It was a mixture of various reasons, although for the Spanish and Portuguese it was a question of reaching India for spice trades after the embargo instated on them by the Ottoman Turks.
The Portuguese went around Africa, and the Spanish tried sailing west across the barren ocean, and accidentally discovered America through Columbus.
The pros were that you were being protected by the guild in case of something bad happening you like getting hurt or similar. They would help you and your family for example. The cons were that you wouldn't be able to dictate the price of your wares which was done to prevent exploitation of consumers, so even if you were in a position to establish a personal monopoly, you couldn't and you couldn't become richer than what is the adequate wealth for a merchant.
Answer:
It is Napoleon, the French emperor of the early 19th century.
Explanation:
Napoleon had occupied Spain and also wanted to control Portugal to exclude the British. He invaded Russia with the largest army ever assembled until then in history in the summer of 1812: half a million men. The Russian kept withdrawing and only fought some major frontal battles with La Grande Armée. Moscow was abandoned, the French occupied it without resistance, but a few days later, it was burned by the Russians; the French were left with no food. Just before the start of the winter, Napoleon quit Moscow with his army for a long retreat with no appropiate winter clothes and no food; they were harassed by Cosacks and were persecuted by the Russian army; only around 20,000-30,000 men survived the disastrous campaign that broke France´s might. Napoleon raised another army, but his enemies proved to be stronger this time and force his abdication in 1814 while Paris was surrounded.
He was sent to exile to Elba, but he escaped in 1815 and retook power. He fought his last battle in Waterloo, Belgium, on June 18, 1815, he suffered his final defeat at the hands of the British and the Prussians.
