Trends. The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus lived during the convergence of several long-term trends that contributed to maritime exploration: the crusading spirit of Medieval Christians; the quest for contact with Asia; the Renaissance pursuit of knowledge and glory; innovations in the construction of ships; and cartographers' search for better methods of mapping. Since the twelfth century, Europeans had sought new routes to the Far East. Columbus's voyages combined that quest with a militant Christian mentality that had been launched centuries earlier in the crusades. He lived in an age of Renaissance developments in printing, literacy, engineering, and shipbuilding that vastly changed the mental horizon. Printing provided Columbus with access to a broad array of notions about the earth's size and shape. Moreover, technological advances in ship construction and riggings allowed the Portuguese to explore the coast of Africa.

Western Route...