15th Century Power Shift || USA History| Ep-2

#15thcentury #constantinople #history
15th century came. The Fifteenth Century. This shifted international power dynamics which changed everything on the globe. The man of the old world and especially of Europe was forced to... ...come out of his comfort zone and find new ways and new lands. This shift was caused by the Muslim conquerors. What was this shift? This Old World the Native Americans had left 25,000 years ago... ...here Europe was a major power before the 15th Century. It was a dominant force. The Roman Empire of Europe was the world's superpower for hundreds of years. And he ruled in many parts of Asia. Gradually the Roman Empire weakened and reduced to the Byzantine Empire. This empire' what it was now? It was just a city of Constantinople. This Empire stood merely on the memory of the old times and the strong walls. Then in 1453, the Turks destroyed the last sign of the Roman Empire. Turk Sultan Muhammad Fateh conquered Constantinople to end the Roman Empire. The name of the city was also changed from Constantinople to Istanbul. The power of Europe ended in the 15th century, and now there was lamentation. Constantinople was an important military base and a holy city in Europe. It was the centre of Orthodox Christianity. It was settled by Constantine, the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire. Here Constantine also built a magnificent church, Hagia Sophia ... so Christians from all over Europe had a special devotion to this city. But apart from devotion, the city had another significance... as it was a lifeline of trade from Asia and especially China to Europe. From the markets of Central Asia Chinese silk, spices, precious stones, gold, silver... ...and many other items would pass through this route to reach Europe. This route was closed with Constantinople falling to the Turks. This defeat caused Europeans agony both economically and spiritually. Economically, joblessness was enhanced in Europe by the closure of trade routes. People began to become poorer to the point of having no food to eat. Forced by hunger, people used to dispose of their children in the garbage heap. Farmers began to commit suicide or lived like slaves burdened by loan interests. The hungry and resourceless people took to plundering to save their lives. Soon crimes increased to an extent that the pedestrians in the European streets... ...would walk looking skyward rather than the earth. The criminals in houses would throw stones to crush the heads of pedestrians. Then would take away what they could from the clothes of the dead bodies. Therefore, safety lay in walking head upward. Wealthy people had hired guards, but ordinary people were killed openly. The government guards were also helpless in this situation. This economic disaster of Europe came after Constantinople was snatched... ...and by the closure of trade routes. The spiritual disaster was another as the stern religious Christians believed... ...that Europe, the hub of Christianity, was going to Muslims one-by-one. So these people thought it a difficult time for Christianity. Christian areas are shrinking day by day, geographically decreasing. They felt if the situation went on Christianity or its power might end. So the Europeans, their religious and commercial class, looked for a new world. But where could they find such a world? They did not know that just 4/5 thousand kilometres to the west, there is a world... ...almost equal to the whole world and rich in natural resources, gold, silver, oil, etc. They only knew of the world to travel through eastwards to China and Japan. Then China and Japan were discussed in a house in Europe. But for what purpose? Because Marco Polo's travelogue was now everywhere in Europe. Marco Polo wrote China as Cathay and Japan as Sepango. About Japan, he wrote that the roofs of the royal palace are made of gold... ...doors and windows are decorated with gold and most floors are gold-plated. Thus he exaggerated the wealth of China and its Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan... ...even to hyperbole. Though Marco Polo's travelogue was written at least 150 years earlier. But in the poor condition of Europeans, Polo's travelogue was the only ray of hope. This travelogue of Marco Polo inspired the European youth that they... ...must find a way to reach China and Japan and get the riches... ...the stories Marco Polo had peppered with. But the problem was that the land route was now blocked by the Turks. Another route was across the Mediterranean Sea through Egypt. This route too was occupied by the Muslim empire of the Mamluks. Throughout the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to Egypt, Islamic states existed... ...that attacked European merchant ships. Europe could find no safe passage from there either. Thus, Europe was in a way under the siege of Muslims. Adventurers like Bartolomeo Diaz found a route to reach Asia from around Africa. But this route was very long, A one-way route would take months to complete.