Factors that motivated European Kingdoms to explore the world:

Economic and political motives

Long before the sixteenth century the Crusades had introduced European people to the goods and luxuries of the
East. Some goods, such as spices, became necessities, but they were becoming increasingly costly. They had to be
transported over long and sometimes dangerous overland routes, and several middlemen each took their profits
before the goods reached European merchants. What Europeans needed was a new, less costly route to Asia. Before
the route was actually traversed, however, a New World was opened for conquest. This led to intense economic and
political rivalry among European powers to see who could first secure the prizes it offered and who could hold the
others away. Individuals went to the “New World” for many reasons, but most commonly to seek their fortunes.
Young Spaniards expected to get rich through ventures connected to land and commerce. Indentured servants
looked optimistically toward the end of their terms of service, when they could obtain land of their own and become
independent.
Religious motives
For rulers and common people alike, religion was also a powerful motive. Even the Catholic rulers of Spain,
Portugal and France were bent on building empires and gaining wealth, they were also sincerely committed to
converting the heathen peoples of the world. The Spanish conquerors in the New World were required to take
priests with them on every expedition. The English and Dutch were just as committed to spreading the Protestant
gospel, and actively encouraged missionary enterprise among native Americans. Some colonists went to America
specifically to escape restrictions on their religious practices at home. They sought places where they could worship
freely according to their own forms and consciences.
Adventure and Myth
Love of adventure, curiosity and a fascination with the possibility of locating peoples and places popularized in the
mythology of the time were also factors. Some searched for Prester John, a legendary Christian king believed to rule
somewhere in Africa. Others were fascinated by fables of exotic peoples – some with tails, others with no heads but
with faces emerging from their chests. There were also tales of Amazon women on the mythical island of
California, of a fountain of youth in Florida, of exotic plants and animals, and of the seven golden cities of Cibola.
On a more realistic level, explorers also returned with accurate descriptions of plants, animals and people
(Columbus brought many examples back with him from his first voyage).
Human Capital
In addition to natural resources, conquered territories supplied human capital, most frequently in the form of
slavery. Cortez's conquest of Mexico meant not only control of natural resources, but also enslavement of the
peoples of Mexico, who were required to work as agricultural laborers, builders and miners. During the process of
European colonization, this process of enslavement and control was repeated throughout the New World.
Indigenous peoples were enslaved and set to work producing commodities for export to the Old World.

Personal Ego
Rivalry between European monarchs also drove competition in finding lands to be claimed for the glory of the
nation -- and for the glory of the monarch. Most royal families were distantly related through the centuries-old
tradition of marriage to create alliances, and being the best or wealthiest in terms of resources and achievement
drove many monarchs to pay explorers, such as Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci, to find new
territory for expansion. More land and more resources equated to higher status and more prestige -- and personal
glory.

Technological factors
For the explorers, there were many technological factors that made it easier for them to sail all over the world,
looking for new territories to claim: 1) Advancements in shipbuilding included the construction of the caravel. The
caravel was a smaller and faster ship with triangular sails that could sail into the wind. 2) Many improvements in
navigational skills allowed sailors to venture further out to sea. (A) The astrolabe was a new tool that measured the
height of the sun above the horizon. (B) The compass provides cardinal directions North, South, East, and West
(C) The reading of the celestial stars, or celestial maps, aided sailors in plotting their location and course. (D)
Cartography, or map-making skills, helped them to share their knowledge with others and was taught at the
Portuguese School of Navigation.

Aim of the age of exploration:

 Desire to find a new route to the riches (i.e. spices) of Asia and others.
 Curiosity about the world inspired by the Crusades, the tales of Marco Polo, and the Renaissance.
 The desire to spread Christianity by converting other people.
 To find new sources of gold and silver.
 Desire to enhance political and economic power through territorial expansion.
 Explore the unknown and discover new knowledge.
Results of Age of Exploration

 The Colombian Exchange —the exchange of food, materials and diseases between the Old and New World.
 Overseas expansion led to increased power and wealth for European powers.
 Christianity and the culture of Western Europe spread throughout the world.
 The ethnocentric attitudes of Europeans led to the mistreatment of native peoples. Millions of Native
Americans were wiped out by warfare and disease.
 Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began (in exchange for goods), also known as the “Triangular Trade.” (Europe-
Africa-America)
 Led to new discoveries. For example, Magellan found an all-water route to Asia in 1522. Columbus founded
the first Spanish colony, Hispanola, in 1493. In 1519, Cortez captured the Aztec empire and by 1535,
Francisco Pizarro captured the Incan empire. The Conquistadors discovered gold and other treasures. But,
they had to give one fifth of all riches they found to Spain. This made Spain one of the richest nations in the
world. Also, the Indians were discovered by Columbus, a famous explorer from Spain. Along these journeys,
 new trade routes were discovered. One of the trade routes was the Northwest passage, which went around
America. Because of these voyages, maps became more accurate.
 The Age of Exploration inspired many explorers to explore. This resulted in many new discoveries. For
example, the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa who while exploring the jungles of Isthmus and Panama,
found a large body of water (the Pacific ocean) and claimed it for Spain. Another bold explorer, Ferdinand
Magellan, decided to sail the Pacific. In the end, he was the first person to circumnavigate the world.

Crusades and the Age of Colonization

The most important impact of the Crusades is that they led to European expansion into the rest of the world. It has
been argued that the Crusades helped to cause the age of discovery that allowed Europe to start to take over the rest
of the world. The Crusades were the first time that European armies had gone outside the borders of Europe to try
to impose their will and their culture on other people. This attitude carried over into the age of discovery. That
age was motivated in part by the desire to go out and bring European culture to other peoples of the world. The
First Crusade resulted in the formation of the crusader states in the Levant (the eastern Mediterranean), which were
initially governed, and in small part populated, by settlers from Europe. Crusading in northern and eastern Europe
led to the expansion of kingdoms like Denmark and Sweden, as well as the creation of brand-new political units,
for example in Prussia. As areas around the Baltic Sea were taken by the crusaders, traders and settlers—mostly
German—moved in and profited economically. In the Mediterranean Sea, crusading led to the conquest and
colonization of many islands, which arguably helped ensure Christian control of Mediterranean trade routes (at
least for as long as the islands were held). Crusading also played a role in the conquest of the Iberian peninsula
(now Spain and Portugal). This was finally completed in 1492, when the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand II and
Isabella I conquered the last Muslim community on the peninsula—the city of Granada. They expelled Jews from
the country in the same year. And of course, they also authorized and supported the expeditions of Christopher
Columbus, who—like many European explorers of his day—believed that the expansion of the Christian faith was
one of his duties.

Bartolemeu Dias:
Born in 1450, Bartolomeu Dias was sent by Portuguese King John II to explore the coast of Africa and find a way to
the Indian Ocean. Dias departed circa August 1487, rounding the southernmost tip of Africa which he called Cabo
Tormentoso- “stormy cape”. John II renamed it Cabo da boa Esperanza- “Cape of Good Hope” because its
discovery was a good omen that India could be reached by sea from Europe. A major maritime victory for Portugal,
Dias’ breakthrough opened the door to increased trade with India and other Asian powers. It also prompted Genoan
explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), then living in Portugal, to seek a new royal patron for a mission to
establish his own sea route to the Far East. Dias was lost at sea because of violent storm during another expedition
around the Cape in 1500.
Vasco da Gama:
The Portuguese nobleman Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) sailed from Lisbon in 1497 on a mission to reach India and
open a sea route from Europe to the East. After sailing down the western coast of Africa and rounding the Cape of
Good Hope, his expedition made numerous stops in Africa before reaching the trading post of Calicut, India, in May
1498. Da Gama received a hero’s welcome back in Portugal, and was sent on a second expedition to India in 1502,
during which he brutally clashed with Muslim traders in the region. Two decades later, da Gama again returned to
India, this time as Portuguese viceroy; he died there of an illness in late 1524.

Fernando Magallanes:
In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480-1521) set out from Spain in 1519
with a fleet of five ships to discover a western sea route to the Spice Islands. En route he discovered what is now
known as the Strait of Magellan and became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. The voyage was long and
dangerous, and only one ship returned home three years later. Although it was laden with valuable spices from the
East, only 18 of the fleet’s original crew of 270 returned with the ship. Magellan himself was killed in battle on the
voyage, but his ambitious expedition proved that the globe could be circled by sea and that the world was much
larger than had previously been imagined.

Cristoforo Colombo:
The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and
1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he
accidentally stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not really “discover” the New World–millions of people
already lived there–his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of trans-Atlantic conquest and colonization.

Amerigo Vespucci:
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian-born merchant and explorer who took part in early voyages to the New World on
behalf of Spain around the late 15th century. By that time, the Vikings had established settlements in present-day
North America as early as 1,000 A.D. and Christopher Columbus had already “discovered” several Caribbean and
Central American islands, yet it’s Vespucci’s name that prevailed. Early accounts of Vespucci’s voyages, now
believed to have been forgeries, had quickly spread throughout Europe. In 1507, using these letters as his guide, a
German cartographer created a new map, naming the territory now known as South America in Vespucci’s honor.
For the first time, the word “America” was in print.

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi:

Since none of the expedition after Magellan from Loaisa to Villalobos had succeeded in taking over the Philippines,
King Charles I stopped sending colonizers to the Islands. However, when Philip II succeeded his father to the throne
in 1556, he instructed Luis de Velasco, the viceroy of Mexico, to prepare a new expedition – to be headed by
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who would be accompanied by Andres de Urdaneta, a priest who had survived the
Loaisa mission. On February 13, 1565, Legaspi's expedition landed in Cebu island. After a short struggle with the
natives, he proceeded to Leyte, then to Camiguin and to Bohol. There Legaspi made a blood compact with the
chieftain, Datu Sikatuna as a sign of friendship. Legaspi was able to obtain spices and gold in Bohol due to his
friendship with Sikatuna. On April 27, 1565, Legaspi returned to Cebu; destroyed the town of Raja Tupas and
establish a settlement. On orders of the King Philip II, 2,100 men arrived from Mexico. They built the the port
of Fuerza de San Pedro which became the Spanish trading outpost and stronghold for the region. Hearing of the
riches of Manila, an expedition of 300 men headed by Martin de Goiti left Cebu for Manila. They found the islands
of Panay and Mindoro. Goiti arrived in Manila on May 8, 1570. At first they were welcomed by the natives and
formed an alliance with Rajah Suliman, their Muslim king but as the locals sensed the true objectives of the
Spaniards, a battle between the troops of Suliman and the Spaniards erupted. Because the Spaniards are more
heavily armed, the Spaniards were able to conquer Manila. Soon after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived to join
Goiti in Manila. Legaspi built alliances and made peace with Rajahs Suliman, Lakandula and Matanda. In 1571,
Legaspi ordered the construction of the walled city of Intramuros and proclaimed it as the seat of government of
the colony and the capital of the islands. In 1572, Legaspi died and was buried at the San Agustin Church in
Intramuros. In 1574, Manila was bestowed the title "Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad de España" (Distinguished and
ever loyal city of Spain) by King Philip II of Spain.

Medieval ages/ period:

People use the phrase “Middle Ages” to describe Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of
the Renaissance in the 14th century. Many scholars call the era the “medieval period” instead; “Middle Ages,” they
say, incorrectly implies that the period is an insignificant blip sandwiched between two much more important
epochs. Starting around the 14th century, European thinkers, writers and artists began to look back and celebrate the
art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Accordingly, they dismissed the period after the fall of Rome as a
“Middle” or even “Dark” age in which no scientific accomplishments had been made, no great art produced, no
great leaders born. The people of the Middle Ages had squandered the advancements of their predecessors, this
argument went, and mired themselves instead in what 18th-century English historian Edward Gibbon called
“barbarism and religion.”

 Catholic church: After the fall of Rome, no single state or government united the people who lived on the
European continent. Instead, the Catholic Church became the most powerful institution of the medieval period.
Kings, queens and other leaders derived much of their power from their alliances with and protection of the
Church. Another way to show devotion to the Church was to build grand cathedrals and other ecclesiastical
structures such as monasteries. Cathedrals were the largest buildings in medieval Europe, and they could be
found at the centre of towns and cities across the continent. (Art and Architecture)
 The Rise of Islam: Meanwhile, the Islamic world was growing larger and more powerful. After the prophet
Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, Muslim armies conquered large parts of the Middle East, uniting them under the
 rule of a single caliph. At its height, the medieval Islamic world was more than three times bigger than all of
Christendom.
 The Crusades: Toward the end of the 11th century, the Catholic Church began to authorize military
expeditions, or Crusades, to expel Muslim “infidels” from the Holy Land. Crusaders, who wore red crosses on
their coats to advertise their status, believed that their service would guarantee the remission of their sins and
ensure that they could spend all eternity in Heaven.

Classical Age
Classical antiquity, era, or period is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean
Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (eighth-seventh century B.C.E.), and
continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (fifth century C.E.), ending in
the dissolution of classical culture with the close of Late Antiquity (300—600 AD), or the similar and better
known periodization of history, the Early Middle Ages (500-1100 C.E.). Such a wide sampling of history and
territory covers many rather disparate cultures and periods. "Classical antiquity" typically refers to an idealized
vision of later people, of what was, in Edgar Allan Poe's words, "the glory that was Greece, the grandeur that was
Rome!" The foundations of the modern world derive from the Classic Age as it was reformulated during the
Renaissance followed by the Enlightenment, which subsequently emerged within what is usually described as
liberal humanism. For some, God's rightful place as the author of values and as the director of history has been
usurped as a result of confidence in human ingenuity inspired by the great minds of the Classic Age. Positively,
however, the contemporary universal outlook, respect for the dignity of all people on which democracy is based—
inspired by Athenian democracy in the Classic Age—thirst for knowledge and for ways of bettering the human lot
can all be traced back to the enduring influence of the Classical legacy.[1][2] The relevance of the classical to the
contemporary suggests that there is a great deal of continuity in human experience and that values that served
humanity well in the past retain meaning in the present.

Monasticism:
Monasticism or monkhood is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully
to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially in
the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Similar forms of religious life also exist in other faiths, most notably
in Buddhism, but also in Hinduism and Jainism, although the expressions differ considerably. By contrast, in other
religions monasticism is criticized and not practiced, as in Islam and Zoroastrianism, or plays a marginal role, as
in Judaism. Males pursuing a monastic life are generally called monks while female monastics are called nuns.
Many monks and nuns live in monasteries to stay away from the secular world. The way of addressing monastics
differs between the Christian traditions. As a general rule, in Roman Catholicism, monks and nuns are called
brother or sister, while in Orthodox Christianity, they are called father or mother.

Renaissance:
The Renaissance takes place at different times in different countries. The English Renaissance (also called the Early
Modern period) dates from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and from the height of the Quattrocento
(1400's) in Italy. Renaissance is a French term meaning "rebirth." The period is characterized by a rebirth among
English elite of classical learning, a rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman authors, and a recovery of the ancient
Greek spirit of scientific inquiry. (Compare the Renaissance of the Twelfth Century and the rediscovery then of
Aristotle.) The period is also characterized by widespread religious wars, geographical discovery and colonization,
and major reforms of state. In terms of culture, it is important to remember that not everyone was similarly affected
by the Renaissance: illiterate, beer-swilling shepherds did not suddenly take up a study of Aristotelian metaphysics.
Nevertheless, the period marks the high water mark of English literary accomplishment. It is the age of William
Shakepeare, John Milton, John Donne, and Katherine Philips. Queen Elizabeth I was fluent in classical Greek,
wrote poems in Latin hexameter, and produced beautifully polished English prose.

Philippines:
What do you think motivated Spain to colonize the Philippines?

By reading the Chapter II: The Spanish Conquest of the book “Reading in Philippine History”, I think that Spain
colonized Philippines for some reasons. Their ships always made their landfalls in the Philippines which I think led
for the Spaniards to peek through and explore the riches of our country and Villalobos even called the Visayan
Islands “las Phelipinas” in honor of their prince as if they were the ones to discover and own it. And since
Moluccas islands had been ceded to Portugal by the Treaty of Saragossa, Spain could not possibly take control of it
anymore. Philip decided to know more about the Philippines and fulfil the aims of their Majesty, which is to make
known to the natives their holy Catholic faith and to determine the return route from Philippines to Spain, in order
that by trade and intercourse and other lawful means which can be employed his patrimony and royal crown of
Castile may be enhanced and the spices and other riches obtainable be brought to Spain. They even needed to
discover the ports, the inhabitants and the resources, the character and way of life of the people, the trade and
commerce our natives were engaged in and many more and they needed to make every effort to enter and maintain
friendly and peaceful relations with the natives. I think upon discovering that Philippines is rich in resources and
they can see that our natives are good in nature, they have decided to colonize the Philippines adding to their
observation/ findings that they think they can get our natives easily because of their belief of deity or religion. Our
natives belief in gods and goddesses was one of the reason for the Spain to make the natives think that they have the
same idea of faith thus proposing their own religion to the natives and make the natives be part of them. And bit by
bit, Spain had been colonizing the Philippines, taking control of our country and setting limitations for our natives.

References:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Classic_Age
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monasticism
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Classic_Age
http://people.umass.edu/eng2/per/renaissance.html
http://www.mysocialstudiesclass.com/AGEOFEXPLORATION.pdf
http://classroom.synonym.com/factors-motivated-facilitated-european-conquest-new-world-22625.html
https://lvhistorykids.wordpress.com/section-6-conclusion-the-effects-of-the-age-of-exploration/
http://www.history.com
http://www.biography.com/people/bartolomeu-dias-9273850#synopsis