From the 15th century until the 16th century, men sought different sea routes for several reasons. Towards the end of the 14th century, the Empire of the Mongols was falling apart, so it was no longer safe to trade using land routes. Moreover, the Ottoman Empire and the Venetians controlled trade in the Mediterranean. Finally, new nations on the shores of the Atlantic of Europe were ready to be involved in international trade. All of these reasons forced Kings to send seamen searching new routes to use to trade. What they found, however, were new lands. As a result of the new discovered lands, Empires in the old continent became interested in conquering these new lands and in making their empires larger, stronger and more powerful.