EVENTS THAT LEAD TO EUROPEAN EXPLORATION

THE FIRST EUROPEANS IN NORTH AMERICA - FIRST CAME FROM NORWAY THE NORSEMEN OR VIKINGS - AROUND A.D. 500, THE NORSEMEN BEGAN TO SETTLE ICELAND - BY A.D. 870, ICELAND IS POPULATED BY THE NORSEMEN - THIS ISLAND WAS CALLED "ICELAND" TO DISCOURAGE SETTLEMENT BY OTHER EUROPEANS

A.D. 985 ERIC THE RED DISCOVERED GREENLAND” - WHILE SEARCHING FOR NEW TERRITORY - CALLED "GREENLAND" TO ATTRACT SETTLERS FROM EUROPE - OTHER NORSEMEN SET OUT TO SETTLE GREENLAND, BECOME LOST AND DISCOVER A NEW LAND "COVERED WITH TREES"

IN 1001, LEIF ERICSON SPENT AT LEAST ONE WINTER IN NEWFOUNDLAND CANADA. -CALLED THE AREA VINLAND (LAND COVERED IN VINES.) - OTHER FAMILIES ATTEMPTED TO POPULATE VINLAND -SETTLEMENT LASTED ONLY THREE YEARS DUE TO ATTACKS BY NATIVE AMERICANS (ALEUTS OR ESKIMOS)

EUROPEAN INDIFFERENCE TO EXPLORATION - BETWEEN 1004 AND 1096, MOST OF EUROPE IGNORED THE "REAL" WORLD. EUROPEANS DURING THIS PERIOD -SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE DARK AGES BUT BETTER DESCRIBED AS THE MIDDLE AGES OR THE PERIOD OF FEUDALISM. - DURING THIS PERIOD OF HISTORY, THE KNOWN WORLD CONSISTED OF: EUROPE, THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, NORTHERN AFRICA AND INDIA. - EUROPE HAD LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF OR ANY DESIRE TO EXPLORE AND LEARN ABOUT THE "REAL" WORLD.

THE CRUSADES CHANGE EUROPE - THE CRUSADES WERE A SERIES OF RELIGIOUS WARS FOUGHT FROM 1096 TO BETWEEN THE CHRISTIANS CHRISTIANS OF EUROPE AND THE MUSLIMS MUSLIMS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. THE ISSUE WAS WHO WOULD CONTROL THE "HOLY LAND", JERUSALEM.

CRUSADERS RETURN TO EUROPE -TOLD OTHERS IN EUROPE OF GREAT CITIES, BUSY MARKETS THAT CONTAINED NEW GOODS SUCH AS" GOLD, SILK, JEWELS AND SPICES. - EUROPEANS BEGIN TO WANT TO TRADE FOR THESE NEW PRODUCTS AND DUE TO ITS' LOCATION, ITALY BECOMES A GREAT TRADING NATION AND BEGINS TO GENERATE WEALTH AND POWER BY CHARGING HIGH PRICES FOR GOODS WANTED IN EUROPE.

THE CRUSADES WERE A “SUCCESSFUL FAILURE”

THE CHRISTIANS DO NOT TAKE CONTROL OF THE HOLY LAND AFTER 4 CRUSADES BUT DO OPEN THE EYES OF EUROPEANS TO A WIDER WORLD FILLED WITH PRODUCTS THAT THEY WOULD COME TO DESIRE.

MARCO POLO -TRAVELED OVER LAND TO CHINA AND SPENT OVER 20 YEARS STUDYING CHINA. WHEN HE RETURNED TO EUROPE HE WROTE A BOOK DESCRIBING INCREDIBLE SIGHTS. MANY WERE EXAGGERATED BUT MANY WERE TRUE: BURNING SAND (OIL); BURNING ROCK (COAL); -TONS OF RAW SILK; AND "MORE GOODS TRADED ON ONE CHINESE RIVERS THAN ALL OF THE RIVERS OF EUROPE COMBINED."

POLO'S STORY LIT THE FIRES IN EUROPEANS. ESPECIALLY IN THREE GROUPS

ADVENTURERS: ADVENTURERS: WHO WANTED TO EXPLORE NEW LAND AND ITS' PEOPLE

MERCHANTS: MERCHANTS: WHO WANTED THE RICHES THAT TRADE WOULD BRING

RULERS: RULERS: WHO WANTED LAND, WEALTH AND POWER.