Italian murchants made huge profits by trading Asian goods. Italians used military strength to control the trade on the mediterranean and didn't allow other Europeans to take part in it. Merchants and other Europeans envied the profits made by Italian merchants, and found new routs to Asia.
Sources: Creating America book and My Great Brain ;)
Asia.
They wanted a route to Asia. The Silk Road was long, expensive, and dangerous.
With the icecaps melting and polar sea lanes becoming more accessible, Europe and Asia are exploring vastly increased trade through the formerly impassable Northwest Passage. The connecting port in Europe would be Murmansk.
Because they wanted to find out an alternative route that would allow to bypass the Middle East Muslim countries, avoid the trade monopole of the spices and other valuable goods held by Venice and Genoa and get directly to trade with Japan, China and other East Asia countries.
England and France
Europeans began looking for new sea routes to Asia.
Asia.
Italian murchants made huge profits by trading Asian goods. Italians used military strength to control the trade on the mediterranean and didn't allow other Europeans to take part in it. Merchants and other Europeans envied the profits made by Italian merchants, and found new routs to Asia. Sources: Creating America book and My Great Brain ;)
Europeans began looking for new sea routes to Asia.
New trade routes to Asia
Europeans began looking for new sea routes to Asia.
Marco Polo
Trade routes to India avoiding the Middle East.Europeans wanted a cheaper way to import goods from Asia.
Trade routes to India avoiding the Middle East.Europeans wanted a cheaper way to import goods from Asia.
There were some historical periods when it was really not that easy for Europeans to trade with Asia, but it was at least possible to do so, because of trade routes which went from Asia, through Afghanistan, to Europe. Europe and Asia form a single land mass, sometimes called Eurasia, so no shipping is actually required to travel from Asia to Europe.
mainly silk and spices and open trade routes
They wanted a route to Asia. The Silk Road was long, expensive, and dangerous.