European Trade with India in the 14th Century

Middlemen in Trade

During the 14th century, European trade with India had Arabs as middlemen.

Trade Issues

• Their monopoly led to less profit and many issues in the trade.
• Therefore, Europeans started searching for alternative trade routes to India.

Factors Behind the Search

• The economic prosperity of the European region was another factor.
• Finding an ocean route to India became an obsession for Prince Henry of Portugal, who was called a ‘Navigator’.