Forget gold; spices were the hot commodity in the Middle Ages. They grew only in the distant lands of the East (modern-day southern Asia), and there were only a couple paths to bring them to Europe; none of them convenient. When the Ottomans took Constantinople, the Turkish route, one of the most convenient, closed — the Europeans did not want a non-Christian rival power to profit off their trade. That left the North Africa – Italy route, which enriched the various Italian city-states — little better than enriching the Ottomans. The best solution, as Spain and most others decided, was to find a new road for themselves. Such was the motivation of Christopher Columbus’ for his famous first voyage.

On this day, April 17, in 1492 Christopher Columbus concluded his agreement with the Spanish court, to find a new spice route to the east. His reward, in addition to governorship of all lands acquired and hereditary nobility, for the mission would be ”of all and every kind of merchandise … which may be bought, bartered, discovered, acquired and obtained within the limits of the said Admiralty … the tenth part of the whole.” Ten percent of all sales would be Columbus’ own.

The voyage almost never happened, if not for the intervention of the Spanish king Ferdinand. Columbus tried several times, unsuccessfully, to lobby the Spanish court for a commission to seek out the new lands, but even despite the help of some court insiders, his appeals were turned down. Columbus was on his way to France to offer his services when Ferdinand’s messengers overtook him and invited him back to court. Ferdinand did not expect Columbus to succeed of even survive the voyage, but on the off chance he did, the court would not lose out on the riches.