Christopher Columbus (1451-1506): An Italian who was a Spanish explorer, Columbus was most famous because of his "discovery" of the "New World". Contrary to popular belief, Columbus mistreated the Native Americans, killing over a third of their populations in the period of two years. His major motives were spreading Christianity and finding a westward route to Asia. Personal motivation was power, glory, and gold. His supporters were Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain; he propagandized the new world so that they would continue funding the whole expedition. His failures were the ineffectiveness of the establishment of colonies, his mistreatment of the natives, and his failure in finding the direct route to the spice market. By all means necessary in this case means wiping out a whole tribe of Indians just to establish the dominance. .
Cartier (1491-15570): French mariner who is most famous for his voyages to present day Canada. His major backer was King Francis I of France. His mission was to find a northwest passage to China and create a direct route to the gold and spices, and open traffic for gold inhabitants. Personal motives were the same as Columbus, gold, power, and glory. Cartier got along well with the Indians, creating a good French-Indian relationship. His exploration was the basis for France's claim on Canada. Even though they claimed this territory, France was unable to make any mercantile gains. The establishment of colonies would not hold and they ended up not being very effective. .
Vasco Da Gama (1469-1524): Portuguese explorer, Da Gama was most famous for his discovery of a direct sea route to India. His voyages weren't all that great, barely surviving the Cape of Good Hope, but by the time they reached the Indian Ocean, things were looking up. Unfortunately, when they got to India, they found that the country was very commercially developed; therefore none of the European goods they brought were of great importance or value.
