The Crusades, Marco Polo's Journey To China, And The Renaissance

220 Words1 Pages
The eyes of the Europeans were opened by three main events: the Crusades, Marco Polo’s journey to China, and the Renaissance. The Crusades occurred when Muslims had begun to take over Christian Holy Lands in the Middle East, such as Israel. The Pope and other church leaders launched expeditions to regain these Holy Lands from the Muslims. This brought Europeans into contact with the Middle East, which introduced the Europeans to new technology, food, clothing, and customs, and sparked European interest in Asia. Marco Polo’s journey to China was documented in his book, Travels. Many Europeans read this book after the invention of the printing press made it much easier to reproduce. Marco Polo’s voyages allowed Europeans to learn about the Far