When did European empires start?
When did European empires start? Western colonialism, a political-economic phenomenon whereby various European nations explored, conquered, settled, and exploited large areas of the world. The age of modern colonialism began about 1500, following the European discoveries of a sea route around Africa's southern coast (1488) and of America (1492). What were the two early great European empires? Discoveries. During the Age of Discovery, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the world, and went on the found large overseas empires. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to venture out into the Oceans. Where did...