HistoryFreePrintable

Gold, God and Glory

A free history worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Gold, God and Glory worksheet preview

Gold, God and Glory

Portuguese traders and African kingdoms

🏰 Part 1: Understanding the Three Motivations

1. What did "Gold" represent for Portugal and Spain in the 1400s-1500s?

Only actual gold metal

Gold and other valuable goods for trade

Golden crowns for their kings

Coins made of gold

2. What did "God" mean as a motivation for European exploration?

Building churches in Europe

Spreading Christianity to new lands

Finding religious treasures

Praying for safe journeys

3. Which of these best describes what "Glory" meant to these countries? (Tick all that apply)

Fame and reputation

Expanding their empires

Winning battles

Building beautiful palaces

4. From your information sheet, name two valuable goods that Europeans wanted from Africa:

1. _________________ 2. _________________

🚢 Part 2: Early Relationships and Trade

5. How did the early relationships between Portuguese traders and African kingdoms like Benin begin?
6. Complete this sentence about early trade:

At first, Europeans and Africans traded _____________ for _____________, and the relationships were mostly _____________.

7. What evidence do we have today that shows Portuguese traders visited the Kingdom of Benin?

Written letters between kings

The Benin Bronzes showing Portuguese traders

Portuguese coins found in Africa

Maps drawn by Portuguese explorers

8. Using your information sheet, explain one key event that led to the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade:

🤔 Part 3: Different Perspectives

9. How might African traders have felt about the early European visitors? Give one positive and one negative feeling they might have had:

Positive: _________________________________

Negative: _________________________________

10. Why is it important for us to learn about this period in history today?
11. From what you've learnt, put these events in chronological order by numbering them 1-4:

_____ The transatlantic slave trade begins

_____ Portuguese explorers first reach West Africa

_____ Europeans and Africans establish peaceful trading relationships

_____ European demand for workers in the Americas increases

About This Worksheet

Free in Kuraplan

Sign up free, grab the PDF, and customize it for your class.

Print-Ready

Formatted for standard paper. Clean layout, easy to read.

AI-Generated

Created with Kuraplan's AI, designed for real classroom use.

For Teachers & Parents

Use in classrooms, for homework, tutoring, or homeschool.

Need a custom version of this worksheet?

Kuraplan's AI generates custom worksheets in seconds — differentiated for every learner, aligned to your curriculum.

Generate Custom Worksheets — Free
No credit card Curriculum-aligned Under 60 seconds