Factors That Encouraged Exploration Bardin

Europeans Seek Greater Wealth merchants and traders hoped to benefit from the trade of spices and other luxury goods from Asia people of Europe had been introduced to these items during the Crusades, the wars fought between Christians and Muslims from 1096 to 1270 After the Crusades ended, Europeans still demanded such spices as nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, etc.

What were the Crusades? a series of wars fought between European Christians and Muslims over the possession of Jerusalem (the Holy Land)

Seek New Trade Routes the Muslims and Italians controlled the trade of goods Muslims sold Asian goods to Italian merchants the Italian merchants resold the goods at a higher price to merchants throughout Europe by the 1400s, European merchants sought to find a sea route directly to Asia

The Spread of Christianity Europeans believed they had a duty to convert non-Christians throughout the world

Technological Advances During the 1200s, it would have been nearly impossible for sailors to cross the ocean and return again because European ships could not sail against the wind 1400s-shipbuilders designed the caravel astrolabe-helped sailors determine their position using the sun and stars

Caravel Columbus’s caravel

The Renaissance “rebirth” of classical works and learning 1. The Greeks had praised human achievement. European scholars developed humanism (study of human value & ideas) 2. Classical education stressed such subjects as history, philosophy, & literature. 3. From classical art, Renaissance artists learned to make art more realistic. Some of the finest paintings & statues come from this. 4.Muslim scholars saved classical manuscripts about science.

Reformation-1517 Martin Luther German monk penned a document attacking the Catholic Church called the “95 Theses” said that the Bible is the ultimate authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds sparked the Protestant Reformation Catholic Church was divided after this