Previously.
The Explorers Continued
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Friar William of Rubruck: Went on a mission across Asia to the Mongols to make them allies against the Muslims. (Actually the requests went both ways.) There was a constant search at the time for the Asian Christian empire of Prester John.
Marco Polo: Venetian merchant who went on a trade mission to the Mongols. Polo was recruited by the Khan as an envoy and traveled all around the empire. He returned home and ended up in a gentlemen’s prison during a war, where he dictated his memoirs to a fellow prisoner.
Zheng He: Trusted Chinese Imperial court eunuch, who lead several fleets to establish sea routes to India and beyond. His first fleet was comprised of over 300 ships. He was perhaps the inspiration for the Sinbad the Sailor tales from the Arabian Nights. There is a dubious claim that he actually circumnavigated the globe with a fleet. Political changes in China wiped out many of his accomplishments from the history books.
Ibn Battuta: Islamic scholar and judge who left Morocco to make the hajj in Mecca and ended up travelling over much of the Islamic world. His credentials allowed him access to rulers and the respect of everyone he met. Returned home after 24 years of sightseeing as a rich man. His local sultan eventually compelled him to write his memoirs.
Vasco Da Gama: Conquered the Cape of Good Hope travelling around Africa to set up a trade route to India. Arab lands blocked direct access to these markets, precipitating many of these kind of voyages.
Christopher Columbus: After courting royal support, Columbus took a fleet of ships to establish a direct trading route to Asia. He ended up running into the Americas. He may or may not have been aware of the Viking journeys to Vinland, but thought he was near the eastern coast of Asia. Columbus returned three more times, establishing colonies, searching for gold, and still looking for a route to India. Shipwrecked at one point, he pulled the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court trick (predicting an eclipse), to get native help.
Hernan Cortes: With a small group of well-armed compatriots, these conquistadors made allies of the oppressed tribes in Mexico to rebel against their Aztec masters. Cortes’ small band toppled an empire, acquiring large amounts of gold. These type of expeditions were chartered by supporting country, in this case Spain, and their cut of the treasure was negotiated beforehand.
Francisco Pizarro: His band of adventurers attacked the Incan empire in South America. Conditions in the Andes were bad, Pizarro had to contend with revolts in his own ranks. Fortunately for them however, they had arrived in the middle of an Incan civil war. They captured the emperor while he was outside of his capital on a campaign. They ended up killing him and set up a puppet emperor. More gold flowed. The search for El Dorado, the City of Gold, continued all over the Americas.
Francisco de Orellana: Relative of Pizarro and discoverer of the Amazon River. He made two trips down river, neither were pleasant cruises (the second one cost him his life). At one point, the expedition was attacked by a tribe of warrior woman, for whom the river later named. (Minor trivia: Amazon is a Greek derived word meaning "without breast," from supposed tradition of mastecomy of the right breast to make the drawing of a bow easier.)
To be continued.
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