How Did Expansion Trade Influence The Renaissance

The Influence of Expanded Trade in the Renaissance Helped by improved map making and advancing technology, trade influenced the Renaissance time period in many ways. With better means of transportation, countries expanded their trade empires. By expanding their trade they were able to find great new resources. This expansion of trade helped in the discovery of new peoples, played a major role in the spread of disease, and was even influential in some of the works created by the famous playwright Shakespeare. The introduction of better maps and advancements in the technology of the day, sailors were able to journey further than ever before (Renaissance 1). One such tool, known as the astrolabe, was used by sailors to find their way anywhere in the open ocean (Renaissance 1). The astrolabe was used to determine the distance of the stars and the sun from the horizon (Renaissance 1). It was not used to determine direction, but was used to determine latitude (Renaissance 1). On the other hand, another advancement, the magnetic compass, did allow them to determine direction anywhere on the globe. (Renaissance 1). Map
Spices such as nutmeg, pepper, and cinnamon were in very high demand (Whipps 1). There was little to no Supply and this kept the prices considerably higher. And one such case, England traded and island named “Run” for land in the Americas because the island was full of nutmeg trees (Whipps 1). Another very expensive product called silk was exported from China on a route known as the Silk Road (Dowling 1). Silk was very sought-after for use in making women's clothing (Dowling 1). Like spices, the supply of silk was not very high, therefore making it very expensive. Only the most wealthy could afford to wear it (Dowling 1). Given these points we can conclude that as trade expanded to new countries, more and more valuable products were imported to