Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the fifteenth century represents a zenith in global exploration and discovery and perhaps harbours the most dramatic explosion of geographical possibility of any age. It looks at how Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, Vasco da Gama's rounding of the Cape of Good Hope and Sebastien del Cano's circumnavigation of the globe were all significant steps in the localisation of the fifteenth century world.

From the Paper:

"The origins of European expansion are seen by many to lie in the capture by the Portuguese of the Moroccan city of Ceuta in 1415 . This foothold on African soil created the potential for European expansion, begun with the Portuguese advancement down the west coast of Africa and ultimately realized in 1498 with Vasco da Gama's rounding of the Cape of Good Hope. The capture of Ceuta is certainly significant in the context of this argument as it helped, in no small part, stimulate the mind of the fifteenth century western European individual towards new ideas of travel, exploration and discovery. However, the increase in physical possibility in the fifteenth century stems not solely from one event, but from a number of ideas and innovations formulated in part over a much longer period."

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