How Did Spain And Portugal Influence The European Age Of Discovery

Spain and Portugal led the European Age of Discovery, an era lasting from roughly 1450-1750, in technological advances, exploration, and colonization. Both countries had been incorporated into the Islamic world during much of the Middle Ages and emerged as newly reformulated kingdoms in the period leading into the Age of Discovery. Each sought to push forth from their geographic boundaries and, in so doing, enrich their kingdoms through exploration and trade. Portugal emerged as a nation in 1128 after the Battle of So Mamede with the defeat of the Moors, which is the Iberian name for the Muslims who invaded and controlled parts of the Iberian Peninsula from around 711 to 1492. After the Reconquista of Portugal was finalized in 1250 with the
Improvements in cartography produced maps that were much more accurate than those of the Middle Ages. The Portuguese also developed the caravel, a ship with triangular sails and a square rig. A light, agile ship, the caravel can carry a large cargo with a small crew. Together, these advances allowed the Portuguese to begin establishing a maritime empire. Under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator, he assembled a team of experts in cartography, navigation, astronomy, and ship design, and charged them with coming up with a vessel capable of exploring the high seas. The caravel had a stern rudder and a raised forecastle and sterncastle. Caravels had a typical length-to-beam ratio of 3.5:1 with a shallow draught. It was also highly manoeuvrable and fast. All of these characteristics made the caravel ideal for exploring unfamiliar waters and coastal shallows where larger ships might easily have become stranded on sandbanks or damaged by rocks. At the same time, the caravel could cope with the tremendous waves and storms of the High