Summary
Highlights
The Vikings, guided by Thor, used their advanced longboats to explore across Europe and eventually westward across the Atlantic, becoming the first known Europeans to land in the Americas. Thorvald Eiriksson, a legendary explorer, landed in what he called a 'fine place.' However, this land belonged to the Innu, descendants of America's first pioneers, who had been isolated for 19,000 years. The encounter resulted in conflict, with the Innu's stone-tipped arrows proving effective against the Vikings' iron broadaxes. Thorvald Eiriksson became the first European to die on American soil, leading to a 500-year hiatus before another European set foot in the New World.
Despite lacking iron tools, horses, or wheeled vehicles, the peoples of America engineered great monuments and mapped the stars. In Mexico, the Aztec Empire built Tenochtitlan, a city larger than London, Paris, or Rome, known for its advanced civilization, laws, and compulsory education. The Aztecs, however, believed their gods required human blood to maintain universal balance, leading to ritual sacrifices. A prime example is the story of Tlahuicole, a skilled enemy warrior captured for an intense gladiatorial combat ritual. Despite his bravery, he is eventually overcome, and his heart is offered to Huitzilopochtli, the god of sun and war, in exchange for a bountiful corn harvest, a crop that would become critical to mankind's future.
In 1453, Constantinople, the eastern capital of the Christian world, faced a siege by the Ottoman Turks, led by Sultan Mehmed II. Mehmed, obsessed with conquering the city, sought control of key trade routes and the vast spice market, particularly pepper. The city's formidable defensive walls posed a significant challenge, but Mehmed's use of non-stop artillery bombardment, a devastating new form of warfare, eventually led to the walls' collapse. The fall of Constantinople transformed Christian Constantinople into Islamic Istanbul, and the Hagia Sophia became the largest mosque. This shift in power forced Europeans to seek a new sea route to the riches of the East.
Thirty years after Constantinople's fall, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias embarked on a journey to find a new route to India around the southern tip of Africa. Facing treacherous storms and uncharted waters, Dias made a pivotal decision to head into the open Atlantic, relying on the ancient Roman technology of the triangular lateen sail to navigate against the wind. Unbeknownst to him, ocean gyres, vast circular currents, aided his journey, slingshotting his ship towards the Cape of Good Hope. His discovery opened a new sea route to the East, bypassing Constantinople, and transformed global trade, leading to new empires and connections worldwide.
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian maverick, discovered land, believing it to be Japan. In reality, it was the Bahamas, off the coast of a vast new world. Columbus had significantly underestimated the distance, but his journey, funded by Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, opened the Americas to Europe. The indigenous Taino people, described as tall and healthy, greeted Columbus and his crew. However, the Europeans carried unseen biological weapons: diseases to which the Native Americans had no immunity. This first contact marked the beginning of an invisible killer that would decimate the New World's population.
Twenty-eight years after Columbus, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, with just 500 men, set out to conquer the Aztec Empire, lured by its vast gold reserves. Aztec Emperor Montezuma, ruler of 25 million people, welcomed Cortes into his palace, a fatal mistake. Cortes kidnapped Montezuma, leading to a revolt by the Aztec people who viewed their emperor as a puppet. Montezuma was killed by his own people. Although Cortes and his men barely escaped with Aztec gold and silver, they left behind a more lethal weapon: smallpox. Six months later, half of Tenochtitlan's population died from the disease. Cortes returned 11 months after his escape to find a weakened empire, easily achieving victory and hijacking the mighty Aztec Empire, showcasing the devastating impact of European diseases on the New World.