By: J.

S 12/02/17
Mr. Bradley
Social Studies
First Essay

The Success Of Portugal In The Age Of Exploration

In the famous Age of Exploration, European Nations discovered new lands and
passageways. This was a time of new learning for many countries, and of wealth gaining and
progress for a few. One of the countries in the Age of Exploration that often takes second stage
in discussion is Portugal, although Portugal was very successful at this time. They had great
explorers, especially Pedro lvares Cabral and Bartholomew Dias, and profitable discoveries
and trading posts, as well as the Brazilian gold rush. Because of all this, I would venture to say
that Portugal was the most successful nation in the Age of Exploration.
Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Dias was commissioned by the king to find a new
maritime route to the East. He was hugely successful. He rounded the Cape of Good Hope and
found the southern tip of Africa, finally completely proving that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
were, in fact, connected. This was a very important discovery, as Ptolemy had thought that the
Indian Ocean was land-locked, and so many people simply accepted that as truth. No one had
ever travelled that way before. Not only was it a very important, difficult journey, but it also gave
Portugal the opportunity to open trade with India by sea.
Reopening spice trade with India and other Asian powers was a big part of Portugals
success in the Age of Exploration. The Portuguese empire spread as they traded. They
appointed viceroys to be in charge of particular areas. The second viceroy in India, Afonso
Albuquerque, gained control of the Persian Gulf and established a Portuguese trading center in
Goa, India. He later captured Melaka, India, which opened trade routes with Thailand,
Indonesia, and China. Portugal established a network of trading posts from Lisbon, Portugal, to
Africa, to the Straits of Hormuz by Persia, Goa, Melaka, Macao on the South China
coast, and Nagasaki, Japan. In all this trading, Portugal gained a monopoly on pepper, arguably
the most profitable spice in the spice trade. All this led to Portugals capital city, Lisbon,
becoming the trade capital of all of Europe.
Another reason they were the most successful came because of the discovery of Brazil
by the Portuguese explorer Pedro lvares Cabral. The Portuguese began to grow and export
sugar cane from their new colony, and it was valuable and relatively effective. The important
thing, though, was the gold found there, in a place called Minas Gerais. People came from all
around to try their luck at getting rich quick, and soon so many people came that about half of
Brazils population was residing in and around Minas Gerais. With so many people so intent
upon finding gold, more gold was found in other places. Portugal was pleased with this gold
rush in its colony, and decided to try and gain as much money as they could. They had people
pay a fifth of all the gold they found back to Brazils Portuguese government, in exchange for the
right to mine that Portuguese gold in the first place.
The Age of Exploration was a time of great prosperity and change in many places,
including Portugal. Portugal had great explorers, such as Pedro lvares Cabral and
Bartholomew Dias, who rather than travel towards what would become the United States, as
many other countries were doing, chose to travel much farther South, as well as to India. There
they found many places they could trade with, that they hadnt known they could reach by water.
They gained money from trading, and from Brazils gold rush, as much as they could, and were
supported by everything they had. With the luck Portugal had on its side, as well as great
explorers, traders, and miners, Portugal became a prosperous nation, successful and wealthy,
throughout the great Age of Exploration.
 By: J.S 12/02/17
Mr. Bradley
Social Studies
First Essay

References
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