The Origins Of European Exploration Essay

Before 1453, Europe was in a period of time often referred to as the Dark ages. Critics claim that they had little access to any kind of trade, wealth or ideas that traveled along the Silk Roads. Meaning that the Europeans economy was based largely off of agriculture and they lived very difficult lives in poverty. This was until daring and courageous men decided to pull Europe out of the Dark ages and into the Renaissance (A Golden Age). The many voyages of European explorers and conquistadors are what brought Europe into what would become known as The Age of Exploration. This connected Europe to trade and cultural ideas along the east. Although the Europeans and conquistadors did conquer the natives and spread the base of slavery, these men did bring new ideas, technology, science and culture that ultimately result in a huge impact on history.

European explorers first landed on the shores of what would later become North America more than 500 years ago. Not long after the first explorers had entered the "New World" they found out that they were not alone on this new frontier. Their neighbors in this new land were the Native Americans who had been there for centuries, virtually unaware of life outside the continent. Thus began an inconsistent and often times unstable relationship between the European settlers and the North American Indians. Two nations who had particularly interesting relationships with the Native Americans were the British and the French, both of whom took different approaches to their relations with the Indians economically as well

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries small groups financed by private businesses carried out the first phase of European exploration. Members of the noble or merchant class typically funded these early expeditions. Over time, as it became clear that global exploration was extremely profitable, European states took on a primary role. The next phase of exploration involved voyages taken in the name of a particular empire and monarch (e.g., France or Spain). The Iberian empires of Spain and Portugal were some of the earliest states to embark on new voyages of exploration. In addition to seeking luxury goods, the Spanish empire was driven by its quest for American silver.

Should the European explorers, conquistadors, and settlers from the Age of Exploration still be glorified and celebrated in modern times? While many, including yourself, would probably answer with yes, I would have to answer with no because although there were many benefits of cultural diffusion, it came at a very high cost. The benefits of the exploration was very one-sided, the explorers were greedy and cruel, and it also caused much destruction to native culture and populations.

During the 1500, exploration for new trade routes began in ernest. Countries wanted to find new products and new lands. The existing ports were getting rich from trading and the desire for more foreign goods was an incentive for exploration. This was the end of the Middle ages and forward into Modern times.

During the 15th and 16th century, countries such as Portugal set out to find out more about the world in an era called the “Age of Exploration.” The explorers set out on voyages mainly to find sea trade routes to Asia. Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan were the explorers that made the most important breakthroughs. They used different boats, tools, and maps to help them explore.

The Crusades introduced many Western Europeans to trading. Many goods flowed along these trade routes such as spices, silk, cotton, paper, medicines and other endless amounts of products. The trade created a high demand

The European countries had to face Spain as their rival, and therefore wanted to spread their ideas and practices more than the other. The more land they possess the more power they gain. In political terms, this also meant wealth. The exploration to the New World was taken place, because explorers wanted to gain wealthy, and try to get rich in a different area.

There were a couple major reasons why different European countries decided to explore westward towards the Americas. The first reason was because after the crusades had failed and Constantinople was taken by the Ottomans in 1453, the overland routes along the Silk Road to the far-east became much more treacherous and expensive for the Western European kingdoms. To overcome this obstacle, the Europeans looked for alternate routes to the orient.

The early 1500’s was known in history as The Age of Exploration. At the time anyone who was involved with exploration had their own motives such as wealth, trade, glory, and the spread of Christianity. People became more involved with exploration because it created new trading routes, applied new technologies, created economic goals, and rise of nations. Exploration in the 1500’s relates back to US history because during the Age of Exploration America was founded. Portugal took the lead in search of the first all-water route to Asia.

I believe that the most useful item that was used during the age of European Exploration was the caravel. This item was a triangular shaped sail used on a boat. It allowed the sailors to dial against the wind. This not only made longer expeditions possible, but made other items more useful. One of these items, the map, could only be useful if you had a ship to actually sail on. Another is the compass. Without a ship the compass wouldn't be irrelevant because there would be no need way to use it. In conclusion, the best item created during the age of European exploration was the caravel.

Whenever you hear about the European Exploration, or ‘The Age of Discovery’’ you hear a lot about what the Europeans gained from it, while they did learn a lot from this and gather a lot of new resources they were not the only ones affected. The Age of Discovery affected more areas that just Europe, it also affected the Americas and Africa. To prove this we must first know what European Exploration is.

Spain was not the only country that had explorers, looking for rich and vast amounts of land. England, Portugal, France, Holland and others were exploring and charting the Pacific. Not only were these countries looking to expand their own land mass, but to accumulate additional wealth, through the natural resources that might be available. Dominating exploration created wealth and world

The crusades, massive military campaigns under religious banners, increased the desire for trade upon their return, with small items and stories that returning and/or surviving crusaders brought back to Europe.1 This and other incentives, such as Marco Polo’s famous book, expanded countries’ economies beyond their own borders.6 Demand for items like these made trade routes from place to place essential. The silk roads were major trade routes that dated back to the time of the Roman Empire, collapsing along with the Romans. But as the Mongol Empire connected lands across Eurasia, the silk roads witnessed a rebirth. 8 These routes, running from the Byzantine Empire to the farthest reaches of China, soon became essential for trade across Eurasia.8 The economy, which was previously based on feudal manors and the work of the peasants, became heavily dependent on traded products and manufactured goods.3 Banks flourished, with moneylending growing as a business.3 The rise of the middle class also led to the growth of towns.

On the other side he discovered a vast body of water that he named "South