Although the Americas were not discovered until the late 1400s, there were many periods in Europe that led to its discovery. Those that stood out most were the Crusades, the Renaissance, the rise of absolute monarchs, and the Commercial Revolution. Starting with the Crusades of the 11th century, it took hundreds of years for the age of exploration to begin. As the years passed, the Catholic religion, technological advances, wealth and power became important factors in the conquest and colonization of lands in Africa, Asia and the Americas. European developments led to the discovery of America through religious, social, political and economic causes. The emphasis of the Catholic religion during the Crusades led to the spread of Christianity to many regions of Europe and an increase in trade. The Crusades were fought to take back the land of Jerusalem from the Muslims and also to protect the Catholic Church. The Crusades began when Pope Urban II stated that “…an accursed race completely alienated from God…has invaded the lands of the Christians and depopulated them by sword, plunder and fire. Wrest that land from the evil race and subdue it to yourselves,” in which he blames Muslims for the loss of their holy land. Subsequently, the sea routes to Jerusalem were closed due to Muslim conquests. This changed Christopher Columbus' original plan, which was to reach Jerusalem by sailing west. To continue his journey he set sail for the Americas, seen as a new opportunity to compensate for the loss of the Holy Land during the Crusades. Even the religious Order of Christ, founded in 1319 by King Dionysius of Portugal to continue the war again...... middle of paper ......rney and found success, although it discovered the Americas rather than India. One of Christopher Columbus' chief purposes of his voyage was the pursuit of wealth, in which he explained: "but verily, if I should find gold or spices in great quantities, I will remain until I have gathered as much as possible, and for this purpose I proceed exclusively in pursuit of them.The Commercial Revolution ultimately reshaped society through the decline of feudalism and the rebirth of the Renaissance. The discovery of the Americas was the result of events that occurred many years earlier of absolutism and the Commercial Revolution came together to sharpen exploration European influence has played an important role in American history and has shaped the direction of American society today.