European Exploration During The Renaissance Period

European exploration began in the early 1400s through the 1600s.There were many reasons for European exploration including intellectual curiosity, known as the Renaissance, religious reformation, and trade and profit goals. The Renaissance period took place between the 14th and 16th centuries that further motivated the European exploration. It was a time of economic growth and interest. It began when cities from Italy sent commercial fleets to take over the Mediterranean trade. Italian merchants performed expeditions to take back Palestine from the Muslims, where they met their goal to take control over trades in Asia. In Asia, they learned of advanced inventions sparking new ideas of architecture, humanism, and other new interests throughout

King João I formed a Portuguese trading empire influenced by Renaissance learning. In search of gold and slave trades, they explored the coast of northwestern Africa. Along with Portuguese colonization of the western African coast, Portuguese sponsored an Italian merchant expedition to find an ocean route to the Indies. As a result, the Portuguese constructed trading forts along the coasts of Africa successfully gaining control of the Asian spice trade and beginning the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1488. The success of the Portuguese influenced the Spanish to open their own trade routes to the Indies led by Christopher Columbus in his attempts to occupy and settle lands not controlled by another monarch, find a northwest passage to the Indies, and to find gold and slaves. Himself along with 1500 other men successfully colonized the islands of Hispaniola and shipped off the natives to become slaves and obtain gold. The colony soon failed once gold in the river depleted and Columbus was arrested in the 1500s. It was realized in the 16th century that Columbus really discovered now America and the northwest passage did not exist to the Indies. Trade played an important role in the economy after previous expeditions that influenced many more Europeanists to create their own trading and economic empires in the 16th century and