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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 7 page paper that provides an overview of social and economic developments from the 15th to 17th centuries. The Age of Exploration, as well as the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment are covered. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KW60_KFhis009.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
17th centuries such as the discovery of stellar parallax by James Bradley, and the heliocentrism of Copernicus and Galileo, made it possible for one to discern ones position on the
globe by means of observing the position of celestial bodies. This, coupled with advancements in maps and charts, meant that explorers could set out to sea without worrying about becoming
hopelessly lost and disoriented. Of course, another fundamental advancement upon which the Age of Explorations was dependent was the development of ships and vessels capable of sustained ocean voyages. Portuguese
and Spanish shipwrights are known as being the first to develop such vessels, which were referred to as "carracks". 2. The early start that the Spanish and
Portuguese had in developing seaworthy shipping vessels translated into a lasting advantage throughout the early parts of the Age of Exploration. Portuguese, for instance, established a lucrative gold trade with
Arabic and Indian states, and was able to capitalize upon this thanks to the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 by Bartolomeu Dias. Spain, meanwhile, had such
significant wealth, that they could finance voyages such as that made by Columbus in 1492, in order to seek out new and more efficient shipping routes. The combined might of
the Portuguese and Spanish holdings claimed during the Age of Exploration became so great that the Church was forced to divide them up via the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494
in order to avoid war between the groups. These immense holdings naturally attracted competition, however, in the form of Dutch revolution against King Philip II of Spain in 1568, the
start of the Eighty Years War. By 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by Dutch and English privateers, and Amsterdam was made into a major maritime power that broke the
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