Cause-and-Effect

Cause-and-Effect
Portuguese explorers of the late 15th –16th centuries and their discoveries fueled a rivalry with Spain that spurred Columbus’s expedition and resulted in the founding and shaping of the new land. During the 15th century, Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) sponsored Portuguese exploration of the African coast in search of a new route for gold trade, which had been monopolized by Muslims for generations. By the late 15th century, gold was entering Europe on Portuguese ships rather than Arab land routes. Bartholomew Dias, who rounded the Cape of Good Hope (the tip of Africa) in 1487, and Vasco da Gama, who sailed to the shores of India in 1498, achieved further goals for Portugal and created more pressure for Spain to find a different route to the East Indies. The effect of Portuguese success in obtaining routes to India was that Columbus was sent by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492 to sail westward in an attempt to also find a route to India. Had the Portuguese not found success in their search for a route to India, then Spain may not have had to respond with Columbus’s expedition