Exploration

Exploration

By the 1400's, many Europeans wanted to buy products that came from Asia--jewels, silk, and such spices as cinnamon, pepper, and cloves, which were used to season and preserve food. During the 1300's, overland trade between Asia and Europe had become increasingly difficult and expensive as the Mongol Empire broke down into smaller states.

By the mid-1400's, Turkish Muslims controlled much of the main overland route between Europe and Asia, but overland trade was still uncertain. Muslims also controlled the sea trade routes from Asia to the Middle East. In the Mediterranean, the Italian city of Venice held a monopoly on trade in spices and eastern luxury goods between the Muslim ports and the rest of Europe. As a result, other Europeans became eager to bypass the old overland and Mediterranean sea routes and find a direct ocean route to the Indies, as Europeans then called the eastern part of Asia. Europeans also hoped to make converts to Christianity and thereby strike a blow against the Muslims.

Excerpt adapted from the "Exploration" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999