Watch History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration

Name: History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration
Genre: Documentary & Biography
Released: 2015-01-12
Cast: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius

2015
1 Season

History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration is a fascinating documentary series from The Great Courses Signature Collection that takes viewers on a journey through some of the most significant expeditions in human history. Hosted by historian Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, the show offers a comprehensive look at the events that shaped the world as we know it today.

Throughout the series, Liulevicius brings his extensive knowledge of history to bear, providing context and analysis for each of the journeys the show covers. Viewers will be introduced to famous explorers like Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, as well as lesser-known figures like Zheng He, a Chinese admiral who led a series of expeditions in the early 15th century.

The series is divided into several episodes, each focusing on a particular explorer or journey. One of the most engaging aspects of the show is its attention to detail. The series devotes a significant amount of time to exploring the cultural, political, and economic factors that propelled these voyages forward.

For example, in the episode covering Columbus's journey to the New World, the show delves into the geopolitical landscape of 15th-century Europe. Viewers learn about the tumultuous relationships between kingdoms like Spain, Portugal, and England, and how the pursuit of wealth and power drove many of the explorers of this era.

The show also pays close attention to the practicalities of exploration. Viewers will learn about the ships used by these explorers, including their design, construction, and outfitting. Liulevicius also covers the tools and technologies that made these journeys possible, such as compasses, astrolabes, and cartography.

In addition to exploring the motivations and mechanics of these expeditions, the series also highlights the cultural and social impact they had. From the spread of religion to the exchange of ideas and technologies between civilizations, the voyages covered in the show helped shape the modern world.

Perhaps most impressive about the show is the way it brings these journeys to life for viewers. Through a combination of expert analysis, primary-source material, and stunning on-location footage, the series takes viewers right into the heart of the action. Whether you're watching a reenactment of Columbus's first meeting with Native Americans or learning about the silk trade on the ancient Silk Road, you'll feel immersed in the world of history's greatest voyages of exploration.

Overall, History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration is an outstanding documentary series that combines masterful storytelling with academic rigor. Whether you're a history buff or simply interested in learning more about the world around you, this show is an excellent choice. With its engaging host, top-notch production values, and absorbing subject matter, it's a must-watch for anyone who enjoys exploring the past.

History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration is a series that ran for 1 seasons (24 episodes) between January 12, 2015 and on The Great Courses Signature Collection

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Seasons

24. The Race to Outer Space

January 12, 2015

Why have humans ventured beyond Earth? Does the future of space exploration lie with commercial interests? Is humanity's future in space? Consider these questions as you consider the past, present, and future of space exploration, starting with the moment Apollo 8's astronauts first witnessed earthrise on Christmas Eve 1968.

23. A Deep-Sea Dive into the Mariana Trench

January 12, 2015

Take a breathtaking look at a historic descent into the deepest place on earth-the Mariana Trench in the Pacific-by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh. But first, discover some of the highlights of ocean exploration in the centuries before this 1960 expedition.

22. Antarctic Rivalries

January 12, 2015

Now, focus on the race to the South Pole and the bitter rivalries surrounding it. Witness how Norwegian Roald Amundsen outdistanced his rival, English explorer Captain Robert Scott, whose return voyage took a tragic turn. Then, follow the hardships of British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose expedition to cross the punishing Antarctic also met disaster.

21. Arctic Feats and Fates

January 12, 2015

Who was first to make it to the North Pole? Wade into the debate while examining the fascinating but lesser-known moments and figures of the race, including pilot Umberto Nobile flying a hydrogen-filled semi-rigid airship over the Pole in 1926, then crashing on a second trip, unleashing an international rescue operation.

20. Dr. Livingstone and Mary Kingsley in Africa

January 12, 2015

First, consider how the most famous PR stunt in the history of exploration-journalist Henry Stanley finding ailing Scottish explorer Dr. Livingstone in a remote town in Africa-reveals how Africa long remained the "Dark Continent" to the outside world. Then, turn to Mary Kingsley, an Englishwoman whose writing revealed West Africa to a European audience.

19. Japan Discovers the West

January 12, 2015

Faced with Western imperialism after 200 years of self containment, Japan discovered the West through a series of exploratory diplomatic missions abroad to America and Europe towards the end of the 19th century. Which features of Western culture did they find worth emulating? Which unfamiliar Western practices did they reject?

18. Ida Pfeiffer - Victorian Extreme Traveler

January 12, 2015

Meet Ida Pfeiffer, a Victorian women who defied expectations by traveling around the world twice and becoming a best-selling author describing her experiences. Follow her extraordinary journeys to exotic locales and learn how she deftly escaped some perilous situations-including cannibalistic Batak warriors in the jungles of Sumatra.

17. Sir John Franklin's Epic Disaster

January 12, 2015

Consider a tragic episode: the doomed expedition of Sir John Franklin, who disappeared in 1845 along with his crew while searching for the Northwest Passage. Compare theories on the fate of the men, and see how the mystery captured the imagination of Franklin's contemporaries, helping to create a culture of adventure.

16. Jefferson Dispatches Lewis and Clark

January 12, 2015

On President Jefferson's (originally secret) orders, the US Corps of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out to chart the new territories gained by the Louisiana Purchase, while recording its people, flora, and fauna. How did they cross Native American-occupied lands peacefully? What was the expedition's political significance? Find out here.

15. Alexander von Humboldt - Explorer Genius

January 12, 2015

Learn how the scientific explorer Alexander von Humboldt-sometimes called a "second Columbus"-taught us to see the world as an interrelated ecological unit. Trace his five-year exploration of the Americas with French botanist Aime Bonpland, in which they covered 5,950 miles and catalogued 6,300 species of plants and animals.

14. Captain Cook Maps the World

January 12, 2015

Look closely at Captain Cook, an explorer who in many ways epitomized the age of scientific discovery, which lauded exploration for the sake of knowledge. See how his methods and voyages embodied new attitudes toward foreign peoples, and why it's what Cook didn't find that helped give us the complete world picture we have today.

13. The Jesuits on a Global Mission

January 12, 2015

Founded in 1540, the order of the Jesuits used global cultural exploration as a means to proselytize to local cultures across the world, from India and China to the Americas. Examine their controversial method of inculturation, and place the Jesuit project in the context of a larger intellectual shift towards cultural relativism.

12. Henry Hudson - Death on the Ice

January 12, 2015

Switch gears from voyages of fruitful discovery to a tragic failure ending in mutiny, murder, and a mystery that endures to this day: Henry Hudson's 1610 voyage in search of the Northwest Passage to Asia, funded by two of the first multinational corporations.

11. The Ruthless Ambition of the Conquistadors

January 12, 2015

Consider the most brutal of explorers, the conquistadors: Spanish military entrepreneurs including Cortes, Pizarro, and de Soto, who were not directly controlled by the monarchy, but royally sanctioned to seize wealth and lands in the New World. How did they topple civilizations using only a handful of men? What impact did they have on native societies? Find out here.

10. Magellan and the Advent of Globalization

January 12, 2015

Follow the path of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, whose expedition in service of Spain became the first to circumnavigate the world, inaugurating our ability to think globally and accomplishing what Columbus had promised to do-reaching Asia by sailing west from Europe. See how his journey bound together the world economy, creating consequences down to our own times.

9. The Enigmatic Christopher Columbus

January 12, 2015

Understand the complexities of Christopher Columbus who, in stumbling upon the Americas while attempting to reach Asia by heading West, touched off the massive Columbian Exchange of peoples, plants, commodities, and diseases. Dispel enduring myths, and explore Columbus's religious motives for launching what he called "The Enterprise of the Indies."

8. Portugal's Great Leap Forward

January 12, 2015

How and why did tiny Portugal, a poor country, take to the seas, round the continent of Africa, hijack the Indian Ocean, and create a global empire? Find out here, with a look at Portugal's rise to superpower status, from Prince Henry the Navigator's call for exploration to Vasco da Gama's successful voyage to Asia.

7. Ibn Battuta - Never the Same Route Twice

January 12, 2015

Examine the life and legacy of Ibn Battuta, who left Morocco in 1325 to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, but discovered a craving for spiritual travel and returned home 24 years later after covering 75,000 miles in the network woven by Muslim civilization.

6. Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville

January 12, 2015

Although traders had traveled the Silk Road since the Roman Empire, there was little awareness of what existed at the other-until Marco Polo's accounts of China opened Europeans' eyes to a mysterious, advanced civilization. Start with background on the medieval world, then look closely at Polo's travels and legacy.

5. Leif Eriksson the Lucky

January 12, 2015

While the story of Leif Eriksson and the Vikings is relatively well known, Professor Liulevicius takes you deeper into the question of why the Vikings, or Norsemen, explored, as evidenced by their broader culture of adventure and values that pressed them onwards in often violent ways.

4. Xuanzang's Journey to the West

January 12, 2015

Alarmed at inconsistencies in the Buddhist texts available to him, Xuanzang embarked on an illegal holy pilgrimage to acquire authoritative teachings. See how, in the process of the monk's travels, he brought Buddhist traditions to the Confucian Chinese, achieved celebrity status, and became the central character in the greatest classical Chinese novel.

3. St. Brendan - The Travels of an Irish Monk

January 12, 2015

Consider religious motivations for exploration. Men like the Irish monk St. Brendan-who sailed the Atlantic in a tiny leather boat-sought God and fled the world's corruptions, some searching for paradise and some merely for seclusion. Examine how legendary re-workings of such real adventures left a surprising legacy that would affect later exploration.

2. The Scientific Voyage of Pytheas the Greek

January 12, 2015

Meet the originator of scientific exploration, who trekked to the edge of the world so that he could see for himself what was there. Put Pytheas the Greek in the context of his time and place, sketching the Mediterranean as a cradle of civilization and examining how word of his voyage influenced later exploration.

1. The Earliest Explorers

January 12, 2015

Begin your study journey with the Vivaldi brothers' ill-fated journey to India. What drove the brothers-or drives any explorer-to take a risk and venture into the unknown? Consider that question as you look at theories on how the Pacific islands became populated starting with an epic movement 7,000 years ago. #History

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Where to Watch History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration

History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration is available for streaming on the The Great Courses Signature Collection website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration on demand at Apple TV Channels, Amazon Prime, Amazon and Hoopla.