Motives for European Exploration The Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century. Historians generally recognize three motives for European exploration and colonization. God, glory, and gold are describing the motives generating the exploration, expansion and conquests, allowing European countries to rise. In 622 new challenges was brought to Christianity. A prophet named Muhammad, stated that he had received a revelation. The Koran contains the revelations received by Muhammad, and identified Jesus Christ as a prophet. Islamic religion spread throughout the Middle East and into Europe until 732. Soon thereafter, European Christians began the Crusades, a campaign of violence against Muslims to dominate the Holy Land. In 1095, Europeans decided to reclaim the holy …show more content…
The Reconquista, refers to years of violence and expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula. The Crusades and the Reconquista cemented religious intolerance, and the Christians looked partly to colonization as a means of continuing religious conquests. Despite the religious conditions, the Crusades increased trade between the East and the West. As Crusaders experienced silk, spices, and porcelain, desires for these products created new markets. Merchants’ ships brought Europeans valuable goods, traveling between the port cities of western Europe and the East from the 10th century along the Silk Road. However, transporting goods along the Silk Road was costly, slow, and unprofitable. Muslims collected taxes as the goods changed hands. As well as seeking a water passage to the wealthy cities of the East, sailors wanted to find a route to the Spice Islands. The profit pushed explorers to seek new trade routes to the Spice Islands and helped to eliminate Muslims. Competition between the Portuguese and the Spanish motivated both nations to colonize quickly and