Factors prompting exploration

• Young Elizabethan men such as Drake wanted to explore the world due to published accounts, which, although inaccurate, gave people the belief that they would find treasure which could make them wealthy
• Nagivating around the globe became safer and easier through the development of nautical devices and astrolabes which allowed better communication
• The development of standardized maps, such as the Mercator map in 1569 ensured sailors were going in the right direction, reducing risks during voyages
• Galleons were designed during this period, which were bigger and faster. They also contained great firepower to protect themselves from attacks from pirates
• Galleons could take on more supplies which promoted more trade and longer explorations
• Private investors and Queen Elizabeth often funded voyages and offered massive awards, which encouraged people to go on voyages despite the risks
• Exploration increased the income of the crown and nobility, helping the monarch to pay off debts
• English merchants explored more to look for trading opportunities, as the war with spain had ruined trade of cotton with the Netherlands
• John Hawkins was an explore who discovered that iron goods and guns could be sold in West Africa in exchange for slaves. Slaves were then sold in the New World in exchange for spices
• The trade between Africa and Europe and the New World was called the triangular trade