THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT CAUSES OF THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA - HISTORY - 2025

Among the causes of the discovery of America are the need to seek a trade route with the Indies, the ambition to seek wealth and social advancement, and the will to take the Catholic religion where it was not practiced. The discovery of America is one of the most decisive and decisive events in changing the course of human history.

The event is marked on October 12, 1492 when Christopher Columbus and his three caravels finally found "land in sight" on the horizon after a long and nervous journey that began on August 3 from the Port of Palos..

It was an accidental discovery, as an attempt was made to find a new commercial route by sea to the known Indies, based on the theory that the earth was spherical. Later and after a couple more trips it was confirmed that the lands of the landing were actually an unknown continent.

Once the news spread throughout the kingdoms of Europe, a maritime race began to discover and annex territories of “the new world” in search of resources and products.

Among the most powerful imperial powers of the time that joined the "era of discoveries" were: Great Britain, France, Holland, and of course Spain and Portugal as the first rivals.

Major causes of discovery of America

Find a new route to the Indies

«Vasco da Gama» standing in the bow of the rowboat lands in Calicut. Source: Ernesto Casanova, May 20, 1498, public domain archive.

The known routes were very expensive, whether it was because of trade fees, long distances, or the dangers of travel.

Whoever provided a solution could become very rich and win the favor of the kings.

The route through the Mediterranean / Red-Sea / Indian Ocean by the Nile had many risks, because in that area was the Muslim Empire.

The route claimed by the Portuguese to go around Africa to reach India was very long and was threatened by Muslim troops stationed in the north of the African continent.

The search for riches to increase economic power

Hernan Cortes. Source: Anonymous author, 18th century, part of the collection of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

It was never going to hurt to get resources that would increase the power of the crown coffers. The possibility of finding precious metals such as gold and silver or other products that generated profits was always open.

Discovering new territories and claiming them for the crown became synonymous with power from 1500 AD In fact, the conquest of America was carried out especially by private initiatives. They were free to fight for new territories and then give a fifth of the profits to the Spanish crown.

Therefore, there was an ambition on the part of many conquerors, such as Hernán Cortés, to find gold and other riches.

Pass on the Catholic religion

"The Crucifixion of Christ" by Diego Velázquez, December 29, 1829 Source: CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

The defeat of the Muslims in Spanish lands motivated the crown to continue fighting against non-believers around the world, to bring Catholic influence and the conversion of the faithful. Obtaining the favor of the papacy in Rome was another of the competitions between the European kingdoms.

The eternal human need to go further forced the improvement of shipbuilding

Men from Francisco de Orellana's expedition building a small brig, the «San Pedro». Source: DO'Neil CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Viking explorations from the 7th century AD across the North Atlantic gave humans centuries of experience to perfect the construction of stronger ships for longer voyages.

Always wanting to go further, the conquerors reached present-day Iceland and Greenland; eventually touching the shores of North America around 1001 AD, with no interest in settling.

His ship models were slowly blending in style and quality with those of the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages, making the ship industry evolve that demanded more and more ambitious explorations.

Wanting to launch into the open sea forced optimization in the design of the sails

"Sailboats" by Gaston Roullet. Source: part of the collection of the Museu Histório e Diplomático - Palácio do Itamaraty, CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Before the 15th century, sails were square. This shape limited navigation since the wind could only be used if it was blowing from behind.

The Portuguese designed the triangular sails that allowed the use of the wind blowing from different angles. This change allowed boaters to venture into more open waters.

The crusades opened the horizons of the European kings to the east

The understanding of the geography of the average European before the Crusades was minimal. It did not extend beyond the vague, limited and controlled information of a few texts from the Roman era.

With the success of the first crusade, Europeans became more in touch with the rest of the world. The merchants followed the path of the territories taken to the east and saw the opportunity to trade in silks and spices in these cities.

This caught the attention of kingdoms that were fascinated with the products of the Far East. It didn't take long for companies to be established to officially trade these goods.

The silk road was necessary to keep it active and safe

It was the task of the Khan leaders of the Mongol Empire to ensure that the supply of products from distant China and India had assured transit overland to the commercial cities with passage to the Mediterranean. This is the case of Constantinople, where European ships always expected to buy as fascinated, loyal and confident customers.

The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire

In 1453, the Turks conquered the capital of the Byzantine Empire, taking control of the most important commercial crossing of the late Middle Ages.

Trade came under many obstacles and tax prices increased considerably.

This is probably one of the most important causes since it was the catalyst to seek to regain contact with Asia.

Maritime competition between Spain and Portugal

Portugal was leading the way in securing a new trade route to India and China.

Not only was it necessary to find an alternative route without passing through Muslim-controlled territories, but it was also imperative to have a route of its own and more efficient than that of the Portuguese.

The expulsion of the Muslims from Castile allowed the Spanish crown to invest in expeditions

The unification of Spain with Fernando and Isabel helped in the struggle and defeat of the Muslim power in their lands. After the expulsion, the kingdom recovered money. But the idea of ​​trying to reestablish a commercial relationship in the new Ottoman / Muslim Constantinople was inconceivable.

So when Columbus presents his proposal to the queen, she decides to give him the opportunity, and the rest is history.

References

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   EyeWitnes to History (2004). Christopher Columbus Discovers America. 1492. eyewitnesstohistory.com.

3. History of Ecuador (2001). Causes and Consequences of the discovery of America. WordPress.com. historiadelecuador.wordpress.com.

   EyeWitness to History (2005). The Vikings Discover America, ca. 1000. eyewitnesstohistory.com.

4. O'Neill Tim (2015). What caused the 'Age of Discovery' in the 1500? Powered by Quora. quora.com.
5. Velez, Susana. (2014). Causes of the discovery of America - Technological advances, causes of exploration and race between Spain and Portugal. Recuperated by Prezi.com.