During the late 15th century, many powerful European Nations, headed by Catholic Monarchies emerged and consolidated their control and hold over large fragments of land and peoples throughout the peninsula. As these nations expanded; new trade routes and technologies exchanged hands, leading to improved standards of living, this resulted in extensive population growth. This meant that these nations had to compete for limited resources and space in order to sustain their people. Many of these nations such as the UK, France, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, began to look to the Western Seas in search of new lands and trade routes to the Eastern Empires. This new age of exploration gave rise to many young and eager explorers from Europe, such
