European expansion in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was promoted by a. a decline in population, which required the importation of large numbers of slaves from Africa and the Americas. b. merchants who wished to increase their profits by eliminating the Muslim and Venetian middlemen. c. the secularization of society, which placed new emphasis on economic activity. d. the greater cooperation that existed among nations that combined their efforts in exploration. Columbus's discovery made Spain a wealthy and powerful nation, because a. the Spanish made use of the wealth of the New World to develop trade and industry at home. b. those who followed him, like Cortés, found great quantities of precious metals. c. the Portuguese were displaced in the valuable trade with the East Indies. d. he found a source of the precious spices that were in such great demand in Europe. Hidalgos were a. diplomats who negotiated with native peoples on behalf of the Spanish. b. lesser gentry who believed that holy war was a just means of acquiring wealth and power. c. anyone who had been given land grants in the New World. d. Spaniards who, with royal grants of authority, held power over natives in Spanish colonies. Convertible husbandry a. was delayed in England because of the laws of primogeniture. b. was limited to Western Europe, especially France and Spain. c. increased productivity, which was essential to later industrialization. d. did not occur in the Netherlands because of the limited amount of land available for agriculture. Fifteenth- and sixteenth-century innovations in business methods included all of the following EXCEPT a. the development of maritime insurance. b. the development of international stock exchanges. c. improved accounting methods. d. improved banking methods. Commercial development in Spain was inhibited by a. the low status attached to land ownership. b. its tiny population relative to other countries