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For centuries, the people in Europe were not interested in finding out what was in the unknown. The age of exploration began when people once again became curious. Many things and people made this happen. Three important people and events helped create the new interest: Marco Polo, the Crusades, and Prince Henry.
Marco Polo was famous because of his travels to China. He stayed there for 24 years. He was amazed at all the gold and spices he saw. He was dazzled by the amazing silks and clothing. When Marco Polo came back to Venice he was inspired to write about his journeys in China. Many people read this book and were amazed. This book inspired many explorers to go out to find new lands and unknown seas.
The crusades started when the Muslims captured Jerusalem which was a holy place for the Christians. The crusades were conducted by Christians from Europe who were angry that Muslims controlled their holy place, Jerusalem. The people were called crusaders because they carried crosses. The crusaders captured Jerusalem back from the Muslims on their first crusade. There were a total of nine crusades done by the crusaders. The crusaders lost Jerusalem shortly after they had captured it and were never able to recapture it on their other eight crusades. Because the Muslims controlled the spice trade, when crusaders went to the Middle East, they saw first hand the spices and riches of Asia. This increased the Europeans' interest in finding a route to Asia.
Another big influence was Prince Henry. At age 21 he went to fight the North African Muslims where he captured the city of Ceuta. He became very interested in what the coast of Africa was like. He started a school for navigators. He sent many explorers down the coast of Africa to find out what was there. Prince Henry, also known as Prince Henry the Navigator, never went on any voyages of his own. That is why some historians call him the explorer who stayed at home.
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