Christopher Columbus

Late 1400s-early 1500s: This was the period of time where political centralization was its greatest in Europe. It was the conclusion of the War of the Roses that allowed the Tudor family to reign over England. Louis XI strengthened France's power with the reorganizing of state finances. Lastly, the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in Spain allowed them to create power out of independent kingdoms. Even though the methods for the English, French and Spaniards were different, the power they acquired is what allowed them to provide the funds and resources needed for the exploration of the West.

Conquest of Canary Islands: The Spaniards conquered over the people of the Canary Islands which aided Spain greatly. The islands introduced sugar to the Spaniards which needed a lot of labor to grow. This resulted in the depositing of slaves to work the fields. This is process would be continue over and over by Europeans for years to come because they were driven by dreams of great wealth and gold. This process also became adopted by Europeans.

Christopher Columbus: Without him, Spain would never be able to gain an American Empire. He was funded by Isabella and Ferdinand to voyage to Cathay (modern day China) in Asia by heading west. Columbus's error in the estimation of Cathay distance from Spain (which was 3,000 nautical