Age of Discovery

=== Religion ===
[[Religion]] played a critical role in motivating European [[expansionism]]. In 1487, Portuguese envoys [[Pero da Covilhã]] and [[Afonso de Paiva]] were sent on a covert mission to gather intelligence on a potential sea route to [[Indian subcontinent|India]] and to inquire about [[Prester John]], a [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]] patriarch and king initially believed to rule over parts of the subcontinent. Covilhã was warmly received upon his arrival in Ethiopia but ultimately forbidden from leaving.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Covilham, Pero |volume= 7 | pages = 344–345 |short=1}}</ref>

[[File:The First Thanksgiving, 1621.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|An idealized depiction of Pilgrims and Native Americans who gather to share a [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] meal.]]

During the [[Middle Ages]], the spread of [[Christianity]] throughout Europe fueled the desire to sermonise in lands far and beyond. This evangelical effort became a significant part of the military conquests of European powers like [[Portuguese Empire|Portugal]], [[Spanish Empire|Spain]], and [[French colonial empire|France]], often leading to the conversion of indigenous peoples upon arrival, be it voluntary or forced.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Viault |first1=Birdsall |title=Modern European History |date=1991 |publisher=McGraw Hill |isbn=0-07-067453-1 |pages= 82–83 |edition=II. Series}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ricard |first1=Robert |title=An Essay on the Apostolate and the Evangelizing Methods of the Mendicant Orders in New Spain: 1523–1572, translated from French by Lesley Bird Simpson |date=1966 |publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>

Furthermore, religious orders such as the [[Franciscans]], [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], [[Augustinians]], and [[Jesuits]] partook in most missionary endeavours in the [[New World]]. By the late 16th and 17th centuries, the latter's presence increased as they sought to reassert their power and revive the Catholic culture of Europe, which had been damaged most severely by the [[Reformation|Protestant Reformation]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Thomas J. |title=The Jesuits, 1534–1921: A History of the Society of Jesus from Its Foundation to the Present Time |publisher=New York: The Encyclopedia Press |isbn=978-0-87821-018-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/jesuits15341921h00camp |access-date=30 March 2023}}</ref>