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The following will investigate what kickstarted the Voyages of Discovery; and what impact these voyages had on society today, concerning the voyages of Christopher Columbus, what motivated him to begin his journeys, and how they changed the face of the earth.
The Age of Exploration was a period in which European society adopted a drive to discover new places and establish colonies in foreign lands. This period sparked in Europe around the 1500’s; when the Spanish and Portuguese turned to conquering Africa in the Spanish Reconquista. This, along with the influences of Henry the Navigator who traveled to the Cape of Good Hope and discovered the Atlantic coast of Africa, kickstarted the people’s interest in discovering the mysteries of the earth that had so long lay hidden from the Western world. Discoveries of new lands were also extremely beneficial to the country that discovered them, as they provided trading opportunities and new lands for colonization. Typically, as ships were expensive, explorers would petition a country to sponsor the voyage, whether that be England, Spain, or Portugal in particular, and the sponsor country would then establish colonies in that land.
Furthermore, there was such an emphasis on the gaining of knowledge during the Renaissance period, and much prestige for anyone who ventured to uncover mysteries about the world. This curiosity about the world encouraged and supported explorers to discover new places. Furthermore, explorers stood to gain much glory and fame for any discoveries and were very popular with the people of that time. However, the Renaissance also drove people to see themselves as individuals now more focused on completing things through themselves rather than through God. And Columbus was most likely more subject to this aspect of the Renaissance than the thirst for knowledge.
“as at any time when governments have to be cajoled into sponsorship, the search for knowledge did not feature as strongly as the search for spiritual, political or economic gain.”
Therefore, the Renaissance- while having some effect on the Voyages of Christopher Columbus- did not play an integral part in the commencement of the voyages as fame, gold, and religion did.
While Columbus was in Lisbon, he conceived of an idea to venture across the Atlantic Ocean to the “Indies”. Influenced by the works of Florentine physician Paolo Toscanelli who proposed a route to “India and the islands”, Columbus was eager to start this voyage and bring honor to his name. It is said that fame, gold, and religious zeal were the prime motivators that prompted him to make the journey; however, as expeditions were expensive Columbus had to ask for a sponsor. After first getting rejected by the Portuguese he then wrote a letter the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who in 1592 agreed to fund his expeditions. The Spanish are said to have approved the Voyages only because of the euphoria and celebration following the victorious end of the Spanish Reconquista in 1492 which had lasted centuries. Additionally, much of Spanish wealth depended on a direct trade route from India to Spain. Claiming this land was crucial for Spain at that time as much of their economy relied on a trade route to Asia, and what Columbus was proposing was a fast and revolutionary route that would place Spain above all other countries both in resources and prestige.
Columbus embarked upon four voyages between the years 1492 and 1504; claiming for Spain the mainland of Central America; as well as providing a platform from which the Spanish could conquer Mexico and most of Latin America, expanding to Peru in later years. While the impact of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Americas opened Europe to the colonization of this new land that unfolded into the superpower that it is today, his discovery is shrouded in violence and oppression from which the scars are still visible today. His discovery had an enormous impact on Europe; as Spain now had access to a large volume of resources it became wealthier the economy grew, and new products were introduced into Europe such as corn and tobacco. Seeing how the new world had benefited Spain, other countries in Europe then set about colonizing new lands, and Columbus’ discovery indirectly impacted the finding and colonization of Australia. However Columbus cannot be attributed all the merit for these impacts, he acted as a “spearhead” for currents that were already moving; the quest for a new trade route to Asia had existed long before Columbus, and his influences were perhaps only an accelerant for a process already in play.
Bibliography:
- The Geographical Journal Vol. 3, No. 5 (May 1894), pp. 388-403 http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/west/12/FC81
- https://www.lee.k12.nc.us/cms/lib03/NC01001912/Centricity/Domain/1464/Reasons%20for%20Exploration.pdf
- Fordham University. Medieval Sourcebook: Columbus’ Letter to the King and Queen of Spain, 1494 Retrieved from: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/columbus2.asp (Primary Source)
- William D. Phillips and Carla Rahn Phillips, The Worlds of Christopher Columbus (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 142-143.
- Bard Thompson, Humanists & Reformers – A History of the Renaissance and Reformation (William B Eerdmans Publishing Company- Cambridge), 325-333.
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