This article is brought to you by the mid-1400's!
It's madness, I tell you, trying to cross that desert. If you don't die from the heat, then you will surely be killed by sickness, animals, or crazy people. If you somehow don't get lost or die, you will still reach the other side as dried out as a raisin. You would think with the Silk Road being as popular as it is these days that it would be easy to cross. But it's thousands of miles by foot or camel across that long desert. I do not think it is a good idea to invest my money in one of the many caravans that crosses that desert, let alone try to walk across it! It's too risky. That's why I'm searching for a way around the whole thing. Fly? No, no. Man was not meant to fly, or else he would have wings, like the birds. No, I am going to try and go around the whole of Africa . . . by sea.
Would you sail thousands of miles for a little pepper?
What do you mean that's a bad idea? Look, there are valuable things coming out of the east. The spice trade is a booming trade between Europe and Asia that started in ancient times. Everyone is making money. How else would we get cinnamon or nutmeg or even black pepper? Yes, all of these people going back and forth bring diseases to new places, but we also get lots of great new ideas from the east. You can get maps, medicine, and nice clothes too. Trust me, the trade is worth it. But maybe we could get all of those things from the east without having to go through a desert and all those dangerous towns. Yes, I am talking about the sea again.
We have no idea how big our world actually is. What lies on its far sides? We don't even know what's around the bottom of Africa. This could become an age where we find new lands and ways of getting places. We should do everything within our power to go and find things. Find everything! This Age of Exploration is a time period between 1450 and 1600 where Europeans found new land and new ways to explore these new places. There are great things to the east, like spices and silks. What else could we discover if we try our hardest?
A caravel - a common ship used for exploration. Would you sail around the world on one of these?
Brás de Oliveira, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
We know trading with the East will make us richer. The Indian Ocean is south of Asia and already being used for trade between Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. We can even trade with China through this ocean! We just need to find a way to get there by boat. We have ocean to the west and south of Portugal, do we not? I say we sail south, down around the tip of Africa and find out if it connects to the Indian Ocean. Yes, it will be a long trip. Yes, it will be hard, but the biggest rewards come from the biggest risks. At least we will not be walking through a desert.
The gorgeous Indian Ocean, as seen from space.
NASA images by Reto Stöckli, based on data from NASA and NOAA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Oh! I am sorry. I should tell you who I am! My name is Prince Henry of Portugal, or Prince Henry the Navigator, and I will discover new lands, new ways to make ships, and new ways to make money. I know one day I will become famous and people will give me a cool name like Henry the Navigator or something like that. My brother is the King and he said that I can keep all the money that we get from new land that I find. My plan is to set up a school in Portugal that allows map makers, ship builders, and sailors to share ideas. This will be a school that will change the world and it will make us rich!
Prince Henry ... or at least we think this is his picture. Honestly, we aren't positive.
Anyway, if you are interested in joining my school, then you will be given the chance to make a name for yourself too! I believe this is an Age of Exploration. This is a time when we will be finding new lands and sea routes. We need a faster way to connect our country to the spice trade so we can buy more goods and hear new ideas coming from the east. The best way to do this is by sailing around the south of Africa and then to the Indian Ocean. From the Indian Ocean, all of Asia will be at our doorstep. I, Prince Henry of Portugal, the Navigator, will be the one to pay for it. So, if you would like to sign up for our school, then all you have to do is have some money to start and the desire to discover and build a new world!
References:
The Spice Trader. "History of Spice" thespicetrader.co.nz, 2010. <http://www.thespicetrader.co.nz/history-of-spice/>
Indian Ocean History. "Indian Ocean History" indianoceanhistory.org, 2009. <http://indianoceanhistory.org/>
The Mariner's Museum. "Prince Henry the Navigator" marinersmuseum.org, 2008. <http://ageofex.marinersmuseum.org/index.php?type=explorer&id=33>