European colonial

The beginning of the "Age of Discovery" around 1418 marked a new phase of European colonialism led by the Portuguese, who became increasingly expansionist following the conquest of Ceuta in 1415. Portugal aimed to control navigation routes through the Strait of Gibraltar, to spread Christianity, to amass wealth and plunder, and to suppress predation on Portuguese populations by Muslim Barbary pirates, who operated as part of a long-running African slave trade that the Portuguese would soon reverse and surpass. Around 1450, the Portuguese developed a lighter ship—the caravel—based on North African fishing boats. Caravels could sail further and faster than previous vessels, were highly maneuverable, and had the capability of sailing into the wind.