Navigation and Astronomy:
As we have said earlier, by the edd of the Middle Ages, trade on land and over the seas was being Sken up on a big scale. By the fifteenth century, the Turks had acquired a monopoly of trade routes on land. Therefore, new sea routes for trade were being explored. Great voyages were undertaken. We all know about Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese sailor, who reached India in I497 via the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Around the same time, a great and adventurous voyage was undertaken to sail westward on the Atlantic Ocean in the hope of reaching India. Columbus, an inspired adventurer, though a penniless sailor, was able to obtain the assistance of Portuguese, Spanish, English and French courts to undertake this journey. He reached the continent, later named as America, in 1492 thinking that he had reached India. The adventure, the general excitement and ultimately, the great profitability of these voyages created great enthusiasm for building new ships and instruments for navigation. Interest in astronomy was strongly revived.