Why did the Portuguese want to explore in the 1400s?
(1 point)
Responses
They wanted to expand trade.
They wanted to expand Christianity.
They wanted to reclaim trade routes.
They wanted to reclaim lost land.
They wanted to expand trade.
How did Portuguese exploration affect Spanish exploration?
(1 point)
Responses
The Spanish depended financially on the Portuguese.
The Spanish were rivals of the Portuguese.
The Spanish were allies with the Portuguese.
The Spanish stole technology from the Portuguese.
de Soto's
The Spanish were rivals of the Portuguese.
The Portuguese wanted to explore in the 1400s for several reasons, including:
1. They wanted to expand trade: One of the primary motivations for Portuguese exploration was to establish new trade routes and expand their economic interests. They sought direct access to valuable Eastern goods, such as spices, silk, and gold, in order to bypass the Muslim intermediaries who controlled these trade routes.
2. They wanted to expand Christianity: The Portuguese were fervently religious and saw exploration as an opportunity to spread the Christian faith to new lands. They believed in the importance of converting non-Christians to Catholicism and saw exploration as a way to achieve this goal.
3. They wanted to reclaim trade routes: With the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, traditional overland trade routes to Asia became blocked. This led the Portuguese to seek alternative sea routes, as they wanted to reclaim the control and dominance they once held over the profitable trade between Europe and Asia.
4. They wanted to reclaim lost land: The Portuguese also had a desire to reclaim lost territories and expand their empire. They hoped to find new territories and establish Portuguese colonies and trading posts along the coasts of Africa, India, and eventually, South America.
These motives combined to propel the Portuguese to become pioneering explorers during the 15th century.