The Age of Exploration (15th–16th centuries) was propelled by a revolution in shipbuilding and navigation that transformed the limits of human travel. Innovations such as the caravel and carrack, the adoption of the magnetic compass, astrolabe, and lateen sails allowed European sailors to venture farther and more safely into the open ocean. These technological advances, combined with growing ambitions for trade, wealth, and religious expansion, ushered in an unprecedented era of global exploration that connected, and often collided, distant worlds.
Five ships became icons of this maritime transformation. Bartolomeu Dias’s São Cristóvão (1488) first rounded the Cape of Good Hope, proving a sea route to Asia possible. Vasco da Gama’s São Gabriel (1497–1499) followed through to India, linking Europe and the Indian Ocean. Christopher Columbus’s Santa María (1492) crossed the Atlantic, marking Europe’s entry into the Americas. John Cabot’s Matthew (1497) reached the North American coast under the English flag, and Ferdinand Magellan’s Victoria (1519–1522) completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, a triumph of endurance and navigation that forever redefined humanity’s sense of the world’s scale.
About the Author
Related Images
Portuguese Carrack Ships
The Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire (96 - 180 CE)
Map of Arctic Discovery and Exploration
Antarctica: Discovery & Exploration - Mapping the Paths of Explorers Through a Continent of Ice
Map of the Voyages of Christopher Columbus 1492-1504
Map of the Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus, 1492 - 1504
Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2025, January 14). Five Ships of Exploration. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19881/five-ships-of-exploration/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Five Ships of Exploration." World History Encyclopedia, January 14, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19881/five-ships-of-exploration/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Five Ships of Exploration." World History Encyclopedia, 14 Jan 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/19881/five-ships-of-exploration/.
