By Jacob Cummins

The World in 1492

Momentous change was under way in 1492, The Grand Duke of Muscovy ruled the core of what was then becoming Russia.

Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were united in the Kolmar Union

The Grand Tour: Europe

By the beginning of 1492 Turks and other Islamic peoples dominated a great swath of land from the south of Spain across North Africa and down into Africa as far as Mozambique.

During 1492 Spain, which had the largest Jewish community in Europe, expelled its Jews.

The Grand Tour: Turkey to Africa

The Muslim sultan, Sikandar Lodi(picture of tomb on left), resided at Delhi.  His regime would soon be swept aside by invaders from central Asia

On the Indochinese mainland, the tiny realm of Vietnam had slowly extended its conquests southward as far as Binh Dinh.

The Grand Tour: South Asia

Fifteenth-century China had the potential to expand greatly Its geographical horizons.

Xiao-zong's chief minister looked at the earlier records of the Zheng he expeditions. These expeditions contatined many ships and they traveled all the way to the east coast of Africa.

The Grand Tour: China and Japan

The ancient Mayan civilization, which long predated the Aztecs, had no centralized authority in 1492. Unfortunately with the destruction of the Mayan civilization we have little written record of their existence.

What we do know is their calendrical system, based upon careful astronomical observations, was far in advance of any European system and was rivaled only by that of China.

The Grand Tour: The Western Hemisphere

Each of the more populated land masses had different environments when it came to humidity and temperature thus, they all had different sources for food wheat in western Eurasia, rice in eastern Eurasia, and com in the Americas.  The basic staple of each area profoundly influenced the way in which its society developed.

The Staff of Life

All four great centers of civilization had writing and advanced technology.

Hunter-gatherer groups and stable agrarian tribes occupied Australia and much of the Americas. They led hard lives, and the future of their ways of life was to prove bleak.

Great Traditions

Through commerce and war, European kingdoms improved their shipping and gained an ultimate advantage over the rest of the world. By 1492 Europeans developed ships that could sail against the wind better than ever.

The Chinese, the Indians, and the Arabs had long been innovators in ship technology, having developed such instruments as the marine compass, astrolab, windrose, astronomical tables, and heavy brass cannon

European Challenge