Why Did Spain Want To Travel To Asia

Spain and Portugal really wanted to find a sea route to Asia for multiple reasons. Traveling to Asia by land takes too long, it’s expensive, and it’s a hassle. It’s also a more efficient way to get spices and other items. When traders come to Europe to sell silk, spices and other items from Asia, the items had been taxed so many times along the way that it becomes ridiculously expensive. Spain and Portugal also wanted a way to travel to Asia so they could convert people to Christianity and to increase economic and political power. A water route lessened the chance of a robbery. It was important for Spain and Portugal to find a sea route to Asia because of these reasons.

One of the reasons Spain specifically wanted a sea route is that their land routes to Asia crosses a lot of Muslim territory and they considered those areas unsafe. Of course, just like any other country, they wanted power and money, so in 1492 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella sent Christopher Columbus to find a sea route to Asia with a promise of some of the riches. Christopher didn’t find a sea route to Asia, but he did find the Americas, thinking that it was India. In 1520 an explorer named Ferdinand Magellan …show more content…
Bartholomeu was thrown off course by storm, but he came back on course and he went to tip of Africa and then he traveled back to Portugal. He successfully completed his mission of exploring the southern tip of Africa and finding a possible new way to Asia. In 1498 Vasco da Gama successfully reached India by sailing around Africa. Another explorer named Pedro Cabral tried to follow in Vasco da Gama’s footsteps and sail around Africa, but he sailed so wide around Africa that he reached