Age of Discovery
The Explorers
Jacques Cartier
French mariner, born 1491 - died 1557. A master navigator, he was the first European to discover the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River. He later sailed up the St. Lawrence to the area of present-day Montreal. He spent that winter in Canada. He hoped to find the Northwest Passage, a way to sail to the Pacific Ocean by sailing north of North America. However, the Northwest Passage does not exist.
Christopher Columbus
Italian mariner, sailed under the flag of Spain, born 1451 - died 1506. He believed it was possible to sail to India by traveling west from Europe and sailing around the globe. He spent several years looking for a country to fund his voyage. Finally he was able to gain support from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. He was the first to explore the uncharted seas to the west. He made four voyages. On his first voyage he discovered the Bahamas, Hispaniola and Cuba and established a colony on Hispaniola. When he returned on his second voyage he discovered Jamaica and part of the Lesser Antilles. The colony on Hispaniola had been destroyed and he started a new one there. On his next two voyages he discovered Central America, and South America.
Hernan Cortes
Spanish mariner, born 1484 - died 1547. He sailed to Mexico in 1518 on a voyage of discovery and fought multiple battles against the Aztec empire. During the next three years he captured, lost, and then recaptured Mexico City. He conquered Mexico in 1521 and was appointed governor in 1523. Discovered Baja California in 1536.
Sir Francis Drake
English mariner, born 1540 or 1542 - died 1596. In the early 1570s he was a very successful privateer (a pirate officially supported by Queen Elizabeth of England) who plundered a number of Spanish ships and towns in the West Indies. One ship he captured had enough gold for England to pay off its entire national debt. In 1577 he set off on a journey to be the second explorer to sail around the world. He succeeded, returning three years later. In the 1580s he played an important part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese mariner sailed under the flag of Portugal and Spain, born 1480 - died 1521. He was the first explorer to lead an expedition to circumnavigate the earth. The expedition was successful, but he died before completing it. During the voyage he discovered (and sailed through) the Straits of Magellan. He discovered the Philippines in 1521 and died there after getting involved in a local war. The voyage was completed by Sebastian del Cano.
Sir Walter Raleigh
English, born 1552? - died 1618. He is responsible for introducing potatoes and tobacco into England. In 1584 he sent out an expedition to explore the coast of North America with the hope of finding a suitable place for a colony. He named the coast north of Florida "Virginia." In 1585 he sent out a colonizing expedition to Roanoke Island, North Carolina. The members of the colony returned to England in 1586 with Sir Francis Drake. In 1587 Raleigh sent out a second colonizing expedition that included women and children. All the people of this colony mysteriously disappeared. In 1595 and in 1616 he explored up the Orinoco River in Venezuela looking unsuccessfully for the mythical city of gold, El Dorado.
Giovanni da Verrazano
Italian mariner, sailed under the flag of France, born 1480 - died 1527?. In 1524 he sailed west from France in an attempt to reach Asia. Instead he reached the North American coast. He explored up the coast from North Carolina to southern Canada. He was the first European to explore New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay. Around 1526 he sailed from France to explore the West Indies where he was killed by natives. His brother Gerolamo created maps of North America based on Giovanni's detailed descriptions.
Prepared by Richard Ruane for the Lincoln Community School's Fifth Grade
February 3, 2005
Bibliography
“Biographies of Explorers and Associated People.” The Mariners’ Museum. The Mariners’ Museum. 31 Jan. 2005 <http://www.mariner.org//educationalad/ageofex/biographies.php>.
Engels, Andre. “Discoverers by Alphabet.” Discoverers Web. Andre Engels. 31 Jan. 2005 <http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/discovery/alpha.html>.
Neilson, William Allan. “Cortes, Hernando.” Webster’s Biographical Dictionary. 1974 ed. 1974.
Citing this page
Use the following as a citation for this web page:
Ruane, Richard. "The Explorers." Lincoln Community School. February 3, 2005. Lincoln Community School. February 7, 2005 <http://www.lincolncs.org/5-6/Studies/explorers.htm>.