From 1450 to 1525, Europeans began to explore more of the world around them. Some looked to gain riches for themselves and their countries, and find new ways around political opponents. Some were motivated by their religions. Others simply wanted glory for themselves and their country. All of these explorers were able to travel with help from new technology and techniques. After the black death wiped out a third of the European population, they recovered, and saw a population boost. This boost increased demand for products like spices, such as pepper, which could only be gotten in India. Expeditions that brought back spices earned huge profit margins, as these were the only things that could add variety to their diets. When sailors sailed west looking to go east, they landed in the Americas instead of far Eastern Asia. However, they did find value there, in gold and unconquered land. Between the allure of spices and pull of land to colonize, the Europeans had plenty of economic reasons to explore. …show more content…
In 1453 the Ottoman empire captured the city of Constantinople, and the land they controlled quickly spread across the Middle East. Although they had not conquered any European’s land, they presided over their trade routes, meaning they had to find new paths to stay in the market. After the Spanish conquest of Granada, the only Muslim states left were too strong to defeat, Europeans took their religious passions to other regions. Many explorers like Vasco da Gama and Bartholomew Diaz cited religion in their reasons for exploring, and for strongly religious men like them, exploring was a way to spread their faith. With politics and religion, many Europeans were pushed towards the