Fall 2008
Meeting #5
September 17, 2008

 

Europe Sails Forth

 

Motives and Movers of the European Global Reconnaissance

 

1. Europe physically favorably positioned for reconnaissance of Americas – proximity/currents of North Atlantic
         Pacific wider; winds less certain; Indian Ocean pretty closed off
         West Africa àBrazil --?

2. Its technology equal to undertaking by mid-15th century  -- little change until mid-19th century
    Ships/cannonry (for intimidation)

Fully-rigged ship the norm à Santa Maria  to Ark [150 years apart]

    Three masts; some fore and aft arrangement (mizzen/jib)
    Wholly dependent upon sail – high freeboard/decked for seaworthiness
            accompanying pinnace/shallop – with rowing capacity

 

Navigational know how – to get there and back
Jumping off points/Canary Islands/western Ireland
Dead Reckoning skills – compass/speed estimates/time estimates (noon sightings)
Celestial navigation? – declination tables/astrolabs/cross staffs…

3. Distinctive regional motivations:

      Re-access to Asian markets/goods; Asians pretty content with their trading world; Europe coming to them
      Missionary impulse – spread Xianity among the heathen
               Xians in missionary mode; Muslims not….
      Nation-state rivalries within Europe – kings doing kingly things…. Not yet established on their respective thrones/poor

 

4. Presence in late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance  of  self-promoting individual risk takers with special skills
            chivalry and the main chance combined in many of the undertakers/promoters
                     Christopher Columbus/Cabot/Da Gama of 1490s to John Smith/Henry Hudson of 1600s

Skills – military skills in strange lands
            and/or
            navigational competence at sea (knew ships/knew the sea/knew sailors)
            plus
            self-promoters


Some education/access to powers that be/demonstrable skills/big ideas/ -- self-promoters 

 

Leif Ericson
Prince Henry’s sea captains

Christopher Columbus

Bartholomeu Dias

Vasco da Gama

John Cabot

Ponce de Leon
Ferdinand Magellan

Giovanni da Verrazzano
Elizabeth’s Sea Dogs – Frobisher
Sir Francis Drake
Walter Raleigh

Bartholomew Gosnold
Samuel Champlain

John Popham

John Smith

Henry Hudson

 

[Myles Standish?]

Lion Gardiner

 

Post 1620 -- Bradford/Winthrop/Stuyvesant/Penn/Oglethorpe…. Not from the same cloth
  

Norsemen/Portuguese/Spanish/French/Dutch  à English

 

 

Atlantic Crossings

 

Two main routes:  Northern Route
                                    Leif Ericsson – over the top
                                    John Cabot – across on 52° North to Newfoundland
                                    Henry Hudson – over the top
                                    John Winthrop – across on 52°North to Newfoundland

                            Southern Route

                                    Columbus I and II – down to Canary Islands and across on 28° North (35/33 days)
                                    Columbus III – down to Cape Verde and across on 15°North (25 days)
                                    Verrazzano – down to Madeira and across on 32° North (50 days/storm)
                                    Roanokers Amadas/Barlowe – down to Canaries and across to Martinique
                                    John Smith/Christopher Newport –

 

Islands in the North Atlantic:

Iceland

Faroes

Azores

Bermuda

Madeira

Canaries

Cape Verde

 

 

Islands in Caribbean (n to s)
Bahamas

Cuba
Hispaniola

Virgin Islands

Martinique
Barbados

Curacao

 

Distinctive Features:
Sargasso Sea
Gulf Stream

Florida Current

Doldrums

 

North American Capes:
Cape Sable

Cape Ann

Cape Cod
Cape May

Cape Henlopen

Cape Charles/Cape Henry

Cape Lookout
Cape Hatteras

Cape Fear

Cape Caneveral