The Pros And Cons Of Exploration

Is there anything you ever wanted but never could have? Do you have any dreams, any desires? Truth is, everyone wants something more. The real question is, are you willing to find it? Well the early explorers were willing to do anything. Columbus, Hudson, Cartier, and all the other great explorers wanted glory, land, religious freedom, gold, trade, or even new technology; and they went to find it. Little did they know they'd discover more than what they wanted. They discovered new types of people, new land, new food, a new lifestyle. This is the lifestyle they were willing to take for themselves. Galileo, Machiavelli,and Michelangelo were artists who started a new outlook on life. This new idea of human's conquering the world inspired many.
They were starting to be less focused on religion and began to be individualized. This helped create exploration as a new favorite occupation. Small territories like Portugal, Spain, France and England were transformed into monarchy nation-states. This allowed them to have enough money to sponsor explorations and voyages. Ships were tweaked to be faster and stronger. The new explorations caused more technology to be invented. Henry The Navigator had to be one of the biggest contributions to the technology needed to make these voyages possible. The astrolabe was most likely the most helpful piece of technology invented during the Age of Exploration. The astrolabe was a tool used based on astronomical information used to navigate latitude lines. After the sextant and compass were used the astrolabe was growing obsolete during this time period. However, it was still used up until 2010. It was used most around 1930. Other inventions include cartography, the quadrant, compass, and the cross staff. These were invented due to the fact that the Europeans lacked resources needed to travel. The most vigorous influence on exploration was trade. It all started with Marco Polo's journey to Cathay. Marco Polo in fact took all the credit for his father's journey. He was there to accompany his merchant father on his voyage to the Holy Land and the Empire of China. The expedition led to the enhancement of Europe's knowledge to the Chinese and Islamic civilizations. This caused peregrine products and wealth to popularize into Europe. Merchants who sat along the great overland trade routes benefited most from trade. France, Spain, England, and Portugal were known as The Unified States of The Atlantic. Monarchs were often jealous of princes and merchants who benefited and controlled the new trade routes to the East. Monarchs were so envious they would protest and kill the merchants and officials who made money off of trade. A war between Europe and the Ottoman Empire tweaked with Europe's trade with the orient. Lisbon became the new trade capital. King John II commanded Bartolomeu Dias to find water routes. All of these contributions made trade the most important key factor in the Age of Exploration. Portugal had inspired many other European explorers into exploration.
The Portuguese sailors were seeking for a water route to the east and sailed southward towards the African coasts. In search for Prester John, a king who was rumored to have built a Christian stronghold in northwestern Africa. Henry the Navigator was in search for this king, for he had hoped Prester would help him fight the
muslims. One of the most well-known, glorious voyages was that of Christopher Columbus.
Christopher Columbus had an idea for a voyage in search for trade routes to Asia. The only problem with his plan was that he had no money. He asked everyone with the money to fund his trip. However, everyone he encountered, declined. That was until he reached the presence of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. They had just defeated the Moors, so they had the money they could spend on other things. Because Columbus was sailing for Isabella, the leader of the Reconquista, he was spreading Christianity to the New World. Christopher Columbus sailed on with his three ships the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. He named an island San Salvador after sailing for 10 weeks straight. San Salvador was an island he spotted in the Bahamas. He had believed San Salvador was an island off the coast of Japan. After his misinterpretation, he decided to sail on. He reached what he thought was mainland China, which was actually Cuba. He sent two men on an expedition to find the emperor of China. Their mission failed. However, they did discovered a native Taíno village. There they were the first to observe the smoking of tobacco, a habit which they quickly picked up. Leaving Cuba, Columbus came across the Island of Hispaniola on December 5. The natives called it Haití, but Columbus renamed it La Española, a name which was later changed to Hispaniola when Latin texts were written about the discovery. On December
25, the Santa María ran aground and had to be abandoned. Columbus himself took over as captain of the Niña, as the Pinta had become separated from the other two ships. Negotiating with the local chieftain Guacanagari, Columbus arranged to leave 39 of his men behind in a small settlement, named La Navidad. Columbus returned to Spain on January 16, 1493. The Native Americans had introduced lots of new things to the "white men." These new things are what made the Europeans so interested in the New World. Products such as coconuts, tobacco, sweet corn, potatoes, and unbelievable tales of the voyage were brought back to Spain as trophies from the New World. Although Columbus didn't find gold, he did look for it. Amerigo Vespucci had reached America before Columbus. America was in fact named after this prestigious man. This one voyage alone proves that the explorers wanted a trade system, gold, God, and glory.