The Age of Exploration was a time where explorers from Europe journeyed to
places around the world and colonized some of them. After Portugal started the
movement for a variety of reasons, the other countries soon followed suit. Among
one of those countries was Spain. Spain colonized many places during this
movement, and, with the help of its colonies, gained more power and control.
There were two main reasons to explore, breaking the Muslim hold on trade with
the East and spreading Christianity. First, the Muslim hold on Eastern trade cost the
Europeans a lot of money. To trade for valuable products such as silk and spices, the
Europeans had to use trade routes that were entirely controlled by the Muslims. This
monopoly allowed the Muslims to exercise much control over the Europeans and
charge high prices. Finding an alternative trade route would solve this problem. In
addition to the trade routes, leaders of different churches wanted to spread
Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church had split in Europe, and each branch was
eager to spread their beliefs.
One country that sponsored many expeditions was Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella
of Spain wanted to make their country a powerful force, so they sponsored
expeditions. Spain first explored with seafaring voyages. Christopher Columbus
sailed west until he hit land. He believed he had landed in the Indies, but it turned out
to be the Americas. Ferdinand Magellan thought that Columbus had found a
landmass and believed that there was a strait from which he could sail to the Indies.
He found the strait, but was killed in battle before returning to Spain. Later on, Spain
conquered empires in the Americas. Firstly, Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs. He
kidnapped Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, and took him hostage. War broke out when
there was a disturbance during a religious celebration. Cortes then led a siege of
Tenochtitlan, the capital, and won. He triumphed due to superior technology,
immunity to diseases they carried, allegiance with Aztec enemies, and the element of
surprise, as the Aztecs thought he was a god when he first landed. After Cortes,
Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas. Like Cortes, Pizarro kidnapped the emperor,
Atahualpa. After the Incas paid a roomful of gold for ransom, he killed Atahualpa,
which collapsed the Incan empire. All in all, the Spaniards found new shipping routes
and captured two empires.
The expeditions impacted Spain in many ways. Columbus and Magellan proved
that the Americas existed and that it was possible to sail around the world. They also
sparked the beginning of Spanish colonization. Spain eventually earned a profit from
its settlements while the natives were devastated, populations drastically reduced
because of overwork and disease. The conquest of the Aztec and Incan empires were
also influential. Spain expanded foreign trade and colonization. Crops like were
potatoes brought into Spain and grew very well. This resulted in more food and a
population boom. However, not everything gained from the conquests were positive.
For example, gold and silver hurt Spain’s economy in the long run because it caused
inflation. However, all in all, Spain became a much stronger influence as a result of
its expeditions.
Some other new concepts were introduced or emphasized as a result of these
expeditions. More goods entered Europe. Capitalism, a system based on investment,
grew. Market economy was introduced, where prices were based on supply and
demand. Cottage industry, a system where people mostly worked at home also
expanded. Finally, as European leaders thought that piling up their riches was the best
way to gain power, they reduced buying from other countries but increased selling to
other countries.
In conclusion, exploring other worlds helped Spain a lot. It benefited from its
settlements with the wealth they brought and because of the new crops that allowed a
population boom. With more people and more riches, Spain had a lot more options
than if they did not aggressively sponsor exploration expeditions. Although the
surplus gold and silver hurt Spain’s economy a bit, the expeditions still helped Spain
become an influencing power in Europe.