The crusades had an indirect
impact on the discovery of America. The Fourth Crusade which resulted in
the sacking of Constantinople (1204) resulting in the fatal weakening
of the Byzantine Empire. With the eventual fall of Byzantium to the
Ottoman Turks (1453) and the collapse of the Mongol Empire to the East,
Europe's access to China and the far East was lost with the
disintegration of the Silk Road.
The
crusades had another indirect impact upon the discovery of America. As a
consequence of the crusader contact with Islamic civilizations of the
Middle East, Europeans of the Dark Age were again introduced to
cultural, scientific and mathematical advances. This knowledge would
contribute to Europe's own eventual awakening in the Renaissance and
Enlightenment.
In
addition, the crusades introduced Europeans to spices and fine goods
from the East. With access blocked to these products upon the loss of
the Silk Road, European sought another route to the East. After
experimentation around Africa by sea proved arduous, Columbus' own
voyage to circle the globe was a product of learning and desire for
discovery initially brought about by the crusader's contact with the
Middle East.
