Age of Discovery
As the Age of Discovery is referred to in popular science about the period from the 15th to the 18th century; he is expected to Early Modern. In the history of science today we prefer the term age of European expansion.
Term
' Age of Discovery ' is a term used to work periodization of the history of discovery taken as a branch of world history, specifically the history of Europe.
It is not unusual in the use of the term to a narrowing of the age of the Renaissance. This one refers particularly to the European expansion overseas, which had begun by the World Travel Bartolomeu Diaz, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Jacques Cartier and Francis Drake. Without question, the image of the earth which was related significantly influenced. It falls into the background, that just led, among other things through the world traveling from James Cook to the discoveries in the 18th century that the world and the idea of the shape of the earth very walked. Not least in this time archaeological discoveries that helped shape the image of classic antiquity largely belong. Of particular importance in this case, the discovery of Pompeii ( the beginning of excavation 1748). Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717 - 1768) is regarded as the founder of scientific archeology and art history.
The discoveries also led to progress, for example,
- In cartography (see History of cartography ). Mention may be made here, for example Martin Behaim (1459 - 1507; inspired the globe to ) and Gerhard Mercator (1512 - 1594; among other things, mathematician, geographer and cartographer ).
- In navigating ships ( for ocean-going ships were astronomical knowledge to determine location with no coastline view much more important than maps )
- Improved astronomical almanacs as the Almanac Perpetum ( 1475 ) and the ephemeris ( 1475 )
- In shipbuilding: the caravel was developed. She sat by her rudder ( tiller ) much better control than previous ships.
Ideas of the Age of Discovery
The idea of the age of discovery is characterized by the voyages and discoveries overseas. It includes content but also astronomy, which is connected with the name, among others, Tycho Brahe, Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler. Giordano Bruno and Galileo Galilei has at the moment. Not only the sailors with their discoveries, but they also brought about changes in world view.
Requirements
The discoveries have had a number of motives and circumstances. First were given the technical capabilities by building offshore capable vessels. The improvement of navigational instruments contributed to this. Also portable watches such as the famous Nuremberg egg count among whose invention ( probably wrongly ) Peter Henlein was attributed. The motifs include unquestionably economic. It came to the development of world trade (see also: Early capitalism ). The trading companies were the carrier. The maritime trade had the largest share of these, the long-distance trade via land routes such as the ancient Silk Road a smaller one.
Some motives were religious, so for example, that Christianity in the New World should be disseminated ( proselytizing ). Also, the major European powers at the same time expected to expand their political influence. This becomes clear from the overseas colonies among others, the Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch and French. An example of this is also the Treaty of Tordesillas in the year 1494. He regulated the distribution of the discovered lands between Portugal and Spain. However, further developments showed its practical ineffectiveness because other great powers were not willing to be not involved in the profit from the discoveries. The establishment of trading companies showed their economic interest in the use of resources of the discovered fields. The Treaty of Madrid was the ultimate consequence of which has become devoid Treaty of Tordesillas.