World History: The Rise Of Europe

From the 11th to the 15th centuries AD the Holy Roman Empire in Europe launched a series of crusades against Byzantine and Islamic lands in the eastern Mediterranean, most notably the Holy Lands in the area around Jerusalem. By the late 13th century the last of the crusader strongholds in the Middle East had fallen to the Muslims. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 (already badly weakened in 1204 in a sack by western crusaders) to the Ottoman Turks, the Byzantine Empire disappeared entirely.

Europe Advanced Technologically
Through a combination of factors Europe began to have a technological edge on the rest of the world by 1500, and over the next few centuries this process began to accelerate. Advancing seafaring technology allowed Christopher Columbus in 1492 to create a lasting link between the previously unconnected Americas and Eurasia. This had dramatic effects on both continents. The Europeans brought with them diseases the Americans had never before encountered, and over 90% of them were killed in a series of devastating epidemics. The Europeans also had horses, steel, and guns that allowed them to hold a decisive military advantage over the Americans.

The Industrial Revolution
This era also saw the Industrial Revolution, a major transformation of the world’s economies. It began in Britain and used new modes of production such as the factory, mass production, and mechanization to produce a wide array of materials faster and for less labor than previous methods. The world economy became based on coal. New methods of transport such as railways and steam ships made the world a smaller place.

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