European Expansion of 1460s

There are many changes that helped the European Expansion. After the 1460's Europeans were coming home from a war that lasted a extended amount of time. Political centralization in the dorminant countries of Europe where the cause of the outward push for expansion. As well as the quest for Christian conversion, gold, spice, and commerce. European countries wanted to crossed the oceans in search of fertile land and in order to take part in international trades. Knowledge about the new world grew and so did the means of transportation to get there. Changes in the technology made European expeditions possible. Of course expeditions of this size required tremondous technology improvements. They needed cannon-ability to fire upon stone and ships from sea, three masted sailing ships for faster more maneuverable transportation than the old galley ships they were use to.

One of the explorers that first set out in the quest for the expansion was Christopher Columbus. He wasn't very successful in his first quest for Africa landing in Asia instead. He didnt succeed in finding gold, however the Spanish Kingdom wanted to build a larger empire in America to spread its religion and cultures. Missonaries were sent to introduce the way of growing crops and farming in there colonies. Another exporer was Cortes who set out in 1519 in search of Mexico, where the Spaniards found themselves faced with the advanced civilization of the Aztecs. Cortes conqured the Aztecs with the use of its of people.