Great Navigations is the name given to the period in history when Europeans embarked on the navigation of the Ocean Atlantic. This process was spearheaded by the Portuguese and, a while later, was also set in motion by the Spaniards and other European countries. The results were the "discovery" of numerous places hitherto unknown by Europeans and the arrival to the american continent in 1492.
Summary
Grandes Navegações is the expression used to speak of the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean, pioneered by Portugal, throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese pioneering was the result of specific political, commercial and geographic conditions. Over time, other countries in Europe, such as Spain, also launched themselves into the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean.
The result of the Grandes Navegações was the “discovery” of a series of new places by the Portuguese, such as the Azores and Madeira (Atlantic islands). This process also resulted in the arrival of Europeans on the American continent in 1492. In 1500, the Portuguese arrived in Brazil and began the colonization of Portuguese America.
Also access:See what was the 14th century crisis that affected every country in Europe
Great Portuguese Navigations
When we talk about Grandes Navegações, the first country that comes to the fore is Portugal, which launched itself as a pioneer in the navigation and exploration of the Atlantic Ocean interested, mainly, in the opening of new routes commercials.
O pioneering of Portugal it is explained by a series of factors:
Consolidated Monarchy;
Secured territorial unification;
Investment in the acquisition of nautical knowledge;
Interest in commercial expansion;
Genoese investments;
Geographic location.
Portugal was a unified and stable kingdom during the 15th century. This stability, the result of Avis Revolution, guaranteed better political conditions for Portugal to invest in nautical trade and technology. During this same period, Spain, England and France, for example, faced internal complications and were still looking for political stability.
Replica of a Portuguese caravel used during the period of the Grandes Navegações.
Territorially speaking, Portugal was also in a much more stable position than its neighbors, as the last Portuguese territory in the hands of the Moors – Algarve – was reconquered in the 13th century. The Moors were Muslims who invaded the Iberian Peninsula (a region formed by Portugal, Spain and other territories). Spain, for example, did not complete its process of reconquest and territorial unification until the end of the 15th century.
In addition, there are historians who point out that, in the 15th century, it was developed by infant D. Henrique a center in the Algarve that promoted studies for the development of better navigation techniques: a School of Sagres. However, there are some historians who suggest that the School of Sagres is a myth and that, therefore, its influence on the Great Navigations is irrelevant.
In the commercial issue, Portugal already had a certain vocation for trade, as a result of the period in which the moors dominated the country. This vocation for commerce ended up being encouraged by Genoese traders, who began to invest in Lisbon, transforming the city into an important commercial center.
There is also the geographical issue, which guaranteed to caravels in Portugal quick access to maritime currents. Furthermore, Portugal was closer to the coast of Africa and was therefore a gateway to finding a new route to India, where there was a spice trade, a highly valued product in the market European.
Because of the process of maritime expansion, the Portuguese:
conquered Ceuta, in 1415;
arrived at Islandgiveswood, in 1418;
arrived in Azores, in 1427;
passed through CableBojador, in 1434;
passed through CablegivesGoodHope, in 1488;
found a new path to India, in 1499;
arrived in Brazil, in 1500.
Great Spanish Navigations
Throughout almost the entire 15th century, the Spaniards witnessed the nautical development of the Portuguese and followed their countless feats. Spain, however, remained aloof from the Great Navigations until the end of the 15th century. This happened because, throughout the fifteenth century, the Spaniards tried to consolidate territorially.
Only with the conquest of grenade (region in the south of Spanish territory) by Spain, in 1492, which the Spaniards opened for investment in maritime navigation. The first expedition mounted by the Spaniards was exactly the one organized by christopherColumbus, a Genoese navigator. He organized an expedition with three ships to reach Asia. Columbus' expedition, however, was responsible for the arrival of the Spaniards in America in October 12, 1492.
Consequences
The Great Navigations were the result of a series of transformations underway in Europe since the 12th century. Through them, the European continent completed its passage from Middle Ages to the Modern age and strengthened trade and currency use from the mercantilism.
In addition, the Grand Navigations made Portugal the greatest power in the world between the 15th and 16th centuries, consolidating a overseas empire. With the “discoveries” made during this period, the colonization of the American continent began. The Portuguese, for example, conquered colonies in different parts of the world: America, Africa and Asia.
The “discovery” of America was responsible for a real revolution. Europeans came into contact with new peoples and new cultures. This meeting, however, resulted in the massacre of Amerindian culture and African culture, both used as slave labor by Europeans.
Also access:Discover the history of the colonization of Brazil by the Portuguese
Exercise solved
Select the alternative that does not explain the start of Grandes Navegações in Portugal.
a) Investment by the Genoese in Lisbon's commerce.
b) Geographical proximity to the coast of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean.
c) Desire to retake Constantinople from the Ottomans.
d) Desire to find a route to India.
e) Political stability guaranteed by territorial unification and the Avis Revolution.
LETTER C
The city of Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453 at a time when the Great Navigations of Portugal were already underway. In any case, the reconquest of Constantinople, a Christian city that was in Muslim hands, was not an agenda that motivated the Great Navigations.
|1| FAUSTO, Boris. History of Brazil. São Paulo: Edusp, 2013, p. 22.
