Question

1. 'Renaissance led to voyages of discovery'. Explain.​

Answer 1

Answer:

In this era of globalisation, you might find it hard to believe that there was a time when people feared to venture across the seas and had very little idea of far off countries and continents. Unknown lands and dark regions on maps fascinated early mariners who set sail to explore the world.

Expeditions by European sailors to Africa, the Arab countries, the Americas and South East Asia were fuelled by interests to establish trade routes which later paved the way for colonisation and the imperial struggle to gain control over these lands.

Such expeditions began in the early 15{+t}{+h} century and continued into the 17{+t}{+h} century. The Portuguese and the Spanish pioneered the discovery of new trade-routes by sea. Apart from the prospects of trade and wealth, the spirit of renaissance to learn and understand new things also spurred an interest in these expeditions. Missionaries too, who were eager to increase the spread of religion, encouraged these efforts. This period, termed as the Age of Discovery, gave way to the colonial era.