Motivations for the Age of Exploration

Motivations for the Age of Exploration During the 1400s, Europeans started venturing beyond their borders to foreign places. This period of time when Europeans explored, colonized, and settled in foreign countries is known as the Age of Exploration. It began in the 15th century and lasted until the 17th century. The event led to numerous advancements in geographic knowledge, and also improved the interactions and trade between countries. Several factors favored Europe as the starting place of exploration. Medieval religious fervor made captains feel it was their duty to convert everyone they met to Christianity. Europe was also in good conditions economically, and its geographic position drove it to find routes to Asia, which then led to the Americas. Both the Renaissance and the Crusades were crucial in the development of the Age of Discovery. Renaissance ideas motivated the Europeans to experience and observe other cultures, giving them the courage to interact with different people. The Crusades also opened the minds of the Europeans which brought them in contact with different goods and religious ideas. After the Renaissance and the Crusades, the Age of Exploration began due to the Europeans’ urge to spread Christianity, their eagerness for fame, their desire for wealth, and the improvements in technology that allowed voyages. A major motive for the Age of Discovery was the religious desire to convert people to Christianity. Bartolomeu Dias, an early Portuguese explorer, stated his motives for voyage: â€Å"To serve God and His Majesty, to give light to those who were in darkness and to grow rich as all men desire to (Miller).† The first two motives stated were both religious goals that Christians hoped to accomplish. Another story that they believed in also motivated them to explore. This was the myth of Prester John (The Myth of Prester John). Although fake, the Europeans believed in this story where the king of the legendary Christian nation had ordered all Christians to join him in a religious battle against the infidels. This myth persuaded many Christians to join the holy wars, or the Crusades, which were extremely important factors of the Age of Exploration. Europeans thought that it was their duty to fulfill God’s wishes and save souls by spreading Christianity. The Crusades played a significant role in building up to the Age of Exploration (The European Voyages of Exploration). It exposed the Europeans to new people and places, giving them the new objective to convert more people to Christianity. Setting up missions was one of the religious goals of exploration. Missionaries that traveled with explorers preached to the natives of different areas to achieve their religious wishes. Francis Xavier was a Jesuit missionary that went to India with the Portuguese explorers (McGrath). He learned the local languages and was able to preach in their native tongue. This was a more effective way of spreading religion which made thousands of people convert to Christianity. Missionaries like Xavier were influential in saving the souls of people from all around the world, completing an objective of exploration. The Age of Exploration developed along with the Renaissance, as these ideas influenced their desires for individual glory. The Renaissance stressed the individual human being, so explorers wanted to earn fame and honor for themselves with successful explorations. People during this time wanted to live enjoyable lives, unlike people during the medieval times who wanted to reach heaven. Because of this, people during the Renaissance worked for themselves and worked to become rich in order to live an enjoyable life. Explorers also wanted to voyage in search of individual wealth and fame. Explorer Christopher Columbus was an example as he worked to achieve fame and fortune (Christopher Columbus). His contract with the Spanish rulers agreed that when he discovered land, he would be given a noble title, could keep ten percent of the riches he found, and would be able to govern the lands he discovered. Kings and queens also wanted glory for their countries, so they promoted exploration. Wit h the invention of the printing press, it became possible for one to become famous for what he or she did. With this in mind, explorers became motivated by personal glory to discover lands in the New World. The â€Å"rebirth† of classical Greek and Roman values that brought many changes to how people thought was created by the Crusades. The holy wars let the Europeans see beyond their own world, sparking their interest in learning which led to the Renaissance. The secular outlook made people think more about religious authority, and also gave them scientific curiosity (Brotton). It was a time when people wanted to learn more about the world. Humanism brought intellectual curiosity about the world to people’s minds, and the discoveries made led to a new age in search of scientific knowledge. The will and courage to learn and understand different cultures made people want to explore and see more around the world (Lecture 2). This idea links with the Renaissance in general, and also the human nature to explore and gain information on the unknown. The search for trade routes that led to wealth was an indispensable cause of European exploration. The Crusades and trade brought the Europeans to spices, silk, and other luxuries. The Europeans demanded spices from the East to add flavor to their bland food, making it extremely valuable. When important trade routes to the East were blocked by the Turks, the explorers embarked to find better ones (FC67). Better trade routes could increase the profit made in the markets of luxuries. Thomas Mun’s ideas on the effects of foreign trade stated in England’s Treasure by Foreign Trade showed how he supported foreign trade since it increased England’s treasury (Koeller). He tells of how England exports more goods than it imports, thus increasing the profit they made from trade. This idea links to mercantilism, where people thought that there was only a limited amount of money in the world. In order to make the kingdom strong, they had to have more wealth than other countr ies. Mercantilism motivated the Europeans to explore and search for trade routes, which could then help them become wealthy and powerful. Before the newer trade routes existed, trade for goods in the East was controlled by the Italians and Muslims. The Muslims sold the goods they got from the East to the Italians at a raised price, and then the Italians also increased the price of the goods sold to Europe in order to make profit. The Europeans were not happy with the amount they had to pay, so they wanted to find a route directly to Asia to bypass the middlemen. Before trade routes were found, a pound of cinnamon cost twenty-four pence, which would have taken a master carpenter three days to earn (Kelley). Although costly, Europeans still considered spices a necessity and were willing to pay large amounts of money for them. In order to acquire these goods and more wealth, explorers searched for trade routes, and the Portuguese accomplished this with their trading empire. Previous costs of spices could be anywhere from ten to a hundred times the original price, so a huge difference was made to these prices after the tra ding empire was created (Munro). It allowed merchants to bring back goods at the original price paid at the source, making it affordable to more Europeans. The Age of Discovery would not have been possible without the geographical knowledge gained during this time. Before maps had improved and included locations on global scales, sailors used the color of skies and waters, the types of vegetation, and also the types of sea birds in the area to identify their location. Later, portolan charts, coastal maps of Europe and the Mediterranean, and global projections were created, giving the Europeans better ideas of the world (FC81). With clear ideas of direction, sailing became a lot easier and explorers were also less likely to sail to the wrong place. Prince Henry the Navigator helped improve the techniques used to explore and map the new lands. He developed the first nautical map that replaced the portolan charts (Briney). The portolan charts kept sailors close to the shore, but the nautical maps allowed them to sail away from land which improved the results of travel, because more could be seen and discovered. Prince Henry also introduced navigational schools to improve the geographical knowledge of explorers. Furthermore, various naval inventions and advancements allowed the oceans to be sailed. Some of the most important were the magnetic compass, the astrolabe, and the changes in shipbuilding (FC81). The compass invented by the Chinese gave a better sense of direction. The astrolabe, perfected by the Muslims, helped determine latitude. Great changes were also made to the European ships. The hulls of the caravels were bulkier and sturdier, allowing voyage in large waves. The southern triangle or lateen sail allowed ships to sail against the wind, which was not possible before. These inventions made sailing overseas an attainable task, leading to the discovery of the various areas separate from Europe. The Age of Exploration was a crucial period of time that made influential differences in not only the history of Europe, but the history of almost the entire world. This event would never have occurred without the Crusades, Renaissance, and advancements in technology. The will to fulfill religious desires, search for wealth, and pursue personal fame drove the Europeans out of the Old World in search of new places over the seas. All the voyages made helped link different countries together, and even influenced the basis of knowledge nowadays. Although the Age of Discovery ended in the 1600s, the effects of it still make significant changes to the world today. Works Cited Briney, Amanda. â€Å"A History of the Age of Exploration.† About Education. About.com, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. Brotton, Jeremy. â€Å"The Myth of the Renaissance in Europe.† BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. Butler, John. â€Å"FC67: The Crusades Their Impact.† The Flow of History. Chris Butler, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. . â€Å"FC81: Early voyages of Exploration.† The Flow of History. Chris Butler, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. â€Å"Christopher Columbus.† History.com. AE Television Networks, n.d. Web. 21 May 2015. Kelley, Laura. â€Å"The Silk Road Roots of the Age of Exploration.† The Silk Road Gourmet, 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 May 2015. Koeller, David. â€Å"Thomas Mun: England’s Treasure by Foreign Trade.† Then Again†¦ David Koeller, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. Kreis, Steven. â€Å"Lecture 2: The Age of Discovery.† The History Guide. Steve Kreis, 2 May 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. . â€Å"The Myth of Prester John.† The History Guide. Steve Kreis, 11 Oct. 2006. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. McGrath, Jane. â€Å"How Missionaries Work.† HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, 4 June 2009. Web. 24 May 2015. Miller, Jane. â€Å"Explorer Bartolomeu Dias.† ThingLink. ThingLink, n.d. Web. 21 May 2015. Munro, John. â€Å"Oriental Spices and Their Costs in Medieval Cuisine: Luxuries or Necessities?† Spices and Their Costs in Medieval Europe, n.d. Web. 21 May 2015. â€Å"The European Voyages of Exploration: Introduction.† Saylor.org Academy. Saylor Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Forgivenesses of sins Essay

Pardoners were supposed to issue papal indulgences (forgivenesses of sins) in exchange for alms money, which was to be given to the sick, poor, or another worthy cause. But many pardoners were out-and-out frauds, selling worthless pieces of paper, and even legitimate ones often kept more than their share of the proceeds. This Pardoner is from Rouncivalle, a London hospital well known for the number of illegal pardons connected with it. Most pardoners, like this one, claimed to have come â€Å"straight from the court of Rome,† with a bagful of pardons â€Å"al hoot† off the presses, though of course our Pardoner hasn’t set foot outside England. NOTE: Fake pardoners claimed they could do almost anything for the right sum of money, even remove an excommunication. Despite widespread abuses, though, there still were plenty of people gullible enough to believe in a pardoner’s â€Å"powers. † There’s something suspect in the fact that the Pardoner sings â€Å"Come hither, love, to me,† to the Summoner, who accompanies him in a strong bass voice. Some see more than a hint of sexual perversion in this young man who has thin locks of yellow hair that he wears without a hood because he thinks it’s the latest style. His small voice and the fact that he has no beard, â€Å"ne never sholde [would] have,† leads Chaucer to suspect â€Å"he were a gelding or a mare†Ã¢â‚¬â€œa eunuch or effeminate man. NOTE: Scientific opinion of the day believed that thin hair represented poor blood, effeminacy, and deception, while glaring eyes like the Pardoner’s indicated folly, gluttony, and drunkenness. Chaucer’s audience would catch the references just as we would instantly see the significance of a villain in a black cape and with a black moustache. As if the description weren’t bad enough, the Pardoner tricks people into buying phony relics of saints, such as a pillowcase that he says was â€Å"Our Lady’s veil,† or a piece of sail allegedly belonging to St. Peter. No wonder he makes more money in a day than the poor Parson does in two months. Ironically, Chaucer calls him â€Å"a noble eccesiaste,† since he can sing a church lesson beautifully–for money, of course. His tale is right in character: he tells what the pilgrims say they want to hear. He says he bases his sermons on money being the root of all evil (he ought to know). But he admits he’s not a moral man, although he can tell a moral tale. In his tale about three rowdies, he ironically delivers a sermon against gluttony and other sins. Afterwards, the Host lights into the Pardoner’s hypocrisy with such force that the Pardoner is speechless with anger. Chaucer is probably the earliest English poet you’re likely to read. A first glance at the original Middle English of the Canterbury Tales, with all those strange-looking words, might be enough to tempt you to slam the book shut, either in disgust or in terror at having to learn it all. But take a closer look and examine some of the words. You’ll see that many aren’t any harder to understand than when some people, trying to be â€Å"olde†-fashioned, write shoppe instead of shop. (Chaucer’s English is in fact where this idea originated. ) Try to get a dual-language edition of the Canterbury Tales, in which the Middle English original is printed on one side of the page and modern English on the other. When you’ve gotten some practice reading the original words and checking against the modern English, you’ll find that the rhythm of Chaucer’s poetry gets easier to understand. Why is it called â€Å"Middle English†? Simply because it’s at the midpoint between the ancient language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons of England and the English we speak today. In fact, you might feel grateful that you’re reading Chaucer instead of the poetry of some of his fellow fourteenth-century poets, because Chaucer’s dialect–the Middle English spoken in London–is the language that evolved into our English, while the dialects the other poets used died out. Imagine trying to read something written in a hillbilly drawl or in a Scottish brogue; standard English, even if it’s not what we speak all the time, is easier to read. Even if Chaucer had never written a word, it makes sense that the speech of London, the hub of English society, should develop into the standard English that eventually came over on the Mayflower. But Chaucer gave a great boost to the prestige of English, as Shakespeare did later on. It’s partly because of Chaucer’s terrific (though unintentional) public relations job that the poet John Dryden, three hundred years later, called him â€Å"the father of English literature. † There is a robust flavor to Chaucer’s language that we can’t get in a translation, no matter how good it is. You won’t be able to get the nuances of all the old words. But after a while you’ll almost be able to hear the pilgrims chatting away. The opening of the General Prologue bursts with spring, with new life, and shows that Chaucer is both similar to and different from his poetic predecessors. He uses many images of spring that would be familiar to a medievel audience: the April showers (familiar to us too) â€Å"piercing† March’s dryness, the â€Å"licour† in each plant’s â€Å"vein,† the breezes â€Å"inspiring† the crops. It’s short, but enough of a description to give us a sense of waking up to new and exciting events. Even the birds sleep with â€Å"open eyes† because of the rising sap. Then, instead of moving from the conventional spring setting to a description of courtly romantic or heroic deeds, as his audience might expect, he draws us into a very down-to-earth world. Spring isn’t romance; it’s the time of year â€Å"when people long to go on pilgrimages. † We can all identify with the feeling of â€Å"spring fever,† when we want to travel and shake off the winter doldrums. What’s more, in case we or Chaucer’s listeners are expecting a conventional medieval description of moral allegorical types–Greed, Love, Fortune, etc. –or battles, we’re in for a shock. Other poets presented characters for moral purposes or to embody ideals such as courtly love. But Chaucer doesn’t deal in types, whether religious or courtly, but in portraits of real people. He even ignores the unwritten rule of the time that, if you’re describing someone, you start at the top, very orderly, and work down. Chaucer will start with someone’s beard, then hat, boots, tone of voice, and finally his political opinions! (That’s just a partial description of the Merchant. ) He’s not reporting for a moral purpose, but out of love of life and the people around him. Imagine that you’re minding your own business in a wayside tavern and in burst 29 people representing every facet of society. For Chaucer, that meant the nobility, embodied in the Knight and Squire; the church, in the form of the Prioress, Monk, and others; agriculture (the Plowman); and the emerging middle class (the Merchant, Franklin and tradesmen). Rather than shy away from this motley crew, Chaucer the narrator (who is not the same, remember, as Chaucer the poet) befriends and describes them, inserting his own opinions freely.

Definition of Nuclear Fission

In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission refers to either a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts (lighter nuclei), often producing free neutrons and photons (in the form of gamma rays), and releasing a very large amount of energy, even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay. The two nuclei produced are most often of comparable but slightly different sizes, typically with a mass ratio of products of about 3 to 2, for common fissile isotopes. 1][2] Most fissions are binary fissions, but occasionally (2 to 4 times per 1000 events), three positively charged fragments are produced in a ternary fission. The smallest of these ranges in size from a proton to an argon nucleus. Fission as encountered in the modern world is usually a deliberately-produced manmade nuclear reaction induced by a neutron. It is less commonly encountered as a natural form of spontaneous radioactive decay (not requiring a n eutron), occuring especially in very high-mass-number isotopes. The unpredictable composition of the products (which vary in a broad probabilistic and somewhat chaotic manner) distinguishes fission from purely quantum-tunnelling processes such as proton emission, alpha decay and cluster decay, which give the same products every time. Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction which can release large amounts of energy both as electromagnetic radiation and as kinetic energy of the fragments (heating the bulk material where fission takes place). In order for fission to produce energy, the total binding energy of the resulting elements must be greater than that of the starting element. Fission is a form of nuclear transmutation because the resulting fragments are not the same element as the original atom. Nuclear fission produces energy for nuclear power and to drive the explosion of nuclear weapons. Both uses are possible because certain substances called nuclear fuels undergo fission when struck by fission neutrons, and in turn emit neutrons when they break apart. This makes possible a self-sustaining chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled rate in a nuclear reactor or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a nuclear weapon. The amount of free energy contained in nuclear fuel is millions of times the amount of free energy contained in a similar mass of chemical fuel such as gasoline, making nuclear fission a very dense source of energy. The products of nuclear fission, however, are on average far more radioactive than the heavy elements which are normally fissioned as fuel, and remain so for significant amounts of time, giving rise to a nuclear waste problem. Concerns over nuclear waste accumulation and over the destructive potential of nuclear weapons may counterbalance the desirable qualities of fission as an energy source, and give rise to ongoing political debate over nuclear power.

Analysis Of Chaucers Wife Of Bath Prologue And Tale

Chaucer’s â€Å"Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale† focus on the story telling of a woman who has experienced her fair share of marital issues. She is depicted as a promiscuous woman, married five times and had plenty of male suitors, the Wife was not like any other woman during this era. Although her reputation was how most perceived her, she was not a fan of being scrutinized for what she considered as her duty as a woman; to not remain single. This is seen through the depiction of women in society, how marriage ought to be in the eyes of religion, and how men were to view a woman like her. The language that is used throughout Chaucer’s prologue and tale allude to the evolution of women as well as how they struggled to gain any recognition in†¦show more content†¦The wife gives evidence here stating, â€Å"You say some people desire us because of our wealth, some for our figures, and some for our beauty, †¦ so, according to you, everyone goes to the devil. You say one can’t defend a castle wall, but in the end it will be stormed† (257). This section exemplifies how women are desired for multiple things but if the virginal image is not clear and she is far too beautiful, she is considered to be friends with the devil. There is also the last part that if a woman is beautiful she will have men after her, there is no defending that from occurring. Does this bring into question the lack of integrity in men during this period or is it more of a power struggle when a woman is too beautiful? If a man is more worried with how his wife appears to others could this be a correlation between their own infidelities and inner struggles with beautiful women. The language implied in this section allows for more insight into the Wife’s struggle but also giving more about how men struggled to contain their lust. The discussion of the Wife’s five husbands describes her evolving role as a woman and how she overcame the mo st ridiculous obstacles to maintain this idea or illusion of marriage. The Wife’s depiction of her marriages was that three were good and two were bad. The initial marriages were to older rich men where she kept up this idea of marriage in order to receive money, but was not faithful byShow MoreRelated Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales1623 Words   |  7 Pages Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucers greatest and most memorable work. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses a fictitious pilgrimage [to Canterbury] as a framing device for a number of stories (Norton 79). In The General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes in detail the pilgrims he meets in the inn on their way to Canterbury. 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