Question

What were the religious and economic motives for Portugal and Spain to take risks in an attempt to find new trade routes across the Atlantic?

A) Religious Motive: Spreading Christianity; Economic Motive: Acquiring new sources of wealth and trade routes.
B) Religious Motive: Establishing diplomatic relations with Asia; Economic Motive: Gaining political influence in Africa.
C) Religious Motive: Advancing Islam; Economic Motive: Securing access to spice trade in the Indian Ocean.
D) Religious Motive: Promoting Buddhism; Economic Motive: Developing cultural exchanges with the Americas.

Answer 1

The religious motive for Portugal and Spain's exploration was to spread Christianity, and the economic motive was to acquire new sources of wealth and trade routes by finding a sea route to Asia's lucrative spice trade.

Step-by-step explanation:

The religious and economic motives for Portugal and Spain in the age of exploration were primarily centered around spreading Christianity and finding new lucrative trade routes, respectively. The correct option that reflects both motives is A) Religious Motive: Spreading Christianity; Economic Motive: Acquiring new sources of wealth and trade routes. The Portuguese, like other Europeans, were driven by stories of a lost Christian kingdom and sought to form alliances to fight the influence of Islam, a religious motive. They also dreamed of discovering routes that would lead to the vast wealth of the spice trade known to come from Asia, which was seen as key to eroding Muslim control over trade and strengthening Christian influence, manifesting an economic motive.

Spain, following Portugal's lead, sponsored Columbus's 1492 voyage with similar goals. Spain's expansion into the Americas and its subsequent golden age of art and literature resulted from the success of these explorations. Such activities were motivated by the intention to spread Christianity and to discover new wealth and trade routes that would circumvent Muslim-dominated overland routes. Therefore, the drive to explore and conquer new lands was fueled by a combination of religious zeal and the promise of economic gain.