Historians use the term “God, Gold and Glory” to summarize European motives for exploring overseas exploration and expansion. God refers to their desire to spread Christianity; Gold represents their pursuit of wealth from Asiatic spices, African slaves, and American metals; while Glory refers to greater power and an expanded empire.
Table of Contents
1. Money
Money refers to any object accepted as payment for goods and services or repayment of debts in any society or economic environment. Money can serve as both store of value and deferred payment system – originally commodity money was accepted, while today most modern monetary systems use fiat currency instead.
European explorers were motivated by a desire for glory, money and religious zeal when venturing forth during the Age of Exploration. Furthermore, there was also the desire to introduce Christianity into non-Christian nations.
European explorers were motivated by a desire for money. They desired making themselves rich by trading with native populations they encountered in the new world and by creating trade routes between Europe and Asia that would bolster Europe’s economy.
Columbus saw his discovery of vast quantities of gold as proof that his voyage had been successful and saw it as both an act of gratitude for all of his hard work, as well as vindication of his vision. Furthermore, new land discoveries brought down prices for many Asian spices and commodities making them more affordable to Europeans.
Europeans believed it was their duty to spread Christianity throughout the world, seeing it as a means to gain salvation for themselves and their loved ones in heaven, while simultaneously expanding glory and prestige for their countries by being first to explore unexplored lands.
Glory is the name given to praise honor or distinction. This term can also refer to someone’s reputation or achievements. Additionally, glory refers to anything beautiful or magnificent. European explorers were intent upon attaining glory both from others as well as from God himself; therefore they often invoked “To God be the glory” when writing reports and letters back home; this was common practice during this period and continues today among Catholic churches worldwide.
2. Fame
God Gold Glory describes the Europeans’ motivations for exploration as their primary goal was economic expansion – they desired more spices, gold and faster trading routes to enhance their economy; furthermore they wanted to spread Christianity among their cultures while seeking fame and prestige both personally and for their country.
The “Gold, God and Glory” mantra served as the driving force for European exploration expansion and conquest between 1400-1750 that propelled them to world power status. Christianity spread as Europeans sought new sources of wealth while honor and prestige were sought to elevate themselves and their monarchies to global status.
Spain was driven by its devotion to God and gold glory because without an industry, it relied on buying goods from other countries – with gold as one of their major sources. Furthermore, Spanish Catholicism meant any territory conquered was beneficial to its church.
Dutch were similarly inspired by God to expand their trade network; one effective means was through developing sea routes to China and Southeast Asia – rich sources of silk and other luxury items – but also religious beliefs of spreading Christianity as they believed they had a duty to spread Christianity to spread it further.
Portuguese were also motivated by a sense of God-given glory as they needed the riches from East to support their growing population and military, and establish an expansive naval empire.
The British were driven by both God and gold glory to improve their economy through trade and expansion, increase religious influence across the globe, and become a global power. Their main competitors, the Dutch and Portuguese were similarly driven by both money and glory which resulted in increased exploration, building of trade networks, colonization efforts, as well as adventurous explorers willing to take risks for reward.
3. Religion
Historians commonly utilise the phrase, “God Glory and Gold,” to characterise European overseas exploration expansion and conquest during 1400-1750 that enabled various European countries to achieve world power status. Here “God” stands for spreading Christianity while “Glory” refers to winning more riches and power for one’s nation; finally “Gold” represents money itself.
God was of primary importance to explorers as Christians considered it their duty to spread Christianity worldwide. Additionally, they desired to find a sea passage into Asia with its plentiful silk and spice resources in order to gain wealth for themselves and their families as well as becoming famous through their Christian endeavors and hopefully being honored with high honors by their monarch.
Europe was experiencing rapid economic expansion at this time, necessitating more goods to sustain it. Spain in particular was experiencing such difficulties and depended heavily on trade with other nations to meet its needs; to increase economic growth further it needed more spices and other valuable commodities that could be traded for gold or other precious metals.
Exploration was driven by exploiting Americas for their abundant supply of raw materials like cotton and timber, which proved a profitable source of revenue for colonisers as well as providing new food sources, plants and animals that had been unavailable previously.
Finally, another motivation of explorers was the desire to conquer new territories. This was especially important for Spanish explorers as they competed against other European nations for control over Inca and Aztec empires of Peru and Mexico respectively – two rich with gold that could be used as currency and be made into coins for trading purposes – making for fierce rivalries among rival nations who wanted control of such rich territories to reap increased commerce benefits from expanding commerce within these new areas.
4. Glory
Glory is a term used to express praise and honor bestowed on someone or something, often related to reputation or career success. A famous athlete might use “To God be the glory,” after winning an important race; politicians often employ it when honoring their accomplishments. European nations during the Age of Exploration were driven by three main motivations – God, Gold and Glory; these motivations gave rise to what is commonly known as god gold and glory definition.
Explorers of the new world sought wealth, prestige, and admiration from their peers and monarchy back home. Additionally, some came with religious motives to spread Christianity and gain glory for themselves and Christianity itself; hence their initial attraction to America.
Gold was essential to explorers as it allowed them to use its profits from exploring a new world to buy goods and services from other countries, build more powerful ships and equipment, enabling them to explore further than before.
Finally, the explorers desired to bring back all of the riches they found to their homelands for great pride and honor from their monarchy and to make their nation richer and stronger.
God, Glory and Gold sum up Europe’s exploration of the New World as its primary motives. Money and fame were key motivators, while religion and glory provided spiritual motivations for exploration. Explorers sought to spread Christianity, gain glory for themselves and bring gold back home – goals they were successful in fulfilling – making their sponsors proud while making themselves worthy successors; especially true in Spain where Columbus and Magellan both sought glory along with resources that helped their economy to expand economically – which led them to becoming one of the most powerful nations during early modern era exploration.
