1.
At the end of the 15th century, the primary motivation for Iberian powers to seek new maritime routes to Asia was not merely a spirit of adventure. What was the decisive geopolitical and economic factor?
2.
To navigate across open oceans without coastal landmarks, 15th-century mariners adopted and perfected an astronomical instrument of classical and Islamic origin that allowed them to calculate latitude by measuring the height of the stars. What was this tool?
3.
Portugal was the pioneering nation in the Age of Discovery thanks to its strategic geographical position and the drive of a key historical figure who founded a center for nautical and cartographic studies in Sagres. Who was this individual?
