Desire of military strengths
Thirst for new markets
Belief in cultural superiority
Explanation:
beat someone to the punch
Um, I would say they might be shocked because back then they didn't have anything like Rock Concerts and they didn't really like anything different, surprising, or weird. That's why when they could not understand why someone cooked different they thought it was witch craft and thought that person was a witch and burned them alive or hung them.
Answer: an invasion of a castle.
Explanation: "They enter my castle wall!"
I hope this helps :)