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The Ottoman Empire’s capture of Constantinople cut off key trade routes to Asia, pushing Europeans to search for alternate sea routes and ultimately helping start the Age of Exploration.
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Sponsored by Prince Henry, Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to voyage around the southern tip of Africa into the Indian Ocean.
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Vasco da Gama reached India and helped establish direct trade for valuable goods such as spices, tea, and porcelain.
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Christopher Columbus voyages to the Caribbean funded by the Spanish monarchy in search of "God, Gold, and Glory" , which launched the Columbian Exchange.
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Ferdinand Magellan began the first voyage to sail around the globe as its captain. Although he died in 1521 before the journey was completed, his crew continued, with only one ship reaching back to Spain in 1522.
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Hernán Cortés invaded Mexico and partnered with Indigenous groups who opposed the Aztecs. These alliances helped him reach Tenochtitlan and eventually conquer the Aztec Empire.
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Francisco Pizarro captured the ruler of the Inca Empire, conquering their land causing the deaths of thousands of Indigenous people during the Spanish conquest.