The Motives and/or Technological Advancements behind the European Expansion

The Europeans had many motives for exploration. The most common motive was to trade and to acquire an abundance of wealth. Mediterranean trade was controlled by Venetian and Muslim traders, and many European countries wanted to avoid the Italians and Muslims because of their high tariffs. Other Europeans wanted to bypass them to get to the silk, spices, and other luxury items in Asia. Then, some Europeans had religious motives. Christianity, a missionary religion, was the main religion of Europe in the 1500’s, and with Europe Christianized, they wanted to spread the Gospel to the rest of the world. The most heard term for the motives of the western expansion of Europe is: “Gold, Glory, and God.” Plus, there was the adventure of it all.
Gold in the Asian continent was sparse, but once Cortes landed in Mexico and found an abundance of wealth, most every country in Western Europe wanted a piece of it. The French found the fur trade to be quite profitable in the northern par...