AGE OF EXPLORATION
THE VIKINGS
• First to discover North
America
• Clues first appeared in
written stories called
sagas.
• The sagas suggested
that Bjarni Herjolfsson
and Leif the Lucky had
sailed to the new lands
west and south of
Greenland
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THE VIKINGS SAGA:
BJARNI HERJOLFSSON
• In about the year 1000 a • Bjarnie went to find
sea roving trader, Bjarni Greenland to see his father
Herjulfson, went to visit but his ship went off
his father in Iceland. course, and he ended up
• His father lived in Iceland finding three islands.
and every year Bjarni • This was the coast of
spent the winter with him. North America - a new
• Then one year when Bjarni land - but he didn't bother
went to Iceland to see his to get off his ship and
father', Bjarni had found explore it because he was
that his Father had moved so anxious to see his
to Greenland. father.
• He sailed back and found
Greenland.
THE VIKINGS SAGA:
LEIF ERICKSON
• Leif Erickson, who lived in
Greenland, was excited
about finding the New
Land.
• He bought Bjarni's ship
and got a crew of 30 men
and sailed to the three • He named it Vinland
places Bjarni had found. because they found grapes
• They went first to which were probably big
Helluland and then to huckleberries. This was
Markland and then on to a probably Newfoundland.
place he named Vinland • They stayed the winter
the Good. and returned to Greenland
in the spring.
THE VIKINGS SAGA:
THORVALD ERICKSON
• Leif's brother
• He borrowed the ship and went
to "Vinland the Good" to
explore.
• They spent the winter there,
and in the summer they did
more exploring.
• One day they saw three canoes. • The only person hit was
Under the canoes were nine Thorvald. As he was dying he
"Skraelings" American Indians. asked to be buried in a place he
• The Vikings killed eight of them, had liked and had mentioned he
but one escaped. would like to stay there for
awhile.
• The very next day that • He became the first Viking to be
Skraeling returned with lots buried in North America.
more.
• The Vikings got out their shields • He wanted the place called
and soon the Indians left after "Crossness" forever. The rest of
shooting some arrows. the Vikings then returned home.
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L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS
• Helge and Anne Ingstad were
a husband and wife team
from Norway.
• They had studied old
documents and maps and
read the sagas.
• They came up with a
hypothesis that the Vikings
had discovered North
America 500 years before
Columbus arrived.
• They began a dig in the
1960s at the northeastern tip
of Newfoundland, called
L’anse aux Meadows.
L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS
• The Ingstads found
remains of houses like
houses in Norway and
Greenland in Viking
times.
• Other treasure included
Viking jewelry, tools and
even iron nails, which
were unknown in North
America before
Europeans came.
L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS
The early 11th century settlement includes the following features, shown on
the plan: 1: the large house. 2-7: other structures, some with hearths and
cooking pits. 8: the smithy. 9: a possible charcoal kiln. 10-11: large cooking
pits.A number of boat sheds were also found. Radiocarbon samples from
several site areas produced dates clustering around AD 1000, which accords
with the historic evidence of the sagas.
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BRAIN POP: CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
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CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
• Influenced by a 200 year old
book written by Marco Polo.
• Polo had written about his
travels from Venice, across
Asia to Cathay. He wrote
about silks, jewels, gold and
spices.
• Spices were very expensive,
as they came from the East • If you traveled west, you could
reach India by water- faster and
Indies, known as Spice cheaper.
Lands. • This was during the time of the
• Columbus believed that if debate of whether the world
you traveled east by land, was flat or round.
you arrived in the Indian • Columbus’ conclusion assumed
islands off the coast of Asia. the world was round.
CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS
• Columbus moved to
Lisbon, Portugal.
• Lisbon was considered
the headquarters for
voyages of discovery.
• He could not find
supports there so he
moved to Spain.
• King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella gave him
the money he needed for
ships, sailors and
supplies.
CHRISTOPHER
COLUMBUS
• Columbus made his famous
voyage in 1492.
• His 3 ships were the Nina, the
Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
• He reached the land at the island
of San Salvador in the West
Indies. (Haiti and the Dominican • He made 3 more voyages
Republic) across the Atlantic Ocean in
• He was convinced he arrived in the next 10 years.
India and he named the island • He never reached Cathay and
Hispaniola and its inhabitants he never even set foot on the
Indians. mainland of North America!
• Later, other explorers made the • His voyages were important,
same mistake and aboriginal as he opened up new routes
peoples of North and South for exploration and trade.
America also became known as
Indians
ROUTES OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
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JOHN CABOT
• Homeland: Venice, Italy Outcomes:
• Project: A voyage to • Little is known about Cabot’s
discover an all-water route to life up to 1497.
the riches (spices)of Asia. • In 1498, he set out on a 2nd
• Sponsor: King Henry VII of trip and was never was never
England seen again.
• Discoveries: Probably NFLD • Cabot’s crossing of the
and/or Cape Breton Island. Atlantic had lasting results.:
– He made England’s first claim
to territory in North America.
– He found an unlimited supply
of Cod fish. In Catholic
societies, eating of meat 153
days a year was prohibited.
English fishermen became
regular visitors.
ROUTES OF JOHN CABOT
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JACQUES CARTIER
• Homeland: France
• Projects: To search for an
all-water passage to Asia and
then to follow the St. Outcomes:
Lawrence River in hope of • Had three voyages: 1534, 1535,
finding riches closer to home. and 1541
• Sponsor: King Francis I of • Made contact with Aboriginal
People
France • He did not discover the riches of the
• Discoveries: Various parts of East or a route to them. French
NFLD and parts of what are leaders lost interest, as they were
after diamonds and gold and not
now NS (Cape Breton), PEI, beaver pelts.
NB and QUE. Much of the • About 50years later, Europeans
Gulf of St. Lawrence and the became interested in North
St. Lawrence River. American furs. Fur traders,
fishermen and map makers were all
crossing the Atlantic.
ROUTES OF JACQUES CARTIER
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SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN
• Homeland: France
• Projects: To help French explorers • They spent the winter on the island of
on fur-trading voyages by acting as St. Croix, where many men died of
a map maker
scurvy.
• Sponsor: King Henry IV of France
appointed Champlain Royal • In 1605, they moved to Port Royal where
geographer he explored the Atlantic coast and made
• Discovery: The St. Lawrence River careful maps of NS, NB, Maine and
as far as the Lachine Rapids in 1603; Massachusetts.
the coastline of North America, from
present-day NS to present-day • The maps were so accurate that sailors
Massachusetts in 1604-05 could use them today. Many places
Outcomes: along the coast still have the names
• In 1604, he went with Sieur de Champlain gave them more than 350
Monts to the Bay of Fundy. years ago.
• De Monts had been granted a • In 1608, he moved to a location what is
monopoly on the fur trade. In now Quebec on the St. Lawrence river.
return, he was to start a colony. He developed the rest of his life to the
development of a fur-trading colony.
ROUTES OF SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN
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OTHER LEADING EXPLORERS
HENRY HUDSON
• 1609-11
• Discoveries: Hudson
River and Hudson Bay
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ETIENNE BRULE
• 1609-32
• Discoveries: South of
Lake Ontario
PIERRE RADISSON AND
MEDARD GROSEILLIERS
• 1650s
• Discoveries: Sault
Ste. Marie Region;
north shore of Lake
Superior
LOUIS JOLIET AND
FATHER JACQUES MARQUETTE
• 1669-73
• Discoveries: Lakes
Ontario, Erie and
Huron; Lake Michigan
and upper Mississippi
River
LA SALLE AND
FATHER LOUIS HENNEPIN
• 1669-82
• Discoveries: Lakes
Ontario and Erie;
Niagara, Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers to
the Gulf of Mexico
DANIEL DULHUT
• 1680s
• Discoveries: Region
south and west of Lake
Superior
HENRY KELSEY
• 1690-92
• Discoveries: Buffalo
country of Northern
Saskatchewan and
possibly Alberta
PIERRE LA VERENDYRE
• 1731-43
• Discoveries: West of
Lake Superior as far as
the Saskatchewan
River and south to
South Dakota
ANTHONY HENDAY
• 1754-55
• Discoveries: First
European to travel
west to within sight of
the Rockies
SAMUEL HEARNE
• 1770-72
• Discoveries:
Overland to the mouth
of the Coppermine
River on the Arctic
Ocean
ALEXANDER MACKENZIE
• 1789, 1793
• Discoveries: Down
the MacKenzie
River to the Arctice
Ocean; overland to
the Pacific
GEORGE VANCOUVER
• 1791-95
• Discoveries:
Vancouver Island and
much of the coast of
BC
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN
AND MANY OTHER ARCTIC EXPLORERS
• Early 1800s
• Discoveries: Canada’s
vast northland of
coastline, waterways
and islands