Summary

This is a narrative history of the great voyages of discovery. The author starts his survey with a portrait of medieval Europe, its economy, its geography and the developments in naval architecture and design that made the great voyages possible. From there, he goes on to consider in detail the voyages of Henry the Navigator, Columbus, da Gama, Cabot; the Portuguese spice empire in Asia (which is contrasted with the simultaneous rise of the Mogul Empire) and the opening up of both South and North America. The culmination of these navigational efforts was the circumnavigation of the earth by Magellan and the opening up of successful Pacific trade routes. A final chapter considers the impact of European expansion, its effect on the European world view and economy and the challenges to the Spanish and Portuguese from the Dutch, English and French.