Afanasy Nikitin was a Russian merchant from Tver and one of the first Europeans to travel to and document his visit to India. He described his trip in a narrative known as A Journey Beyond the Three Seas.

Niccolò de' Conti was an Italian merchant, explorer, and writer. Born in Chioggia, he traveled to India and Southeast Asia, and possibly to Southern China, during the early 15th century. He was one of the sources used to create the 1450 Fra Mauro map, which indicated that there was a sea route from Europe around Africa to India.