(1452-1516),accepted Columbus's offer,hoping to break a threatening Portuguese monopoly on Asian trade. In return for bringing back gold and spices,they promised Columbus 10 percent of the profits,governorship over newfound lands,and the fame that would go with the new title of"Great Admiral of the Ocean." Columbus set out with three sailing ships,the largest of which was the Santa Maria,perhaps 100 feet long, and 39 crew members.He would never have made it to Asia,which was thousands of miles farther away than he had calculated,and would have been doomed by that great expanse of sea.But Columbus was lucky. One-fourth of the way there he came upon an unknown and uncharted land that lay between Europe and Asia.the Americas.On October 12.1492,one of his sailors caught sight of the early morning moon shining on white sands,and cried out "Tierra!Tierra!"It was an island in the Bahamas near Florida.When Columbus and his sailors came ashore,carrying swords,and speaking oddly,the Indians on the island,naked, tawny,and full of wonder,emerged from their villages onto the beach to greet them,brought them food, water,gifts.They did not bear arms,and did not even know them.When Columbus showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. Columbus's "discovery"of the Americas was certainly the most historically important,because he inaugurated permanent interaction between the Old World and the New.The Native Americans introduced Europeans to many new plants and foods,including beans,corn,tomatoes,tobacco,sweet and white potatoes.They also infected Europeans with syphilis for the first time.Europeans brought sugar cane, bluegrasses,and pigs,which all flourished in the new lands.Europeans also introduced them to armor, powerful steel swords,guns,and explosives.They had the horse,which gave them tremendous mobility and terrified the Indians,who had never seen such a fearsome beast.They had trained greyhounds that could chew the face off a man.The European most powerful gifts to the Native Americans were invisible killers they brought with themselves in their blood and breath,infectious diseases.Having been isolated from the rest of the world,the Indians had no immunity to European diseases such as smallpox,diphtheria,influenza, and cholera.Common childhood diseases like measles and mumps hit them with ferocious force.Smallpox alone could wipe out an entire tribe in one harrowing visitation,partly because it struck almost everyone at the same time,leaving no one to tend to the victims.Because of European diseases,the population of Native Americans decreased at a high speed,at one time with a mortality of 90 percent.It is no wonder that the invasion of North America has been called"the greatest demographic disaster in the history of the world." 1.5 The English Reformation(1534) The Renaissance(1300-1650)began in Italy in the 14th century,and soon spread all through Western Europe,beginning with the end of the Middle Ages (476-1453)and the commencement of modern civilization.With the Renaissance came advances in the arts,government,philosophy,and science.The arts ceased to be primarily religious,concerned with the heavenly world.Artists and their patrons began to display a growing interest in looking at life from a secular perspective.The most important music was now heard outside rather than inside the churches,and the great builders of the age now more frequently constructed palaces and town halls than cathedrals and monasteries.Just as philosophers began to emphasize the pagan Greek maxim"man is the measure of all things,"so did sculptors begin to portray the human form larger than life,dominating its surroundings.Painters started to depict the human face and form more realistically.They painted fewer pictures of eternity,heaven,and angels,and more pictures of the earth and the people on it.Thinkers and philosophers turned more and more from the religious concerns of the middle ages to the study of what was modern and scientific.They speculated,questioned,and argued with authorities and with tradition.The invention of scientific instruments such as the microscope in 1590 and the telescope in 1609 quickly inspired a new spirit of scientific enquiry.After Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) 2(1452–1516), accepted Columbus’s offer, hoping to break a threatening Portuguese monopoly on Asian trade. In return for bringing back gold and spices, they promised Columbus 10 percent of the profits, governorship over newfound lands, and the fame that would go with the new title of “Great Admiral of the Ocean.” Columbus set out with three sailing ships, the largest of which was the Santa Maria, perhaps 100 feet long, and 39 crew members. He would never have made it to Asia, which was thousands of miles farther away than he had calculated, and would have been doomed by that great expanse of sea. But Columbus was lucky. One–fourth of the way there he came upon an unknown and uncharted land that lay between Europe and Asia, the Americas. On October 12, 1492, one of his sailors caught sight of the early morning moon shining on white sands, and cried out “Tierra! Tierra!” It was an island in the Bahamas near Florida. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, and speaking oddly, the Indians on the island, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the beach to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. They did not bear arms, and did not even know them. When Columbus showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. Columbus’s “discovery” of the Americas was certainly the most historically important, because he inaugurated permanent interaction between the Old World and the New. The Native Americans introduced Europeans to many new plants and foods, including beans, corn, tomatoes, tobacco, sweet and white potatoes. They also infected Europeans with syphilis for the first time. Europeans brought sugar cane, bluegrasses, and pigs, which all flourished in the new lands. Europeans also introduced them to armor, powerful steel swords, guns, and explosives. They had the horse, which gave them tremendous mobility and terrified the Indians, who had never seen such a fearsome beast. They had trained greyhounds that could chew the face off a man. The European most powerful gifts to the Native Americans were invisible killers they brought with themselves in their blood and breath, infectious diseases. Having been isolated from the rest of the world, the Indians had no immunity to European diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, influenza, and cholera. Common childhood diseases like measles and mumps hit them with ferocious force. Smallpox alone could wipe out an entire tribe in one harrowing visitation, partly because it struck almost everyone at the same time, leaving no one to tend to the victims. Because of European diseases, the population of Native Americans decreased at a high speed, at one time with a mortality of 90 percent. It is no wonder that the invasion of North America has been called “the greatest demographic disaster in the history of the world.” 1.5 The English Reformation (1534) The Renaissance (1300–1650) began in Italy in the 14th century, and soon spread all through Western Europe, beginning with the end of the Middle Ages (476–1453) and the commencement of modern civilization. With the Renaissance came advances in the arts, government, philosophy, and science. The arts ceased to be primarily religious, concerned with the heavenly world. Artists and their patrons began to display a growing interest in looking at life from a secular perspective. The most important music was now heard outside rather than inside the churches, and the great builders of the age now more frequently constructed palaces and town halls than cathedrals and monasteries. Just as philosophers began to emphasize the pagan Greek maxim “man is the measure of all things,” so did sculptors begin to portray the human form larger than life, dominating its surroundings. Painters started to depict the human face and form more realistically. They painted fewer pictures of eternity, heaven, and angels, and more pictures of the earth and the people on it. Thinkers and philosophers turned more and more from the religious concerns of the middle ages to the study of what was modern and scientific. They speculated, questioned, and argued with authorities and with tradition. The invention of scientific instruments such as the microscope in 1590 and the telescope in 1609 quickly inspired a new spirit of scientific enquiry. After Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) 2