Portugal and Spain

In the 15th century, Western traders, particularly the Italians, needed new and better routes for the trading of products from the Orient, for which very high prices were paid in Europe. Since the days of Ancient Rome, luxury products from the Orient, which were generally known as ‘spices’, were a powerful incentive for the exploration of better commercial routes. Routes such as those traveled by Mediterranean merchants like Niccolò Polo and his son Marco and which had been recorded in the technical manuals of Western merchants since the start of the 14th century had to be explored again. The Italian merchants traveled along what was known as the ‘Mongol route’, from the Black Sea to Cathay, without difficulties. In the second half of the 14th century the silk route was consolidated, which allowed Chinese silk to be transported to Italian manufacturers at accessible prices. This large-scale traffic gave birth, in Genoa and Venice, to an industry of sumptuous textiles, brocades, and velvets, which left its mark on an epoch and formed part of a lively commercial activity. Thus, the Italians, who were adamant about profits, created a market of products that were manufactured in Italy with raw material brought from the East, as well as an ample market of condiments and aromatic substances.

However, the Italians lost their direct access to China and the Mongol route was affected by hostility to Christians. It became necessary to go back to ancient itineraries, with stopovers in Syria and Egypt, which were places controlled by Muslims and which entailed longer and more expensive routes, often in the hands of unstable and hostile states.