The two major religions of the Age of Exploration was Christianity and Islam. These religions were the two great expansionist faiths of the time. It came to impact the new world by fueling European desire to explore the world. The Muslims had control over much of the trade in the Mediterranean Sea and trans-Saharan trade routes. Europe and the Muslims were rivals and with the Muslim control over eastern Europe and the trade routes that could only be accessed through it the Muslims used their location to their advantage. They increased prices for goods sold by Muslims that came from Asia and Africa as well as imposing a high tax for Europeans who wanted to pass through sections of the Muslim controlled trade routes. Europeans, realizing that