food supplies were picked up.

9. Isla de Malhado.

10. Leader of the original expedition.

14. A source of food.

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Timeline: Cabeza de Vaca's life and journey as

a Concuisidor

1490 - De Vaca was born in Andulucia, Spain.

1527, June 17

Joined an expedition lead by Panfilo de Narvaez and left

Spain from Cardiz.

Fleet arrives at Santo Domingo (Island of Hispanola)

where it stays 45 days.

Fleet sets out for Trinidad, Cuba to obtain supplies. Ships

are caught in a hurricane -sixty men dies.

1527, November 5

Cabeza takes ships to Jagua (known as Cienfuegos

today) to spend the winter.

1528, April 12

Arrived in Florida in the vicinity of Tampa Bay. Governor

Narvaez claimed possession of the land in the name of

the King of Spain

1528, May 1

Governor Narvaez decides to split his expedition and

take a party of forty men to land to explore the area. This

was a fatal split in the expedition.

1528, June 17

Expedition on its way to the town of Apalache. They are

met by a friendly chief but their relationship soon change.

1528, November 7

Picked up many problems with the Apalachee Indians.

Very little food, low temperatures.

1528, July 19-20

Chased away by the Indians and with very little food

available they travel towards the town of Aute.

1528, September 22

Last of the horses were eaten - expedition departs in five

newly built boats.

1528, October 27

Natives (Choctaws) near Pensacola Bay, appear to

befriend the expedition. They take the Spaniards to their

village and feed them, but in the middle of the night, the

men are attacked and many are killed.

1528, November. Survivors fled to the outflow of the Mississippi River. A

strong north wind blows the boats back to the ocean

where the men are separated again. The Leader, Panfilo

de Narvaez dies.

Cabeza de Vaca washes out on an island which they

named "Isla de Malhado," the Island of Misfortune. It was

probably Galveston Island. (Texas)

Cabeza de Vaca's group try to leave the island. The boat

is launched but a short distance from shore it is

overturned by a huge wave. Many drowned.

Those that survived are naked and left with nothing.

1528-1534:

Lived on the island for six years. Due to hardships,

disease and execution by the natives, eighty

survivors were reduced to fifteen. After spending

more than a year as a slave of a group of natives,

Cabeza escapes to the mainland and joins another

group of natives. Here he was allowed to operate as a

trader. He dealt in sea snails, shells, hides, ocher and

pigments.

1533

Captured by the Mariames tribe but escaped a few

months later.

1534-1535:

The four survivors reside with the Avavares tribe for about

eight months.

1536, July

The four men are welcomed in Mexico City by Hernan

Cortes and Antonio de Mendoza, a leader of New Spain.

April 1537

Appalled by how Indians were treated, De Vaca leaves

for Spain.

1537-1540

Served as Governor in Mexico and Paraguay while

working on his account to defend the Indian Culture.

1542

Published a Report- LA RELATION. Made suggestions to

better relationships with Indians.

1543-1544

Was convicted of corruption and imprisoned for almost

two years.

1546

Exiled to North Africa were he continued building

relationships with natives.

1551: Returned to Seville and died in 1559 as a poor man.

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Henry Hudson was a great explorer

who was looking for new information on

the North American water routes. Hud-

son was born in the late 15th century in

England and, since he was a small boy he

liked to navigate and explore. His drive

and curiosity was possibly due to the fact

of watching\learning from many sailors

and fisherman. His name may sound fa-

miliar because he discovered the Hudson

River and he took 4 long voyages to get

his name.

In Hudson’s early years he was a great

navigator and he was always trying to

find different routes to Asia. Hudson also

opened up further exploration into North

America and the settlements that were

living there. In his early 20’s Hudson be-

came a commander and he worked on

other ships before he ran one of his own.

Hudson had been reported to have been

married and have three sons named

John, Robert and Juet. Hudson had

brought his boys with him on most of his

journeys and Hudson recorded these in

his journal.

Hudson’s first 2 voyages were un-successful, he was trying to find an ice-free passage to Asia still. At the time it seemed like a great idea but the weather conditions proved to be too much. In

1607 the Muscovy Company, and English firm, entrusted Hudson to find a North-ern trade route to Asia which allowed him to have his third voyage which would later give him his name. Along this voy-age Hudson had found whales which opened up new hunting grounds for hunters. With this new hunting route open it was a good opportunity for trade and produce to begin in this area. On his third journey Hudson took control of The Half Moon with the goal of discovering a northern route to Asia by heading north of Russia. Many people aboard his ships

and the local people to where he travelled, had told Hudson to return to England because the weather conditions were too rough to han-dle. But, in spite of not listening Hudson headed toward North America.

On Hudson’s final journey the Muscovy Company and The British East India Company had supported Hudson along his final journey. In 1610 Hudson had left to go on his final journey with a 55-ton ship. Whilst on his journey he was deter-mined to stay Pacific Bound in order to reach North America. Hudson had stopped in Iceland and then contin-

ued to the West, once travelling the Coast again he had passed through the inlet Weymouth.

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Henry Hudson

Fact Bubbles

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The inlet Weymouth had potentially

opened up a passage to the Northwest

Passage. The Northwest Passage is now

called the Hudson Strait and it runs

through Baffin Island and northern Que-

bec. Hudson travelled along the coast-

line which suddenly opened up to the

South, Hudson believed he found the Pa-

cific but come to find out he came along

a bay which is now the Hudson Bay.

Therefore he travelled back to England

with the Hudson Bay named after him-

self because he was the one who took

the time to do all this new exploration

around this area.

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Want to find the City of Gold?

Want infinite riches and prestige?

Join Coronado’s expedition!

Join Francisco Coronado’s expedition to search for gold in New Spain!

Requirements:

Age 15-25

Orphan

No family

Willing to die

Strong and healthy

Have nothing to lose?

Join Coronado’s expedition!

Come to city centre of Salamanca, Spain to join!

8

A: Frances king at the time who went by the name of King Francis, had

a very strong relationship with Jacques Cartier, so, he funded one of

Cartier’s voyages in order for him to get the right experience before he

set sail for the actual cause/ France, being a dominant force during

that time, were always seeking for more gold and riches, however, this

wasn’t the main cause for the expedition, the main cause was to dis-

cover a new route to Asia. It was called the North West passage, and

of course other motives would be personal thirst and eagerness for

exploration and discovery. After Cartier had finished all of his training

expeditions, King Francis decided it was time to announce in the year

of 1534 “I authorized the navigator Jacques Cartier to lead a voyage to

the new world.” After these words were announced, days later Cartier

set sail to the new world.

Q: Who is Jacques Cartier and why is he important?

Q: What was Jacques Cartier’s purpose to travel to the new world.

Q: What happened on Cartier’s first voyage to the new world. A: As mentioned before Cartier set sail for the new world in the year

of 1534 in order to try and discover a new passage in Asia, as-well as

return with gold and riches from the new world. This new passage

would be a route which leads to China and the orient. However, Car-

tier found very little success in this expedition, he only discovered

one body of land on his expedition which wasn’t very pleasant, in

fact he stated “I am rather inclined to believe that this is the land

god gave to Cain.” This land didn’t have a visible cartload and it was

a barren, unwelcoming place. This voyage was a complete and utter

disaster, as Cartier returned with failure he still has to report to King

Francis of his findings, he had very little gold to show him and two

Native American slaves.

A: Jacques Cartier was a mari-

ner, sailor and cartographer who

was born and raised in Saint-

Malo which is a small port in

Brittany. This French Canadian

explorer had nothing but thirst

and excitement for adventure.

He was born in the year of 1492,

some rumors suggest that he

was born close to the time of

Christopher Columbus’s voyage

to the new world. Jacques

Cartier is a very famous figure in

history because he contributed

to the search, exploration and

discovery of the new world

which is now home to one of the

strongest nations in the world,

America. He also claimed the

land of Canada for France.

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Jacques Cartier

Q: What happened on Cartier’s second voyage?

A: King Francis was rather teed off with Cartier,

on the other hand Cartier accepted that this

journey was a failure and he remain optimistic.

The good news about his previous trip was that

he had two Natives which were planning the

roles as guides, this also enforced that he has

evidence upon the new world. The stories of

these two Natives left King Francis with the

conclusion to let Cartier have a second chance

opportunity and prove to him that he is worthy

and has the capability of benefiting Frances

government, so after this conclusion Cartier set

sail in the year of 1535. This time Cartier had

one more ship along which him and more men

with him too. The two Captured Natives told

him about this river which leads to their village

know as Standalone.

Q: Why was Cartier’s third Voyage a failure ?

A: Cartier returned to France with great news, which only pleased the king. The

king being pleased with Cartier, decided to give him royal commission, however, he

was still disappointed that Cartier couldn’t find this route. So he yet again sent him

out to search again and hopefully return successful. During the voyage and expedi-

tions, Cartier wasn’t able to find this mystical route, however he found a lot of

what he thought were diamonds and gold. Unfortunately, when Cartier returned,

he was informed these diamonds and gold were fake, and the king had also taken

away his royal commission, so Cartier ended up living the rest of his life in his es-

tate in France.

After hearing this story Cartier immediately

thought that this route might lead him to where he

wants to go, however he didn’t completely trust

the two men and instead went along the coast in

order to try and find a more reasonable route.

Cartier not managing to find much he decided to

follow the men’s directions. Their guidance led

Cartier to the St. Lawrence River, Cartier’s first

discovery. Upon arriving in the two native’s village,

they two men later refused to come back aboard

Cartier’s ship because he was not to be trusted.

Cartier decided to leave this location and head

back to France. On the way out of the St. Lawrence

River he passed by what is known as Quebec and

he decided to name this Kanata which means

village, this was later changed to Canada

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By: Christopher Kelevedjiev

FATHER OF NEW FRANCE THE CHRONICLES OF SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN BY ANNIE PAN

Champlain was a French diplomat, cartographer

and explorer, best known for establishing and

governing the settlements in New France,

particularly of Quebec in 1620.

SYNOPSIS

Brouage, a small fishing town on the

western coast of France, 1570. Samuel de Champlain

was born into the Protestant family of a sea captain.

Because of his family background, young

Champlain was exposed to an abundance of

navigation knowledge despite having had little formal

education; this made him a skilled cartographer and

navigator. In fact, he was not yet twenty when he

made his first voyage, as far as to Spain and the West

Indies, with his uncle.

Samuel de Champlain’s early years of travel

were quite eventful. Between 1599 and 1601,

Champlain sailed on several voyages to the Spanish

settlements in North America, during which his

uncanny predictions about the network of

geographic features in the region had built him a

good reputation, which in turn provided great future

opportunities. He was a geographer for King Henry

IV, and then joined François Gravé Du Pont's

expedition to Canada in 1603, thereby undertaking a

highly-significant exploration of the St. Lawrence

River, which was the first detailed account of the St.

Lawrence since Cartier's voyages sixty years earlier.

Given his usefulness on Du Pont's voyage,

the following year Champlain was to go on an

expedition to Acadia led by Lieutenant-General

Pierre Du Gua de Monts. After choosing a temporary

settlement, the team built a fort and spent a winter

there; Samuel recorded poetically, "along the shores,

one would think the trees were planted as

ornaments".

During the summer a year later, Champlain

made a voyage to the coast of New England as far

south as Cape Cod, and he was the first European to

give a precise account of the Plymouth Rock region.

It is notable that along the trips, life on board was

harsh and many sailors in Champlain's settlement

lost their lives to scurvy, a disease caused by the lack

of Vitamin C in their diet; Vitamin C can be derived

from fresh fruits and vegetables, which the French

people obtained with the help of natives at their new

settlement.

In 1608, Champlain was named lieutenant to

de Monts, and they set off on another expedition up

the St. Lawrence. Upon arrival, they constructed a

fort in what is now Quebec City. This occurred

because Champlain told the French king, King Henry

IV, about his discoveries, including the plentiful

supply of beaver furs, and helped persuade King

Henry IV to start a colony in North America.

SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 1570-1635

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In return for the exclusive right to trade with

the Aboriginal peoples, Champlain and de Monts,

promised to found a colony, explore the land, and

convert the Algonquians to Christianity. This colony,

Quebec, would soon become the hub for French fur

trading. Although Champlain was

surprised by the native people’s

lack of clothing, their painted

bodies, and their unfamiliar

dances, he admired their

strength, cheerfulness,

intelligence, and health. He spent

several years in Quebec to set

things in order, during which he

also established “the Order of

Good Cheer”, which was the first social club of

Europeans in North America in 1606.

By 1615, in the hope of making better

relationships between the French and the Huron tribe,

Champlain made a brave voyage into the interior of

Canada; Champlain’s team aided the Hurons in an

attack on the Iroquois, but they lost the battle, and

Champlain was hit in the knee with an arrow. His

wound made him unable to walk, so he lived with the

Hurons that winter, and during his stay, he composed

one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of

Native American life. It was also around this time that

he discovered Lake Champlain.

Samuel de Champlain headed the Quebec

settlement for years, until the English attacked and

took the Fort at Quebec in July, 1629, and Champlain

was forced to return to France once again. However,

three years later, in 1632, a French-British peace

treaty was established, under which Quebec once

again belonged to the French. Champlain, now older

aged, was appointed as its governor, and returned to

the city that he had devoted much of his life to

establishing, in 1633.

During these later years of his life, Champlain

governed and wrote about his travels, until he died

due to poor health in Quebec, on Christmas Day, 1635.

In one of his records he wrote, “I have acquired

interest, from a very young age, in the art of

navigation, along with a love of the high seas.”

Indeed, Champlain’s lifelong passion led him

to become an indefatigable explorer, who helped

establish the Canadian city of Quebec as a trading

post, and colonize French North America, which is why

he is often referred to as “the Father of New France”.

His efforts are considered as important contributions

to the power and wealth of

his nation, since his trading

post brought many fur

goods to the French people.

Furthermore, Champlain

helped to increase

globalization during the Age

of Exploration, by interacting

and establishing mutual

relationships between the

Europeans and the native North American tribes.

“The advice I give to all

adventurers is to seek a

place where they may

sleep in safety.”

Explorers’ Mailbox Q: “How did the arrival of horses from Europe to

the Americas dramatically change the lives of the

aboriginal people?”

A: “Traveling for the natives was made easier and

faster, and because of this, the nomadic people

were able to acquire more goods, etc. food and

clothing. This accumulation of more personal

property created distinct social statuses.

Additionally, horses became important signs of

wealth.

(Ch

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By: Sharlene Broekman

Amerigo Vespucci

The story of one of his travels from Europe to Brazil

On March 19th 1451 in Florence, Italy a new legend

was born. This legend was named Amerigo Vespucci.

Amerigo was one of the first Europeans to discover things that

no other European had discovered before. Just as everyone

else had a dream his was to sail and discover/explore more.

Sometimes dreams are only just dreams… except for him,

Amerigo sailed not so long after Columbus went and found

the Americas. When he went out sailing he went to this place

that Columbus was talking about during his travels. Amerigo

came to the Americas and sailed to a lot of other places too.

After sailing to the Americas he sailed more and found some

land right under. He noticed that the massive piece of land

under the Americas was actually connected to the Ameri-

cas. He explored right off the coast of today known as Brazil

and when finally finding Brazil he knew he was the first Euro-

pean to find it and he was proud about it.

The Americas wasn’t called America till after

Amerigo died in 1512. Between 1451 and 1512 more hap-

pened with him and his friend, Alonso de Ojedo. Before ei-

ther of them actually went anywhere they went to sail to-

gether. They sailed toe the “Garden of Eden” as Columbus

called it. They saw new things in the Garden of Eden, new

creatures and they took some with them as a souvenir. They

wanted to go home with things which they could show off.

Where they could get all the credit of finding new land and

new goods.

After getting to the garden they chose to separate so

that there is a bigger chance of finding new goods. Alonso

went to the north in search for pearls and other valuables. On

the other hand Vespucci likes exploring so he went to the

south toward the coast. They travelled with horses and boats

the wind was powerful and the water was strong. As much as

they go knocked down during their conquest they still had to

get back up. Like every other conquistador they had to pass all

kinds of crazy obstacles. At the final end they got some-

where and got something. When Vespucci was headed to-

wards his homeland the water was too strong and he had to

head elsewhere. While looking for a place to sail he did see

the top end of Brazil. He was the first European to have seen

any part of Brazil. He ended up heading towards Portugal.

The King of Portugal sent one of his men to claim the land of

Brazil. When Amerigo got to Portugal the king was about to

send some people to Brazil to see how much land he owned

overseas, Amerigo wanted to go too and have more time to

investigate Brazil and he

was willing to go under the

Portuguese flag.

Amerigo was a

good man. He didn’t travel

and search for land

elsewhere for the money,

no he wasn’t doing it for

the fame but for the en-

joyment itself. He was a

very curios man when it

came to the world. There

was more to the world

than many people thought

there was. People from 1,000 years ago and even more

missed a lot but today we are in the new world/society. He

got to Brazil and he looked around the country with the beau-

tiful birds. He saw a variety of birds with different colours,

sizes, they were just a whole different species. He thought

that the amount different birds in one place was magnificent.

As much as he travelled from the beginning he was

looking fro fixed stars but he never got there. He couldn’t fig-

ure out how to get there. He explored the world inside and

out and no stars were to be found. He kept on trying till the

end of his days. As said before, the end of his days was in

1512.

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Across

6. What was Amerigo looking for from the beginning

Down

1. under what country flag did Amerigo go with back to Brazil

2. Who is America named after

3. Where was Amerigo Born

4. Who is the best friend that Amerigo travelled with

5. Where is Amerigo from

14

JUAN PONCE DE LEON

By: Noah Wilson

All Things Juan Ponce de Leon

Juan Ponce de Leon was

a soldier fighting Muslims

in southern Spain in the

early 1490’s, before he

can an explorer.

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Interview w/ Ponce de Leon Reporter, Noah Wilson, sat down with Juan Ponce de Leon and asked him about his life.

Q: Who are you and what is your

profession?

A: My name is Juan Ponce de Leon. I was

born in 1460, in the Spanish village of

Santervas de Campos in the current-day

Province of Valladolid. I was a famous

explorer who explored and colonized

Florida.

Q: How many voyages did you make to

Florida and when?

A: My very first voyage, was Christopher

Columbus’s 2nd voyage back to the

Americas. After this, I ventured to Florida,

a state in the Americas, to look for gold

and wealth, and the mythical fountain of

youth.

Q: Did you ever venture back to Florida a

second time?

A: In 1521, I ventured back to Florida to

build a colony. I landed on the gulf beaches

between Charlotte Harbour amd Estero

Bay with over 200 settlers, horses, tools,

and seeds. The plan was to set up a

farming colony. As my men went inland for

fresh water, the Calusa, a native tribe

ambushed us. I was shot in the thigh by an

arrow and got seriously wounded. We then

decided to abandon the settlement and

sail back to Cuba.

Q: What was the effect of these voyages

on the world?

A: I was able to transport sweet fruits and

other material, that were found in Florida,

back to Europe. On another one of my

voyages, quite by accident, I discovered

the Gulf Stream, which flows out of the

Golf of Mexico. This stream became

extremely important to sailors due to its

strong current, allowing sailors to travel

faster along the Gulf of Mexico.

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The great and handsome

Vasco was an explorer and

also a fencing master. His long

life of exploring started when

he was 25 years old, it was

when Columbus came back

from his third voyage and

reported that he had found

pearls and gold on the coast of

the Garden of Eden. Well of

course every explorer wanted

to be the person who brings

back the treasure so they all

quickly decided to go see. Of

course Balboa wasn’t like any

other explorer so he packed

his bags and left. He left Spain

for this expedition in the 1500,

it was led by Rodrigo de

Bastidas. Rodrigues didn’t

make it that far after exploring

the coast of Columbia, on his

way home his two ships

crashed into rocks and sunk

but Rodrigues and his men

got to shore safely with the

pearls and gold, and found

new land. On this land made

friends and worked very hard,

but he kept owing debts which

trapped him on the island

longer, and stopped him from

pursuing his dream of

exploring.

Ojeda and Diego came in 1509

looking for recruits for a new

colony he was planning to

build, looking for a fierce and

competitive fighter and

soldier. Diego was going to

rule the western side, and

Ojeda would rule the eastern

side. They were also looking

for a third partner, and if it

wasn’t for Balboas debts, he

would have signed up to be a

recruit.

Vasco decided he had to get of

the island, so he paid his friend

to smuggle him onto Enciso’s

ship as a stowaway. Balboa

waited until it was too far to

go back, then popped out of

the barrel he was hiding in.

Enciso was furious that he had

been deceived, but still refused

to go back. Vasco infuriated

Enciso much more, because he

even started giving directions

to him, however his directions

proved to be helpful.

After a long journey they had

finally reached an island and

called it Santa Maria de

l’Antigua del Darien. Enciso

kept insisting that whatever

they found (gold, pearls or

treasure) would belong to him,

but Balboa started arguing

back at Enciso. So they

decided the place belonged to

no one because the other

two rulers of the country

were not there. They then

agreed on letting the native

people and the crew agree on a

leader, and with no doubt they

all picked Balboa.

Encisco wasn’t happy and he

caused so much trouble on the

island that they sent him back

to Spain—he was lucky they

didn’t kill him.

King Ferdinand of Spain then

named Vasco the governor of

Santa Maria de l’Antigua del

Darien. He was quite a

likeable leader, whilst other

leaders usually would kill or

captivate the natives, Balboa

tried to avoid violence and

wars. On the island Antigua,

Balboa was had a good

reputation and married the

chief’s daughter. He also

insisted that they had to get

baptised (as Christians.)

Vasco Nunez de Balboa By Iris Franneck

Vasco Nunez de Balboa 1475 - 1519 SO

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The tragic story of

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Vasco de Balboa set out to

search for gold and treasures.

His journey was ruff and scary,

they had passed millions of

swamps and unp leasant

creatures. This was the hardest

thing they had ever faced, in the

swamps they had to take of their

clothes and rap them up in a

bundle and carry them on their

heads. And the cannibals were

very hard to fight off, the

moment they saw them they let

out their terror dogs and they

attacked and fired their guns and

killed most of them so they had

nothing to fear anymore.

Balboa was getting anxious and

worried because they had been

on the job for weeks and hadn’t

found the other sea that the

natives were talking about…

Until their lucky day struck on

the 25th of September, one of

their native guides showed them

a mountain and said the sea can

be seen when you go up there.

They all ran to the mountain and

absorbed the view and wondered

hat they were going to do with

all their gold they are going to

find. They ended up finding

millions of pearls and six

thousand pesos in gold.

Everybody celebrated as the

treasures were split evenly, and

Balboa became even more

likeable amongst his people.

A secret spy was sent by the king

to check up on Balboa. Although

accusations were the reason that

Pedro the spy was sent to watch

him, Pedro didn’t see any

problems with Vasco but

Arbolancha the new king

wouldn’t believe that Balboa was

such a good governor, so he

made the natives and all the

settlers to write a petition

explaining they wanted Balboa

to stay and keep ruling their

island/settlement. Pedro was

going to hurry the petition back

to Spain, but three months had

already passed and no one knew

were Pedro was so they quickly

got the new governor, Pedrarias

de Avila, to sail to Antigua. He

arrived on the 29th of June 1514

and was ready to re-create

Antigua, he brought new people,

horses, bells for their church and

much more. But first, he went to

Balboa and fined him with the

charges that Enciso accused him

of, and then they took him

captive. Vasco hated the new

governor but King Ferdinand

wrote to Pedraries and said “to

favour and deal well with

Balboa”, and he even called him a

leader. He told Vasco to give

Avila advice but they despised of

each other. So the new leader

took complete advantage of

Balboa, forcing him to give

advice were all the gold was, but

Avila wasn’t really sure if he

should trust Balboa the

information.

Vasco who already left to go find

the gold that Pedrarias wanted

was sent back and someone else

took over. Balboa was furious

and didn’t say a word until he

was accused of treason, tried, and

convicted. In January 1519

Vasco Nunez de Balboa was

beheaded, his short life was

worth it and he was happy he did

so much with it.

Timeline of his life

In 1475 Vasco Nunez de

Balboa was born in Spain.

In 1500 he went on his first

real expedition with

Rodrigues Bastidas.

In 1509 Ojeda showed up

on the island that was

discovered and planned to

make a new colony.

In 1513 Vasco led an

expedition from Antigua to

find the new sea. (To find

gold and treasure)

In 1519 Balboas life has

ended. He was beheaded.

Vasco Nunez de Balboa 1475 - 1519 SO

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Francisco Pizarro: Explorer or Looter?

Francisco Pizarro, was born in 1475. He never learned to read but he had a mind for business and he wanted to be a leader. Francisco Pizarro was from Trujillo in Spain. His father was an infantry officer, captain Gonzalo Pizarro. Francisco wanted to become rich and wealthy. He also wanted to be-come powerful. He was looking for gold, spices, pearls, and slaves. His first recorded expedition was in 1502 he sailed to the West Indies In 1513 Pizarro helped Vasco Núñez de Balboa to discover the Pacific Ocean, he was one of the senior officers. He stayed in Panama when Spain colonised the country. He became rich by buying farms, he had Indian slaves to run them. He was greedy for gold so de-cided not to return home but to go in search of a land today known as Peru. He began the conquest of Peru in 1532. He captured and executed Atahualpa, the Inca Emperor. After conquering Peru, he founded the capital city, Lima. He quarrelled with his partner Almagro about political control and the division of wealth. Pizarro was killed by Almagro’s friends in 1541. His rule was short, barely ten years of living the rich life before he was brutally murdered.

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FRANCISCO PIZARRO 1475 - 1541

Francisco Pizarro, the explorer.

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Ferdinand Magellan

FERDINAND MAGELLAN 1480-1521 SO

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By Nichelle Pickelsimer

Ferdinand Magellan was born in 1480 in Sabrosa ,Portugal , and was the first European to sail the Pacific Ocean and cir-cumnavigate the globe. He was born to a family of minor Portuguese nobility. At age 12 Magellan travelled with his brother to Lisbon to serve as pages at Queen Lenora's Court. Here, he was exposed to many stories of the Portu-guese and Spanish rivalry for exploration and dominance in the spice trade. This in-spired Magellan, for he too wanted the fame and glory that came with exploration. In Magellan’s mid-twenties he was recruit-ed in a Portuguese fleet which took him to East Africa, where he fought in the Battle of Diu, the fleet destroying Egyptian ships in the Arabian Sea. He also went to Malaysia, and finally Morocco where he suffered from an injury, causing him to limp for the rest of his life. After his inju-ry he was accused of trading illegally with the Moors, the people of Malaysia and was not permitted anymore jobs in Portugal. In 1517, Magellan went to King Manuel of Portugal and proposed to him the idea of going westward to the Spice Islands. He proposed several times, but the King re-fused. This frustrated Magellan, therefore, he went to Spain to find financial support.

He had no connections with anyone there and couldn’t speak much Spanish, but met another person from Portugal named Diogo Bar-bosa. He married his daugh-

ter, Beatriz and through the Barbosa family, he found a way to meet the King of Spain. King Charles I took to Magellan's proposal and gave him the fi-nancial support he needed .

On August 10, 1519 Magel-lan and his ships left for his voyage to the Spice Islands. He would travel from Sanlúcar de Barrameda,

Spain, and across the Atlantic Ocean. There were 5 ships named the “Trinidad”, “San Antonio”, “Conception”, “Victoria”, and the “Santiago” Magellan leading the Trinidad. They were to sail all the way from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. Only 3 years later did the Victoria Return with only 18 out of the original 270 crew, without Magellan himself.

Magellan and his men were given

permission to become governors

of any land they found on their

trip around the world.

Did you know that it was In Morocco

in 1513, where Magellan got an injury

which resulted in him having a limp

for the rest of his life?

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A portrait of Ferdinand Magellan

FERDINAND MAGELLAN 1480-1521 SO

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On the Easter of 1520, Magellan's crew made it to South America and stopped at port San Julian to restock their supplies, and where the crew mutinied. Ma-gellan quickly took care of this situation though, and had one captain executed while leaving another be-hind. During this time, Magellan sent forth the Santiago to explore ahead where it was ship-wrecked. Magellan and his crew left San Julian within 5 months of arriv-ing there, after harsh weather and storms had stopped. In October of 1520 Magellan found a strait that was then named after himself, a sea route south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego. It was extremely dangerous to navigate and Magellan's crew continued to mistrust him even more. The crew of the San Antonia forced their captain to de-sert, turned their ship around and left. At this point, only 3 of the 5 of Magellan's ships remained with him. In November of 1520 Magellan and his crew came into the Pacific Ocean, named for be-ing so peaceful. It took 3 months for them to cross and in March, 1521 Magellan came to the pacific island of Guam. From there,

he sailed to the Philippine Archipelago and landed on the island of Cebu. Here Magellan

befriended the locals, who he tried to con-vert to Christianity. At this point, Magellan was extremely close to reaching his goal of

reaching the Spice Islands, until the locals asked for his aid in fighting Cebu's neighbours, the Mactan

people. He led an attack on the island of Mactan, and there he died in combat, killed by a poison arrow on April 27, 1521. Although Magellan wasn't able to reach is

goal, Europe-ans' geograph-ical knowledge increased a lot, and had discovered an entire ocean that was un-

known to Euro-pean's, as well as the fact that the world was much larger than they originally thought. Also, Magellan proved the earth was not flat through circumnavigating the globe.

A map of the Strait of Magellan

Did you know that Magellan named the Pacific

Ocean, calling it Mar Pacifico which translated

to peaceful, that being how he found it?

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Did you know the Strait of Magellan wasn’t the only thing

named after the explorer? A type of South American penguin

was named the Magellanic penguin. There’s also been the Ma-

gellan spacecraft, the first to observe the surface of Venus. The

Magellanic Clouds, which are two dwarf galaxies visible in the

Southern hemisphere. All of these things were observed by

Magellan on his voyage.

Its 1519, 27 years have passed since Christopher Colum-

bus discovered the New World. Dozens of explorer’s from

Europe set off in a race to claim as much of the Americas

as they can. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés sets off

the coast of Santiago, Cuba to find the land known as

Mexico. Only he escaped without order of Diego

Velazquez, the Spanish ruler of Cuba. Mexico had been

rumoured to be filled with a large quantity of gold and

wealth, but that the people there were a fearsome

civilization known as the Aztecs. The Aztecs had been

around since around the 13th century, and were seen as

the most powerful civilization of all Mesoamerica. Thought

Cortés knew it was a daring act, he went ahead and sailed

the high seas in hope of power and wealth, for himself and

his country.

Upon arrival, Cortés first met a Mayan tribe, a completely

different civilization that was in power much more before

the Aztecs. When Cortes hit the shores, he was seen as an

instant death threat. He came with eleven ships, over five-

hundred men, hundreds of muskets, cannons, and more

than a dozen horses.

With this, the Mayans didn’t put up with much of a fight,

for they had never seen things like that before. Instead

they talked peacefully with the Spanish. When Cortés and

his men arrived, the Mayans were able to recognize the

language and direct him to a man named Jerónimo de

Aguilar

Turns out that a few years prior to Cortés ’s arrival,

another Spanish ship wrecked near the shores of where

Cortés had landed, but only Aguilar survived. Since Aguilar

had been there for a while, he became fluent in Mayan and

was able to translate things for Cortés. The only problem

was that Mayan was not the language the Aztecs knew.

Soon, along with Aguilar, Cortés found another helpful

translator by the name of Malintzin. Malintzin was a very

educated Mayan women who spoke both Mayan and

Nahuatl, the native language to the Aztecs. With her,

Cortés could speak to Aguilar in Spanish, then translate it

to Mayan through Malintzin, and then Malintzin could

speak with the Aztecs and vice versa. This proves to be an

extremely powerful weapon as the story continues.

Through his translators, Cortés soon became aware that

this land was truly filled with much gold. He also learnt

about the challenges he will have to face in order to

conquer the land. At the time the ruler of the Aztecs was

Montezuma II. Montezuma was a fierce ruler, whose

respect was built entirely out of fear. Some say the

common citizens weren’t even allowed to look straight into

his eyes. Montezuma was also infamous for his practice of

human sacrifices. Aztec legend states that the world was

created by three

gods, all of whom

sacrificed there lives

to create different

aspects of the uni-

verse. In order to pay

tribute to the gods,

at least 16 times year. These stories terrified most of the

Spaniards, so much they begged Cortés to return home,

but Cortés wouldn’t listen. As a result Cortes did one of the

most daring things any Conquistador could do; he burnt

all 11 of his ships so no man could go back. Their next act

was to conquer the Aztecs, and in order to do that, they

had to get to Montezuma first.

SHORT BIO

Hernánado Cortés was born into a lesser noble family in Medellin

Spain in 1485. His dad was a Spanish Calvary who taught Cortes

how to ride horses and work with a sword. When he was younger

he studied at the University of Salamanca. In 1504, he gave up his

job as a lawyer to travel to the new world with explorer Diego

Velazquez to Cuba. Together they conquered Cuba. Whilst there,

he worked as a notary and a person in the Civil government. He

died in 1524 in Spain where he was retiring at the time.

HERNÁN CORTÉS 1485-1524 SO

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A Tales of a Spanish Conquistador

HERNÁ N CORTE S

For human sacrifices, a person

would cut out another person’s still

beating heart with their own bare

hands and raise it up to the sun so

the gods could see.

By Arami Chrystal

23

Montezuma lived in the Aztecs biggest and most

astonishing city- Tenochtitlan. The journey there would

take months, and Cortés knew he would encounter many

enemies, but he was a determined man who wouldn’t stop

at anything. Montezuma, who had messengers and spies to

tract Cortés ’s every move, had even offered gold and gifts

to get him to stop, but bribing was not something Cortés

would conform to. Along his way, Cortés gained many

people as allies. His most powerful allies were the people

of Tlaxcala. The people of Tlaxcala were not at peace with

the Aztecs, instead they were a rebellion against them,

particularly for their human sacrifices. At first they fought

fiercely with the Spanish, but soon after finding out they

had a common enemy, came together to form the

Spanish’s greatest allies. By the time they got to close to

Tenochtitlan, they had hundreds of allies picked up along

their way, but that’s not the only thing that helped Cortés

in his conquest. A new weapon even so amazing Cortés

couldn’t have wished for arose, something intangible and

godly. Montezuma and most of the Aztecs thought Cortés

was the god Quetzalcoatl, a light-skinned, bearded god,

who in legend was destined to come back one day to claim

his land back. Upon arrival to Tenochiltlan, Cortés was

welcomed and lathered in gifts from Montezuma and his

people. It wasn’t soon though until rumour arose that

Montezuma was to ambush Cortés and the rest of the

Spaniards. Cortés didn’t want to take any risks, so as a

result, he took Montezuma as hostage. Now Cortés had a

complete grasp over the Aztec civilization, that’s until

Karma decided to change his faith.

In 1520 just as Cortés had almost conquered what he had

sailed and hoped for, a new threat came about. One of our

earlier characters, Diego Velazquez, had sent out a

powerful army to capture Cortés and the rest of his men.

Cortés had to leave Tenochtitlan to go fight the battle, and

left half of his men to control the land. When in battle,

Cortés was able to easily persuade and capture some of

the men with money and gifts to join his side.

Unfortunately in the time he was gone, revolts struck out

resulting in huge numbers of deaths, more so on the Aztec

side. When Cortes came

back he ordered Montezu-

ma to calm down his people,

but instead something very

shocking happened. Monte-

zuma got struck by stone

and died- its arguable

exactly which side was the

cause of the crime. One

could said it was the Span-

iards who saw him as no use

anymore, or perhaps his

own people who were so

angered by his actions and betrayal. Either way, it caused

even more rebellion, causing the Spanish to get driven out-

side of the city. Many Spaniards died that day, was called

it “La Noche Triste,” (The sad night.)

They took refuge in Tlaxcala, their strongest allies’ city.

Though all of Cortés ’s men had lost hope, Cortés didn’t.

Instead he took this time to further motivate his team and

train. They also received new ships of supplies and men

from Spain. Every day, the Spaniards and their allies would

train so in a year’s time, they could come back stronger

than ever. Ironically, one last final surprise arose. This one

being the most deadly and powerful out of all: small poxes.

Small poxes is a disease that the Spaniards unknowingly

brought to Mexico. By the time they came back to

Tenochtitlan, the small poxes spread like wildfire resulting

in thousands of death. With that, Cortés was able to very

easily conquer and claim the Aztec civilization for his own.

He officially conquered the Aztecs in 1521 and in 1523

became governor of what he now called it, New Spain. In

the end he killed thousands and completely destroyed the

beautiful civilization known as the Aztecs.

Jump to 2014, 45 years ago mankind had their first man on

the moon. Humans are able to take planes across the world

in under a day and talk to people miles away in seconds.

Large plains of land that use to make up the Americas, are

now all taken up by large, busy cities. After Cortés defeated

the mighty Aztecs, his actions allowed many other

explorers to conquer the land. Soon, many other explorers

came to South America in hopes of colonizing the land.

These actions lead to globalization, the interconnectedness

of the world by culture, ideas, technology and people.

Today, 9/10 Mexicans are mestizo-a mixture of European

and Native American Decent. In South America and the

Caribbean, 18 countries have their official language as

Spanish. Relgion has also had a great impact on South

America. Today South America and the Caribbean make up

42% of the Roman Catholic population. Without Cortés the

new world wouldn’t be anything it is today.

AZTEC LEGEND SPOTLIGHT- WHO WAS

QUETZALCOATL?

Quetzalcoatl in Nahuatl means

“feathered serpent.” This deity was

seen as the creator of the sky, agri-

culture, the calendar and was the

symbol of death. Legend states

other deity, Tezcatlipoca , drove

him out of his own home and that

one day he will come back to take

revenge and claim his land back.

The city of Tenochtitlan was built in the middle of extravagant

lake, and use pathways on either side to get to land.

24

EDWARD TEACH

The Story of Blackbeard

Q. Who was Blackbeard?

Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, was

a sailor, soldier, thief and pirate during the

Golden Age of Piracy and Exploration. He was

believed to be born before 1690, in the city of

Bristol in England. When he was young he

went on a trading ship to the Caribbean

captained by Benjamin Hornigold and stole his

own ship with plans to establish himself in the

Caribbean. He was a successful pirate, as he

was one of the most feared pirates of all time,

hijacking over 45 ships for their gold and

riches.

Q. What did he do?

A. Blackbeard hijacked over 45 ships in the

Caribbean. His main objective were Spanish

and French ships bringing riches from the New

World back to Europe. Blackbeard, stole there

riches and usually killed those on board. He

also attacked slave ships as he was against

slavery, and often invited people to his crew,

or let them go free. As most pirates,

Blackbeard was in love with gold, women and

rum. He often hijacked ships and asked for a

ransom, usually gold.

Q. When and where did Blackbeard sail around?

A. Blackbeard called the Caribbean his home.

He sailed around small islands and even

discovered some. It is said that Blackbeard

was against colonies and never returned to

Europe. The furthest north he was seen was

near present day Miami, with a close friend;

Stede Bonnet. Blackbeard had a house in Plum

Point also known as Teach’s Point, close to

Bath, a small city in the Caribbean. His golden

years were in 1716 to 1718 and he died, at the

end of 1718.

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By Fausto Grinspun

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Blackbeard was one of the men who stuck out during the early 1700s for

impacting the world, both positively and negatively. He was a well-known

pirate with 12 wives and 13 kids and here, we will answer some questions in

regards to this important figure.

Blackbeard’s Ship: Queen Anne’s Revenge

Q. Why and how did Blackbeard sail around the

Caribbean?

A. Blackbeard had a very large and deadly ship

named “Queen Anne’s Revenge”. This was his

home for most of the time as he spent most

time there. The ship was a 300-ton frigate

which once had 66 guns. Blackbeard obviously

sailed because he loved the ocean, he loved

adventures and he loved stealing gold from

others. But also, he was against the law

because he wanted to prove that those times

were really bad. People were not equal and he

showed the poor workers that they worked ex-

tremely hard for people who lived in massive

castles in Europe.

Q. What impact has Blackbeard had on the world?

A. Blackbeard was not the greatest pirate of all,

but he was surely the one with the greatest

impact on the world. Firstly, he proved to

the world that he was a product of what

England wanted. The Queen of England

allowed him to destroy Spanish and French

ships and he stretched this a little far. He

showed us that the English created piracy

and they were the true pirates. Secondly,

empires wasted lots of money to catch

pirates like Blackbeard and money that

could have been used to build other stuff,

went into creating new ships to end piracy.

Thirdly, people like Blackbeard helped

villagers and slaves from the New World

dream further, inspire themselves with

tales from other places and make them feel

free. This could have only been done by a

person who knows places well and believes

in equality, like Blackbeard. Finally, piracy

had a massive impact on the Caribbean

cultures. People who were entirely

dominated by the English crown suddenly

had more access to new places. This led to

a large mixture of cultures, traditions and

groups of people. Slaves from Africa with

Americans, with Europeans, and this

resulted in many new cultures, religions

and languages being formed and used.

The Caribbean Sea

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Marco Polo and His

Travels

Marco Polo from 1254-1324 was a Venetian merchant

believed to have journeyed across Asia at the height of

the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his

father and uncle, traveling overland along what later

became known as the Silk Road. Upon reaching China,

Marco Polo entered the court of powerful Mongol ruler

Kublai Khan, who dispatched him on trips to help ad-

minister the kingdom.

Marco Polo remained

abroad for 24 years.

Though not the first

European to explore

China—his father and

uncle, among others,

had already been

there—he became

famous for his travels

thanks to a popular

book he co-authored

while in a Genoese

prison.

The Travels to Mongol Empire

In 1260, the brothers and Venetian merchants

Niccolo and Matteo Polo travelled east from Europe. In

1265, they arrived at Kaifeng, the capital of Kublai

Khan's (also known as the Great Khan) Mongol Empire.

In 1269, the brothers returned to Europe with a

request from Khan for the Pope to send one hundred

missionaries to the Mongol Empire, to help convert the

Mongols to Christianity. The Great Khan's message was

given to the Pope but he did not send the 100

missionaries.

Upon arriving in Venice, Nicolo discovered that

his wife had died, leaving the care of a son, Marco

(born in 1254 and thus fifteen years old), in his hands.

In 1271, the two brothers and Marco began to trek

eastward and in 1275 met the Great Khan.

Khan liked the youthful Marco and conscripted

him into service for the Empire. Marco served in

several high-level government positions, including as

ambassador and as the governor of the city of

Yangzhou. While the Great Khan enjoyed having the

Polos as his subjects and diplomats, Khan eventually

consented to allow them to leave the Empire, as long

as they would escort a princess who was scheduled to

wed a Persian king.

Map of Marco Polo’s travels

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MARCO POLO 1254-1324

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The three Polo’s left the Empire in 1292 with the princess, a fleet of fourteen large boats, and 600 other passengers from a port in southern China. The armada sailed through Indonesia to Sri Lanka and India and onto its final destination at the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Supposedly, only eighteen people survived from the original 600, including the Princess who could not wed her intended fiancée because he had died, so she married his son instead.

The Questionable book

The three Polos returned to Venice and Marco joined the army to fight against the city-state of Genoa. He was captured in 1298 and imprisoned in Genoa. While in prison for two years, he dictated an account of his travels to a fellow prisoner named Rustichello. Shortly after, The Travels of Marco Polo was published in French.

Though Polo's book exaggerates places and cultures (and some scholars believe he never went as far east as China but only described places other travellers had been to), his book was widely published, translated into many languages, and thousands of copies were printed.

Polo's book includes accounts of men with tails and cannibals seem to be around every corner (Presented below). The book is somewhat a

geography of Asian provinces. It is divided into chapters covering specific regions and Polo delves into the politics, agriculture, military power, economy, burial system, and religions of each area. Polo brought the ideas of paper currency and coal to Europe. He also included second-hand reports of areas that he had not visited, such as Japan and Madagascar.

In conclusion Marco polo has

changed the world around him

by inspiring conquistadors to

find and explore the places he

reached. For example,

Christopher Columbus took a

copy of Marco Polo’s notebook with him on his ad-

venture, hoping to see many of the riches and plac-

es Marco describes in his book. Marco Polo had ad-

mirable characteristics that are viewed today and

his stories are still recognised and stir a strong reac-

tion if it is real or not.

“I have not told

half of what I saw”

-Marco Polo

Excerpt of Marco Polo’s writing

28

In August 1487, Dias’ trio of ships left from the

port of Lisbon, Portugal, after 10 months of preparation

for the journey. Bartholomew Dias (c. 1451- May 29,

1500) was a Portugese explorer that became the first

European mariner to round the southern tip of Africa,

opening the way for a sea route from Europe to Asia. He

also discovered for Europe the south-east trade winds

which allowed Europe to discover the west and south of

South Africa, establishing the wind system for those who

sailed after him. Before he became a mariner, he was at

the court of João II, king of Portugal (1455-1495), and was

a superintendent of the royal warehouses.

Now about his journey. His expedition party

included six Africans who had been brought to Portugal by

earlier explorers. Dias dropped off the Africans at

different ports along the coastline of Africa with supplies

of gold and silver and messages of goodwill from the

Portuguese to the indigenous people. The last two

Africans were left at a place the Portuguese sailors called

Angra do Salto, in modern Angola, and the expedition’s

supply ship was left there under guard of nine men. At

one point during the journey, Dias and his men were lost,

loosing hope fast.

Finally, when hope was almost lost, the crew

spotted landfall on February 3, 1488, about 300 miles east

of present-day Cape of Good Hope. They found the Cape

of Good Hope, located in Cape Town, South Africa. But

why is it called the Cape of Good Hope? Is it because they

almost lost hope, then found the Cape? Dias originally

named the Cape the Cape of Storms because of all the

violent storms in the area. King John II later renamed the

area so it would not sound so horrific; he wanted to

encourage others to travel in that direction.

The strongest reason for Dias to go on this

adventure would be that he wanted to find a faster route

to Asia, since Portugal and other European nations has

already created ties to this continent. Also, the overland

route had been closed in the 1450s due to the Ottoman

Empire’s conquest of the remnants of the Byzantine

Empire. Dias followed the route of the 15th-century

Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão (c. 1450-c. 1486), who had

followed the coast of Africa as far as present-day Cape

Cross, Namibia. And how did he get all the supplies for the

journey? Well, King JoÃo II of Portugal financed Dias’

expedition.

BARTHOLOMEW DIAS 1450-1500 OTH

ER

First to reach the southern tip of Africa By: Gabriella Macomber

Bartholomew Dias

A portrait of

Bartholomew Dias

29

Bartholomew Dias discovered the Cape of

Good Hope, which was a huge advantage for other

ships, because now they could use his route to get to

Asia and to Europe. How does it affect today? It is

said that the discovery also prompted Genoan

explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), then

living in Portugal, to seek a new royal patron for a

mission to establish his own sea route to the Far East.

Thanks to Dias, Christopher Columbus discovered the

lands of America (whether he discovered America is

still under discussion). This voyage of Dias not only

opened up the sea route to the Indies; it paved a

way for contact between Europe, Africa, and the

East, greatly extending the Portuguese sphere of

influence.

BARTHOLOMEW DIAS 1450-1500 OTH

ER

30

A map of Dias’ route

Which nation contributed the

most to sea exploration in the

fifteenth century? There was a nation

that in only 100 years managed to

sail in every ocean and every major

sea. Portugal was the country that

led the greatest expansion of the

known world in the history of the

world. In only one hundred years

they managed to be the first Europe-

ans in nearly one half of the globe, as

well as one of the first countries first

to push south. One of their most

popular voyages, was the voyage

that Vasco da Gama's sailed on.

Five centuries ago, no one

knew if it was possible to sail around

Africa. In the 1400s. People weren’t

sure that they could sail from the

Atlantic into the Indian Ocean

without carrying their ships through

land. The theories was that Africa

connected to another continent, or

maybe the Indian Ocean was a sea

surrounded by land.

Like many European explorers,

the Portuguese mariner Vasco da

Gama set to sail to gain wealth and

power for himself and his country.

For Europeans, especially the

Portuguese, finding out if a voyage

around Africa could really be made

was important because East Asia

produced spices, silks and other fine

goods. The only way to get these

goods from Asia to Europe was by

carrying them over land, in caravans

that travelled thousands of miles. Or

by sea – Arab traders sailed from

Asia to Europe (vice-versa) across the

Indian Ocean. From the Middle East,

caravans would take them by land to

the Mediterranean ports used by

European merchants.

Although these trade routes

seemed easy, they had their prob-

lems. The land route was not only

long, but sea routes were very

expensive. Europeans had to pay

high prices to Arabs who had bought

silks and spices from parts of India,

China and the islands of the East

Indies. If Europeans were able to

discover a sea route around Africa,

they could overcome these problems

and control their own trade with the

East. Since Portugal was

neighbouring Africa’s Atlantic coast,

it gave an opportunity to explore to

the Southern tip of Africa.

Vasco Da Gama was born on

1460 or 1469 in Sines, Portugal, to a

family of nobles. His father, was also

an explorer. As a member of the

nobility, he led a Portuguese attack

on French ships in 1492, and later

served as a gentleman at the court of

King Manuel I. There Da Gama

learned to navigate in the navy. In

1497, da Gama was appointed to

command a ship with the goal of

discovering a sailing route to India.

The Portuguese continued the

tradition, begun by Prince Henry the

Navigator (1394-1460) and continued

exploring the African coast. This had

been done by bits and pieces, with

each subsequent probe venturing

just a bit further south, until

Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1450-1500) had

rounded the Cape of Good Hope at

the continent's southern tip in 1487-

1488. Now Manuel was prepared to

take the bold step of passing the

Cape by and sailing across thousands

of miles of open sea to India. There-

fore on July 7, 1498, da Gama and his

crew set sail from Lisbon aboard four

ships.

Da Gama went on his

expedition on July 8th 1497, his goal

was to each the city of Calicut on the

Malabar, (the south-western, coast

of India) by going on an all sea route.

Portugal was hoping to establish

direct trade with India to avoid the

high tariffs charged by Arabs, who

controlled trade throughout the

Mediterranean at the time. The spice

trade would increase Portugal's

wealth greatly.

There was an advantage because of

the direction of the winds traveling

south; sailing down to the south

coast of Africa would be quicker and

easier. The expedition then rounded

the Cape of Good, after sailing up the

coast of east Africa. By the time they

reached Indian Ocean waters, most

of his crew was infected with scurvy.

Da Gama made landfall in

Mozambique to rest and resupply.

Vasco Da Gama VASCO DA GAMA 1460s- 1524)

OTH

ER

Vasco Da Gama (1460s – 23 Decem-

ber 1524)

By: Alana Deacon

31

They then landed in Mombasa

and Malindi, where an Arab

navigator assisted them inreaching

the Indian coast, Calicut (now known

as Kozhikode) in May 1498. They had

sailed for 23 days before arriving in

Calicut. This voyage launched the

all-water route from Europe to Asia.

The Europeans assumed the

locals were Christians, though they

were actually Hindus. Despite this

misunderstanding, the ruler of

Calicut agreed to trade with da Gama

and he requested a large supply of

valuable spices.

In August, after three months

in India, da Gama’s fleet left Calicut

— despite advice that monsoon

season was approaching. The ships

encountered terrible storms during

their journey. The passage across the

Indian Ocean — which had previously

taken little more than three weeks —

took more than three months. So

many men died of scurvy during the

crossing that da Gama ordered the

St. Rafael burned for lack of crew.

The ships split up off the

western coast of Africa, returning to

Lisbon at different times. It took da

Gama’s fleet more than a year to

return to their homeland after

leaving India. Though only 54 of the

original 170-member crew returned

to Portugal in 1499, Da Gama

received a hero’s welcome. The spice

trade became hugely important for

Portugal.

His brutal practices continued

once he reached Calicut. There, da

Gama destroyed the trading post and

killed 38 hostages. Once he had the

Calicut ruler’s surrender, da Gama

went south to Cochin (known as

Kochi today). There, he made an

alliance with the local ruler, further

securing Portugal’s position as a

dominant spice trader. Da Gama left

Cochin in February 1503. During his

return journey, he established

Portuguese trading posts in what is

now Mozambique. Portugal would

later become the major colonial

power in Mozambique.

Da Gama lived in Portugal with

his wife, six sons and one daughter

for 20 years. King John III asked da

Gama to return to India once again.

He was requested to help deal with

the increasing corruption of the

Portuguese officials there. In 1524,

da Gama yet again set sail — this

time with the title of Viceroy.

Da Gama died in Cochin from

an unnamed illness on Dec 24th,

1524. He was initially buried in a

Catholic church in Kochi, but his

remains were brought back to

Portugal in 1538.

He was the first European

explorer who sailed around the Cape

of Good Hope, to India to set up the

spice trade route by sea for the

Portuguese. It allowed Portuguese to

build their empire by controlling

ports in Africa and control the spice

trade (until the Brits and Dutch later).

Vasco da Gama's presence also

stopped the Muslim invasion and

enslavement of Africa. Vasco Da

Gama has left a huge footprint on the

history of several continents.

VASCO DA GAMA 1460s- 1524) O

THER

The ship believed Vasco Da Gama sailed

on.

32

Facts

Historians cannot agree

whether he was born in

1460 or 1469, but they

do know he died on

December 23rd, 1524.

Because there was a

monsoon wind, he and

his men arrived in India

in less than one month.

On the return voyage,

half of Vasco da Gama`s

crew died from scurvy.

Vasco da Gama was the

commander of two more

trips to India.

While in Calicut he

demanded that all

Muslims be banned from

India. The king refused.

Vasco da Gama was

given Vidigueira, a newly

created county in 1519.

Vasco da Gama's first

voyage to India is

considered to be the

beginning of global

multiculturalism.

Vasco Da Gama had one

daughter and six sons.

His second born son

later became the

governor of Portuguese

India.

and wealthier country. I am a handsome, charm-ing, and famous red haired English-man. Everyone loves me, well, obviously except for the Spanish Armada. Oh how the Spanish Arma-da hate me with passion---

Interviewer: Why does the Spanish Armada hate you with passion?! Tell us everything!

Interviewer: Hello Sir Francis Drake, it is a pleasure to meet you!

Francis: The pleas-ure is all mine, and your name is?

Interviewer: My name is Emily, and I’ll be asking a few questions.

Francis: Alright, let’s start.

Interviewer: Ok first, could you give us a brief summary of your

adventurous life, before we get into the details?

Francis: Of course! Well, as you obvi-ously know I am a sailor, who’s sailed around the world at a young age. I was born around 1540, so I’m real old. I explored the world between 1577 and 1578. The queen loves me… well used to because I made England a stronger

Francis: Well… in May 1585, The King in Spain named King Philip stopped all trade with England. So the queen sent me to stop this, I then cap-tured the Spanish Treasure ship. Spain then gathered a large navy of ships to attack England. In 1588, the English and Spanish navies met. With my help, many Spanish ships were destroyed. It was a great victory

for us. All that made the Queen like me even more, I eventu-ally became knight because of how much wealth I brought to England, and the queen.

Interviewer: Oh wow… I’m speech-less, so talk to me more, about your voyage around the world.

Francis: Sure, my first voyage was set across the Atlantic Ocean. It was in De-

cember, 13th, 1577. I went with five ships, my partners and I had a very difficult voyage, and it was really frus-trating. I also sailed along the pacific coast of North America. When I sailed back home, I came with loads of gold, which made me filthy rich, so I was living the life, and loving it. I also went to San Julian, Sao Tiago, and ex-plored many other places.

A portrait of Sir Francis Drake

Here is an exclusive interview with the great sailor Sir Francis Drake, we’re going to get all the details of his voyage and his life, so read more to know all about the wonderful Sir Francis Drake. (Francis Drake: 1542– 1596)

Sir Francis Drake Exclusive

Interview

By: Amma Tettey

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Sir Francis Drake 1540– 1592

OTH

ER

A Map

Sir Francis Drake Exclusive Interview

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34

Captain James Cook 1728-1779

Liako Anderson: Good afternoon Captain Cook. How are you today?

Captain Cook: I’m fine thanks and how are you?

Liako Anderson: I’m great thanks. Let’s get down to business, when and

where were you born?

Captain Cook: Well I was born on October 27, 1728, in England. I was born in

a small village called Marton, this was located inside of Yorkshire.

Liako Anderson: Oh yes? Tell me about your first encounter with the sea.

Captain Cook: Well, you see, my first encounter was when I was 18 years old.

I had taken a job of being part of a crew on the “Whitby Collier” its job was to

ship coal to London and back.

Liako Anderson: And how long

did you work on that ship?

Captain Cook: I worked there for

about 10 years.

Liako Anderson: What happened after your coal trading? Did you do anything

in your spare time? Coal trading sounds really time consuming?

Captain Cook: Why yes, it was. I became a talented mathematician. After my

trading I was offered command of a ship but refused and joined the Royal Navy.

It was called the Endeavour

Liako Anderson: Oh wow! What did you do in the Navy? Where did you go?

Captain Cook: Well many different things and many different places. The first

place that we went was in Tahiti, my crew and I went in 1767. Then we went to

New Zealand in 1768, and finally sailed to Australia. And all of this was one trip!

Liako Anderson: Oh wow! Did you happen to claim any of the lands?

Captain Cook: Now that you mention it we did, we claimed both New Zealand

and Australia for Great Britain.

Liako Anderson: That’s so interesting! What did you do after that?

Captain Cook: I was given two new ships and set sail to Africa in 1772 and reached Cape Town and In South Africa. We

then found out about another voyage from South Africa to the far south. We continued south and came across a huge ice-

berg. We stopped there and found it was a huge land mass of ice. It was quite fascinating.

Liako Anderson: Wow that sounds amazing. How did you feel whenever you found land?

Captain Cook: It was really …Amazing as you said, the world is so big. Whenever we found something I had this wave of hap-

piness. Especially when we had claimed New Zealand and Australia.

Liako Anderson: Well it was absolutely amazing talking to you! I hope you have a great day.

Captain Cook: It was great sharing my experiences! I hope you got what you wanted. Thank you.

By: Liako Anderson

JAMES COOK 1728 - 1779 O

THER

35

Captain Cook Facts

Captain James Cook could have been the inventor of

the powdered soup, it was made do that crew mem-

bers could have hot soup in seconds. Just add water

to your powder and voila!

The crew on Cook’s ship started the tradition of sail-

ors getting tattoos, this started when the ship sailed

to New Zealand and found that the Maori people

tattooed their faces for traditional purposes. The

crew then tattooed their arms and sailed back

starting a new trend.

Captain James Cook died on Valentine’s Day in

Hawaii.

Captain Cook joined the British royal navy when he

was only a teenager.

By: Liako Anderson

JAMES COOK 1728 - 1779 O

THER

36

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