New Route to Asia Trade with Asia was expensive

because of middlemen Europeans needed a faster route to

save time and money

Remember the 3 G’s (or what motivated

exploration) God: Spread of Christianity

Gold: Wealth; making money Glory: Expand empire;

imperialism

By the late 1400s changes in technology, politics, society and economy sparked an interest in foreign lands and exploration.

Factors that Sparked Exploration1. Technological Advances2. Political Changes3. Social Changes4. Economic Changes

Technological Advances Mapmaking -- called

cartography Compass -- invented

by the Chinese, used a magnet

Astrolabe -- Used rings to sight the stars; this would tell them how north or south of the equator (Muslims)

New Ships called caravels -- had triangular sails which allowed it to sail or ‘tack’ against the wind

Political Changes Strong centralized governments --

kings and queens wanted to gain power and more land for their countries

Social Changes Increased population

more people interested in adventure,

more money available to spend on excursions

Political Persecution -- certain religious groups targeted

Spread of Christianity

Economic Changes Mercantilism -- idea that a country’s

power is dependent upon its wealth (gold and silver)

Favorable Balance of Trade: selling more goods than you buy

Expanded Trade

Standardized money –-

Coins had different values, now they all have the same value

More reliable and valuable

Encourages the growth of foreign trade and banking

Joint-stock companies -- Businesses would combine resources

and sell shares of the company’s stock to investors

The profits were then divided among the shareholders based on how much stock was originally purchased