Analyzing the Driving Forces Behind the Age of European Exploration

This essay examines the key factors that led to the Age of European Exploration and conquest, focusing on the motivations of European nations such as Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. It discusses how political ambitions, strategic geographic advantages, economic desires for trade and luxury goods, scientific curiosity, and religious zeal drove Europeans to explore and conquer new territories across the globe. The essay also compares the motives and settlement strategies of the Portuguese and French, highlighting their distinct approaches to empire-building and trade. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a wide range of study tools and resources for students.

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY 1
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AMERICAN HISTORY 2
The age of European exploration and conquest
Back in the fifteenth century, many European states and nations started to embark on
continuous worldwide explorations. This led to the new inauguration of new world history. In the
historical records, this period has been termed as the age of discovery or rather an age for
exploration. European, during this period, explored the world all the way from America, Africa,
and the middle east as well as far east nations. They crossed seas and oceans like the Pacific and
Atlantic in the quest for exploration. Many nations were involved in this series of exploration
and conquest. Some of the nations that took part were the Portuguese, the Spanish, the French
and Italians. This essay is an attempt to explain some of the major reasons and factors that led to
the age of exploration and conquest by these European nations. It also explains how these nations
differed in terms of the forces that motivated each to explore the world. (canyon springs , 2013)
Factors leading to the age of European exploration and conquest
1. Empire and politics
The need to acquire power from a political angle and pressure led to the age of European
exploration and conquest. Many Europeans moved all the way to Africa and middle east part of
Africa in seek for power. The need to reach middle east made many Europeans travel and seek
routes and way through which they could easily locate the Middle East. Some of the known
historians during this age are, for instance, Vasco de Gama, Marco Polo. Most people who
traveled to gain empires were from Spain and Portugal during this period. Most of these nations
had the intention of conquering and colonizing the new territories they were discovered in the
course of their explorations and that’s how this age came about and grew as well.
2. Strategic geographic locations and topographies
Strategic geographic locations and good topographies encouraged people to explore the world by
the provision of easy access to routes and ways through which the could reach other regions. The
launch of overseeing voyages of exploration by the Spanish and Portuguese greatly contributed
to this.
3. Economic factors
Another main factor that greatly contributed to the rise of this era is the growth of trade
with improved technology and demand for luxury goods. Before the fifteenth century, Europeans
nations greatly carried out a trade with middle east nations such as China and India. Most of the
goods that were high traded were luxury goods. The increase in demand for such goods in
European nations led to many European nations have to seek for the source of these goods. This
contributed to many of them traveling to unveil the sources of goods such as sugar and cotton.
One factor that facilitated such movement for trade purposes is the new technological
advancement in the maritime navigation and ship construction as well. The factor; the need for
trade and commerce greatly lead to the emergence of an era of exploration and conquest for a
European nation.
4. Science and culture

AMERICAN HISTORY 3
The need and urge to explore the world beyond European boundaries led to the
emergence of an era of exploration and conquest. Before this era, most Europeans had very little
knowledge of the world outside their known borders. The opportunity led to many Europeans
engage in science and culture related studies that contributed to their movement to some
unknown regions like Africa and America which the Europeans were not aware of their existence
earlier.
5. Religious factors
During the fourteenth century, an era before the exploration era was a period that was
characterized by tenets of Catholicism and Christianism in European nations. The need to get
more followers for each of the denomination led to an era where religious leaders and
missionaries had to seek new places and people to join their movement. The act of seeking new
places, holding crusades and centuries contributed a lot to the emergence and growth of the era
of European explorations. (Saylor org., 2018)
Comparison between the Portuguese and the Frances during the era of exploration
Portuguese motives and settlement
a. To prove that the shape of the world was round
b. They intended to establish their empires in India, China, and America
c. They aimed at eliminating the middlemen who were Italians and Muslim in the
spice trade
d. To spread Christianity and thus settled in regions with Muslim followers (The
library of congress, 2008)
Frances motives and settlement
a. to gain wealth and spread religion (Davidson, 2015)
b. to establish commercially viable colonial outputs and therefore settled in regions
that allowed them to create extensive trading networks (US history , 2009)

AMERICAN HISTORY 4
References
canyon springs. (2013, May). world history. Retrieved from canyon springs high school:
http://www.canyonspringshighschool.org/ourpages/auto/2015/11/6/54748438/World
%20History%2013.pdf
Davidson. (2015). colonization and conflict in the north. The US a narrative history (pp. 1-24). Mc Graw
hill education press.
Saylor org. (2018, July 2). The European exploration. Retrieved from The saylor foundation:
https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/HIST201-3.1.1-
EuropeanExplorationIntro-FINAL.pdf
The library of congress. (2008, May 19). The Portuguese Role in Exploring and Mapping the New World.
Retrieved from the Hispanic division: https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/role.html
US history. (2009, January 12). French and Dutch exploration in the New World. Retrieved from colonial
America: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/colonial-america/early-english-
settlement/a/french-and-dutch-exploration