European exploration and conquest of the new world can be summed up into three words Gold, Glory, and God. The point of the Exploration of the New World was simple firstly there was the prospect of gold. The gold that could be mined and the gold that could be found in the Far East, which was there initial intention before “bumping” into the Americas, and then eventually staying in the Americas. Then there was the glory. What is greater than having a continent (AMERI go Vespucci sound familiar), or and Island Hispeneola (for Spain) names after you or your country.
Lastly God that ties in with glory these people were for the most part bible thumping inquisitors, which was funded and took place during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, who also as it happens funded most famously Columbus. The though of spreading the Catholic faith to these people was great motivation not so much for the conquistadors who wanted glory and honor as much as a selling point to their sovereign. The Gold the Spanish searched for the most part was never found. Gold was stolen, seized, and bartered for little or next to nothing. El Dorado, the city of gold was never found.
Gold was already taken from the earth by the ancient Aztec and Incas, that was stolen seized, etc… but the Island in the Caribbean were never sources of gold and the mineral deposits on these island as minimal for anything let alone gold. The Spanish wanted gold and to find the Northwestern passage to the Orient which could provide even more gold. France, Portugal, and England were also motivated by this desire to get a shortcut to the Orient but this could never be found. The Europeans had to settle for what they could steal and seize. Not only were the Europeans motivated by the though of money which is the common motivator of man they were also motivated by the thought of glory.
The Essay on European Colonization of the Caribbean
The Spanish conquests in the Americas encouraged other European countries to expand their domains in the New World. In the latter half of the 16th century, Portugal conquered Brazil in the hope of upsetting Spain in South America. Between 1690 and 1650, the French, Dutch, and English made unsuccessful attempts to occupy the northern coasts of Brazil and the neighboring islands of St. Kitts and the ...
The Americas were named after an Italian Explorer. Jamestown after King James I, Virginia after the virgin queen, Elizabeth I, New Netherlands after none other than the Netherlands the list goes on and on. This glory is enduring more so than things that are tangible, colonies, countries, territories for the most part just don’t disappear. Today the glory of these long dead monarchs still permeates in our minds through the colonies that they helped fund and establish. The glory was also not just bestowed upon the “benevolent” sovereign, but also on the explorer that found these lands. These men went home with heroes welcomes as long as they brought something back which brings us back to gold these men who received glory were also promised certain riches in the “virgin” land so they decided to come across and find their fortunes follow the lore to this land.
The men were motivated by glory and gold. Along with Glory and Gold these explorers were motivated by the thought of God. Many monarchs at this time hadn’t seen the reformation with the exception of England who had split to create the Anglican Church. In principal was still following the rites and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore these Christian nations still were strongly influenced by faith, faith for many of them was their only salvation during feudalism and still remains their salvation in the early days of the Renaissance. The nations especially their Sovereigns would do anything to spread their faith.
God also seemed like a good enough reason to do anything. Hey Such-and-Such is being a bad country, for the glory of god we must defeat them. This sect of people are being bad they MUST be punished for the grace of God we must punish them. Therefore when these potential explorers went to the courts of Kings and Queens for funding the reigning selling point was “we can further our saviors mission by converting non-believers.” There we go it’s a done deal bring us gold, glory and spread the word and glory of God to all those non-believers. Spain went searching for the Northwester passage for Gold, they sough a shortcut to the Orient; they also went to spread Christianity. France wanted to spread God find wealth and assert their role as a Nation able to spread French influence; France also wanted to find her own passage to the Orient.
The Report on God, Gold and Glory: the Age of Exploration
... erupted across Europe. These newfound beliefs about God, gold and glory became the prime motives of the Age ... to Asia. Columbus was just one of many explorers financed by the Spanish monarchy, and although he ... one motive to explore the unknown world. The spread of Christianity became a partial justification and major ... of frenzy between the rest of the European nations to get to this new land and find ...
The English were more or less just looking for yet another route to the Orient and you could throw in some gold glory and god for them also. Therefore these three nations are just a few nations that attempted to colonize for gold, for glory, or God.
