But perhaps the most crucial result of the Venetian and Ottoman control of trade is that it forced other European powers to look for different paths to the riches of the East. And that fueled huge investments in exploration. The Portuguese sailed south and east around the southern tip of Africa, and the Spanish went west, believing that the Indies and China were much closer than they turned out to be. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week. Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson.