The Age of Exploration and Expansion. Question: Discuss the motives and discoveries of the 16th century voyages of exploration.

The Renaissance, the revival of classical art, literature, and learning which took place in Europe in 15th and 16th centuries, sparked imaginations and made people eager to explore. The promise of new riches, such as the spices as silks of the Far East, and the potential discovery of the fabled Northwest Passage were the primary objectives, which fueled the exploration of the New World. The age of exploration was filled with courageous voyagers and conquistadors …

…the port of Seville. Between 1560 and 1600, much of Europe experienced large economic increased. The colonization resulted in political control of much of South and North America; costal regions of Africa, India, China and Japan; and many of the Pacific islands. This political supremacy was accomplished by economic exploitation, religious domination, and the introduction of European patterns of social and intellectual life. Indeed, the sixteenth-century expansion of European society launched a new age in world history.