The Renaissance is also called the Age of Exploration or the Age of Expansion because so many new worlds were discovered and colonized between 1450 and 1650. This phenomenal period of exploration and conquest was a natural consequence of the growing merchant economy. As trade and commerce became more lucrative, people wanted to find faster trade routes to known countries and to discover new lands in order to exploit their resources. As historian John Hale explains, exploration "was above all a thoroughly practical search for useful products, especially gold and spices."

Portuguese Technology

Exploration was typically sponsored by wealthy merchants or monarchs who wanted to increase their fortunes. In fact, the first major supporter of exploration was a Portuguese prince who came to be known as Prince Henry the Navigator. The third son of King John I, Prince...