Searching for Riches

By the early 1400s, the Ottoman Turks have established firm control over the Middle East. This creates an effective chokepoint for the shipment of high-profit items to Europe from China and India. Arabs take a cut on everything.

The solution is to bypass the Middle East altogether. The obvious route is to sail around the tip of Africa, and then head east. This is the option favored by the Portuguese, and later the Dutch and English.

Like most seamen, Columbus knows that the earth's surface is curved, so the entire planet must therefore be round. He believes, correctly, that you can also get to India by sailing west. This ushers in a new era of exploration.
Oceanic voyages, 1500s map

  Crossing Oceans
The Portuguese (in ORANGE) are the first to sail all the way around Africa, bypassing Muslim control of the Middle East. Columbus tries to reach India by sailing in the opposite direction, not knowing that America is blocking his path. Columbus makes four voyages (BLUE and GREEN), but never actually sets foot in the country we now call America.

Portuguese Spice Island exploration, 1500s map

  Sailing Around Africa
The Portuguese focus on India, because it's the center of the lucrative pepper trade.  They establish bases there (ORANGE dots), but are unable to hold onto bases further east in the Spice Islands. Enterprising Dutch merchants muscle their way into the Spice Island trade (GREEN dots). The Dutch create the world's first public stock offering, raising a vast sum of money to launch the hugely profitable Dutch East India Company. The British respond by creating a similar global trading company (RED dots).


Columbus' four voyages, map

  Searching for India
The lines above show the routes of the four voyages of Columbus. Note that he never actually reaches the shore of Florida, or any other part of today's America. He is resolutely focused on exploring further South, knowing that India lies well south of Japan, his first planned stop. The native peoples he encounters do not look Japanese, so he assumes the islands must be near India. Columbus refers to the natives as 'Indians,' and continues to believe that he has actually made it to India.