Rise of the Renaissance and Term Paper

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The Maritime Revolution occurred at the turn of the 1500s and began in full swing around 1550. It was started by many nation states within Europe at roughly the same time. Spain and England were the two early contributors to the Maritime Revolution, and many other European states soon followed. The Tudors of England and Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain were the main drivers behind this revolution. For the first time, Spain had complete control over its government following the union of Ferdinand and Isabella, in the wake of peace they turned their sites to new conquests the expansion of Spanish control. As a result, the Maritime Revolution occurred as Europe hastened to explore the world to discover unknown territories and new outlets for commerce. Spain was the first to sponsor such expeditions with the most famous being Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the Americas. Columbus's predecessors such as Vasca de Gama circumvented the coasts of Africa and brought about rich trade within the region. Their contributions were significant to the expansion of Europe into the forefront of world commercial centers. Up to this point, individual continents and empires were isolated as a result of the lack of trade venues. The expansion of the Maritime Revolution allowed for opening of trade routes with many different locales which both allowed Europe to gain in stature as well as wealth. England was also one of the powerhouses of the Maritime Revolution, the establishment of the English Navy and the funding of major explorations allowed them to be highly successful in claiming territories in both Asia Minor and Africa, and later on in the Americas. Other players within the Maritime Revolution include the Dutch, which played a significant role in island exploration as well as the Americas.
France also as a major player in the Maritime Revolution in keeping since with their neighbors. The reason that some states were able to participate in the Revolution while others did not was both a combination of chance and desire. Many countries such as the Ottoman Empire were situated mostly inland and did not devote the resources to develop technology and a credible armada. Asia in specific never took the opportunity to expand their navy simply because they already had too much land on their individual continent. All of this allowed Europe to take advantage of this golden age of exploration and thrust itself into the center of the world's governing hierarchy.

Asia Minor was one of the most important reasons that Europeans demanded greater Maritime innovations. The discovery of India and the riches of Asia Minor created a thirst for new trade routes to these areas. Land routes were extremely perilous and hard to establish because it had to cut through the Persian Sea and into the Ottoman Empire, therefore Europeans who lusted for access to the Asia Minor region wanted to find a water route to go to Asia Minor. This was the reason that Gama circumvented Africa in search of a route to India. It was also the reason that Columbus looked to go around the world in order to find a route to the Asia Minor. Without the incentives of untold riches in this far away land, Europeans would never have had the impetus to develop their maritime pursuits. Therefore, the development of trade routes with Asia Minor was a principle reason for….....

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