15 th Century Technology Due to technological advances

15 th Century Technology… • Due to technological advances in new ship designs, and innovations to the science of navigation, Europeans were able to master the seas • Ships, such as the Caravel model, were now more manoeuvrable • Navigation was much improved due to the development of more accurate instruments (telescopes, compasses, etc. ) • With better navigation came new knowledge • Knowledge = master of seas

The new ships… • The Caravel ships were more manoeuvrable due to the new lateen sails that they were equipped with • Their round shape allowed for the ships to carry plenty of supplies and cargo (known as the “hold”) Knights of Christ (crusaders who funded voyages) The Hold

Navigation knowhow… • Knowledge of how the winds of the world flow proved quite valuable to the European sailors • The winds of the World flow like rivers of air • The Prevailing winds of the Northern hemisphere are from the west, once a ship made its way south of the Tropic of Cancer, the winds became easier to sail with from Europe to America at this point

Further technological modifications… • Eventually large Galleons were made that could carry large cargoes. The larger the cargo the greater the profit. • Life aboard these new “super ships” was not all that is was cracked up to be • Diseases such as scurvy would kill off much of the crew. • Lack of Vitamin C • Further to this, a captain had to have ruthless control over a crew that was ignorant, superstitious and sometimes mutinous. • Why superstitious?

One last look at Navigation… • Traditionally 15 th Century captains would “hug the coast” • Meaning: they would stay within sight of familiar land, moving from one landmark to the next • Due to poor navigation instruments, venturing out into the open sea was too dangerous • Captains did have the compass to use, however, many chose not to use it • Superstitious sea captains thought that such a mysterious device must be a tool of the devil • Prince Henry was the first captain to recognize the value of this instrument, soon the compass was common used tool on the sea

The role of the Captain… • Captains and crews often accepted the risks involved in sailing because they could make a considerable amount of money on just one trading trip. • Captains were usually the only one who had the knowledge to determine a ship’s route; sailors had unshakable fate in their commander