European conquest of America In the 15th century, these are approximately the known lands in Europe. To the east are the Indies, from where spices and silk come. In Europe, the trade of these luxury products is controlled by the powerful Republics of Genoa and Venice. But in 1453, the Ottomans seize Constantinople and bring down the Byzantine Empire. By extending their influence over the Mediterranean, they put an end to the golden age of the Italian republics. In the west, Portugal dreams of opening a new trade route to the Indies and seizing the monopoly on the spice trade. They take advantage of the development of the caravel, a more robust ship capable of handling the oceans, to send explorations to Africa. In 1484, Christopher Columbus, a Genoese navigator living in Lisbon, proposes to the Portuguese king to try to reach Asia by sailing west. According to his calculations, Cathay and Cipango, currently China and Japan, are close enough for the crossing to be fea...
A second Portuguese expedition leaves for India, but as it moves away from the coast to take advantage of the sea currents, the expedition reaches a new land located east of the meridian of Tordesillas. The Queen of Castile and the King of Aragon authorize and finance the expedition of Christopher Columbus. Irritated by the commercial monopoly that Spain is establishing in the Pacific Ocean, the Queen of England secretly finances an expedition by Francis Drake, who plunders Spanish wealth on the