Uncharted waters, unknown species and places, was what one was in for if a sailor during the Age of Exploration. Imagine leaving home with only the hope of surviving, and coming out on top. This was exactly what the sailors of the fourteenth and fifteenth century were thinking as they left for expeditions with naval leaders such as Columbus and Zheng He. Although Columbus and Zheng He set out working for expansion, the two had different sailing cultures and indigenous interactions which determined their success.
The fourteen hundreds were a time of exploration. Voyages from all over the world were taking place and new discoveries were being found. During this time, the Age of Exploration, voyages set out from both China and Spain with leaders …show more content…
As Columbus set sail, he had three ship; the Pinta, Nina, and Santa, Maria, hosted a total of 104 men. Only weeks into the journey, the ships began struggling with food shortages. This was a major problem especially because the first voyage took much longer than expected, so there was even less food than planned for. Additionally, onboard of Columbus’s ships, disease was becoming more and more widespread. “Many of the crew members contracted diseases and died, or died from hunger and thirst,” one source says. Life was rough all around on board of the caravels, many men did not want to go but had no other options. In return they received new diseases and starved onboard, for the voyage was much longer than expected. Although, even though life may have been rough onboard, the crew did have their benefits. For example, in Columbus’ early years he, “studied mapmaking and sailing. Eventually, he left his father to sail on the Mediterranean Sea. On one voyage, his ship wrecked off the coast of Portugal. Columbus decided to stay in Portugal with his brother Bartholomew, and worked as a cartographer (mapmaker) and bookseller”. Columbus grew up with much knowledge about sailing which helped the crew out in the long run as when they ran into small problems he was typically familiar with solutions to fix it. Additionally, it …show more content…
For example, the voyages came prepared with different materials, not all thought through completely in the case of Christopher Columbus. On Columbus’ voyages, “the ship would be equipped with bread, vegetable, honey, raisins, wine, meat, oil, flour, fish and water. Fresh fruits and vegetables would soon run out and this lack of vitamin C would cause the sailors to suffer, and often die, from scurvy”. People on board the Columbian voyages suffered greatly for the voyage was much longer than expected. The sailors suffered on board from scurvy, starvation, and lice, and they were very poorly prepared. However, being aboard Zheng He’s voyages was much different. The ships carried gifts for foreign rulers that they encountered such as silk and gold. Additionally, there were patrol boats, warships, and some boats specifically for horses and some for water. Zheng He and his crew seemed to be prepared for anything, and they had the numbers for it too. Overall, the culture and preparedness of each voyage was very
The fourteen hundreds were a time of exploration. Voyages from all over the world were taking place and new discoveries were being found. During this time, the Age of Exploration, voyages set out from both China and Spain with leaders …show more content…
As Columbus set sail, he had three ship; the Pinta, Nina, and Santa, Maria, hosted a total of 104 men. Only weeks into the journey, the ships began struggling with food shortages. This was a major problem especially because the first voyage took much longer than expected, so there was even less food than planned for. Additionally, onboard of Columbus’s ships, disease was becoming more and more widespread. “Many of the crew members contracted diseases and died, or died from hunger and thirst,” one source says. Life was rough all around on board of the caravels, many men did not want to go but had no other options. In return they received new diseases and starved onboard, for the voyage was much longer than expected. Although, even though life may have been rough onboard, the crew did have their benefits. For example, in Columbus’ early years he, “studied mapmaking and sailing. Eventually, he left his father to sail on the Mediterranean Sea. On one voyage, his ship wrecked off the coast of Portugal. Columbus decided to stay in Portugal with his brother Bartholomew, and worked as a cartographer (mapmaker) and bookseller”. Columbus grew up with much knowledge about sailing which helped the crew out in the long run as when they ran into small problems he was typically familiar with solutions to fix it. Additionally, it …show more content…
For example, the voyages came prepared with different materials, not all thought through completely in the case of Christopher Columbus. On Columbus’ voyages, “the ship would be equipped with bread, vegetable, honey, raisins, wine, meat, oil, flour, fish and water. Fresh fruits and vegetables would soon run out and this lack of vitamin C would cause the sailors to suffer, and often die, from scurvy”. People on board the Columbian voyages suffered greatly for the voyage was much longer than expected. The sailors suffered on board from scurvy, starvation, and lice, and they were very poorly prepared. However, being aboard Zheng He’s voyages was much different. The ships carried gifts for foreign rulers that they encountered such as silk and gold. Additionally, there were patrol boats, warships, and some boats specifically for horses and some for water. Zheng He and his crew seemed to be prepared for anything, and they had the numbers for it too. Overall, the culture and preparedness of each voyage was very