Which two events spurred the need to chart new maritime routes?

A: An increasing population forced Europeans to look for new lands to colonize.
B: The Turks captured Constantinople, closing the path to the Silk Road.
C: Europeans developed the economic system of mercantilism and needed reserves of gold and silver.
D: Europe witnessed a period that historians refer to as a “dark age.”
E: The spread of smallpox killed most of the Taino people.