2006-10-30 07:59:17 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
They were convinced they had found a new spice route to the Indies and it was a vital trading opportunity for cotton, valuable minerals and other commodoities.
Spain was competing with Portugal for "empire expansion" back then as well, so the more new worlds they could colonize & claim, the better.
Unfortunately, that also meant decimation of the native populations of those countries. Brutal "conversion to Christianity" (convert or die), Diseases to which they had no immunity, not to mention outright slaughter for no good reason,.
2006-10-30 08:14:37 · answer #1 · answered by belmyst 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
more land basically. Many nobles wanted more land but weren't entitled to inherit any because they weren't next in line to the crown or whatever so the way to get the land they thought they deserved was to hit unchartered territory. For example, 5 brothers with a king for a father. The only one to inherit anything was the oldest, the others were S.O.L. They couldn't obtain any land in portugal or the Iberian peninsula (before it was called spain) so when word of new land went around, they jumped at the chance!
2006-10-30 08:14:49 · answer #2 · answered by ´¯0())))»·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.· 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just went over this today in S.S. class. They wanted to settle there because they wanted:
-wealth
-gold
-more land
2006-10-30 08:05:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They thought that the ground was covered with gold, gold everwhere.....(:0)
2006-10-30 08:10:16 · answer #4 · answered by MIGHTY MINNIE 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they heard about the gold and about all the riches
2016-08-30 14:57:31 · answer #5 · answered by Karina 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋