HIS 1120 Lecture : The Discovery of America.docx

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: History
• Course: HIS 1120
• Professor: Hernan Tesler- Mabe

Document Summary

Europeans knew the worlds was not flat; otherwise columbus would not have set sail. Why did europeans begin to travel: commerce. Italian merchants have large control; the ottoman empire, the rest. (no longer an option: missionary zeal; constantinople had fallen, the spread of christianity had to go somewhere, explore. During the middle ages; lots of contact with the arab world (very different idea of how they saw the world); would like a better understanding of what the world actually looks like. Marco polo and the portuguese; travels to what it modern-day china and begins a very lucrative trade for spices (route becomes useless because of ottoman turks) Portuguese decide to go around africa; travel extensively along the african shore, india and. 1487-1488; have already gotten to the cape of good hope. Born in genoa, by 1470s, becomes a sailor and begins to sail with the merchant fleet.