What drove the Age of Exploration?
It was less about curiosity and more about pepper.
The answer
The European Age of Exploration (15th–17th centuries) was driven primarily by the desire to bypass Ottoman and Venetian middlemen who controlled the immensely profitable spice trade - pepper, cinnamon, and cloves were worth more than gold by weight. Portugal led the way under Prince Henry the Navigator, developing the caravel ship and advanced navigation. Spain followed with Columbus's 1492 voyage. The resulting Columbian Exchange transferred crops, animals, and diseases between hemispheres, permanently transforming ecosystems, diets, and demographics worldwide.
Source: National Geographic
- exploration
- trade
- colonialism
- Europe
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