The opening of new sea routes

In the late 15th century trade and production grew in Europe, and more raw materials, gold and silver were needed. The old routes to India and the East were awkward for Europeans, as they passed through lands controlled by the Ottoman state. Sailors from Portugal and Spain began to look for new routes. They had strong ships and knew how to use the compass and the astrolabe. In 1492 Admiral Christopher Columbus sailed west with three ships for the Spanish crown, thinking he would reach India; on 12 October he reached the Americas (the Bahamas). In fact peoples had lived on these lands for thousands of years, while for Europeans it became a new continent. In 1498 the Portuguese Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa and opened the sea route to India. These voyages are called the “great geographical discoveries”: new trade routes created world trade. But for the peoples living in the new lands this was also a time of hardship, disease and conquest. Later England became one of the leaders of sea trade, and London became a major port.