Throughout the 15th and 16th century advances in learning and technology began to influence trade and exploration. Humanist scholars sought educational reform and set goals in order to create an educated society. The Introduction of new forms of technology, such as the printing press in which it allowed books to be mass-produced faster for a cheaper price, thus generating a more literate public. As well the invention of the compass allowed sailors to accurately navigate the seas. The two ideas of learning and technology broadened people’s horizons and allowed for them to see beyond their adapted environment.
The printing press allowed for a mass-production of books and papers so it allowed for a more literate population. The printing press allowed for information about several different things to be sent all over the country and for any certain book or paper to be sold and traded to other people unfortunate enough not to have a printing press in their city. For some the printing press expanded cultures in ways not even imagined. In allowed for more advanced maps which meant safer and easier travel, but it also allowed for the spread of religious actions do to the printing of bibles and other holy scripture. The printing press is a large advancement that influenced European exploration and trade greatly.
The invention of the compass allowed for quicker travel because it kept the ship on target to their desired destination. It also allowed for more accurate maps because instead of simply drawing large masses of land in the middle of the paper, there could now be a compass rose that identified which way a sailor must go in order to get to these different land masses. The compass expanded European exploration because it allowed for easier travel so it was easier for the Europeans to find new land and conquer desired territories with ease. The compass was another large invention that helped to influence European travel and trade.
Though there were many different inventions made in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the compass and the printing press were the two greatest influences on European exploration and trade. Both inventions helped to spread religious ideas and also helped for travel which is why theses inventions were the greatest of their time.