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The discovery of the trade winds enabled Europeans to reach out to what they thought was the Far East. Europeans had long dreamt of an alternative route to the riches of the East all available without having to pay taxes and dues to other sovereign states. Revenues would increase and profits would soar.
How valuable would such information have been? How did this contribute to the economic and social prosperity of those that discovered and had access to such information? What impact did it have on their prosperity when eventually other states, sailors, merchants and privateers gained access to it?
Written by Bruce Hallas
