Magellan was sponsored by Spain to travel west across the Atlantic in search of the East Indies. In doing so, his expedition became the first from Europe to cross the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigate the world.

Vasco da Gama's famous exploration to India in the late 15th century was driven by a desire to establish direct trade routes to the source of valuable spices and other goods, bypassing the overland trade routes controlled by the Ottoman Empire.