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1095
Pope Urban ll calls for the Crusades
The Pope calls for a series of holy wars to take back the holy land from the Muslims -
1200
The Commercial Revolution
The Commercial Revolution was a change due to trade. It led to a movement of goods and trade which shifted power from the countryside to the cities. Entrepreneurship began and merchants began to shape their own destiny. -
1254
Marco Polo's Birth
Marco Polo was born in 1254 AD to a family of merchants in Venice, Italy, which was a center of commerce and trading in the Mediterranean area. -
1293
The Polos Begin a Journey
The Polo family began a journey back home after collecting ivory, jade, jewels, porcelain, and silk. They left with several hundred passengers, but because the journey was so dangerous they returned with only 18 including the Polo family. -
1298
Marco Polo's Endings
In a battle, Marco Polo was captured as a prisoner of war. He met a writer who encouraged him to write a book about his successes. Polo's book reveals to readers the benefits of trade and exploration but it also can warn people that danger lies ahead. -
1300
The Birth of The Renaissance
Beginning in the 14th century, there was a renewed interest in ideas from ancient Greece and Rome. -
1440
The Printing Press
It is said to be the most important invention of the Renaissance, the printing press was created by Johann Gutenberg. It allowed information to be distributed to a wide audience, as well as the spread of new scientific ideas and methods. -
1511
Montesinos Delivers His Sermon
Antonio Montesinos denounced the Spaniard's mistreatment of the New World Natives. -
1542
Bartolome de Las Casas Delivers His Excerpt
Las Casas spoke out against the destruction of the Natives from the Spaniard's. -
The End of the Renaissance
The Renaissance continued until the 17th century when Europeans started to study Greek and Roman arts, writings, mathematics, and science. They built upon these new ideas to reach new heights in their society.