Middle Ages 500-1350 The Middle Ages (500-1350 is sometimes called The Dark Ages. Life was stagnant, unchanged for hundreds of years with few technological advances.

Growth of Islam Historians proclaim Islam starts in Medina, Saudi Arabia in 622 by The Prophet Mohammed.

Conquest of Jerusalem As the religion spread, Muslims conquered lands across Africa and the Middle East, which included Jerusalem, a holy city for the Christians.

Christian Reaction In 1095, Pope Urban II called on Christians to re-capture the Holy Land

The Crusades Thousands of men from across Europe answered the call of Urban II. Their attempts to re-capture the Holy Land became known as The Crusades.

Returning Crusaders Returning Crusaders brought with them goods that Europeans were unaware of. Fine silks, bright colors, and spices to greatly enhance and preserve food.

Creating a Demand & Monopoly Europeans liked what the crusaders brought back and it created a demand for products. Merchants from Venice, Italy had a monopoly with the Middle East traders.

All-Water Route to Asia The demand for far eastern goods and the Venetian’s monopoly on trade, forced European nations to send explorers out seeking an all-water route to Asia.

Portuguese Explorations Prince Henry, named “The Navigator”, founded a school for navigation. Bartholomew Dias sailed to the tip of Africa in 1787 and Vasco da Gama became the first European to sail to the far east reaching India in 1498.

Ferdinand Magellan became the first to circumnavigate the earth. Spanish Explorers In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed on the first of four voyages to the western hemisphere. He spotted land on October 12. Ferdinand Magellan became the first to circumnavigate the earth.

Their explorations focus on the Great Lakes and Ohio country. French Explorers Their explorations focus on the Great Lakes and Ohio country. Jacques Cartier discovered the St. Lawrence river in 1534 which led to explorations by Champlain, LaSalle, Marquette, and Joliet.

British Explorations John Cabot, an Italian, was hired by the British in 1497. He journeys took him to what is today Newfoundland. Henry Hudson later followed exploring North America looking for “The Northwest Passage”.

Land Claims/Establishing Colonies British claims & colonies. French claims & colonies.

British/French Rivalry Both sides wanted control of North America for the vast unknown wealth that existed. From 1689 to 1814 Great Britain fought a series of wars to determine who would control Europe and North America.