The Rise of International Trade

Topic 2.1 Notes

Key question:
● What factors contributed to the rise of trade between Western Europe and the East at the beginning of
the Renaissance?

The Silk Road

● For a long time, people involved in international trade used ______________________ the name given
to the route that was used to get from ________________ to ______________.
● Various ________________ were traded from one area to another, with both groups providing unique
materials to each other.
● More than ________________ goods were passed along these routes – contact between cultures led
to exchanges of ________________ and _______________________. Although the Silk Road was a
major trade route, few of the travelers along the road were European.

The Crusades and Trade

● The land of Palestine, which contained religious sites to Jews, Christians, and Muslims was under
Christian control for many centuries. However in the middle of the seventh century, the area was taken
over by the Turks, who later became Muslims.

● In 1095, Pope Urban II launched a Christian Crusade to drive out the Muslims. In response, thousands
of men, women and children ________________ across Europe heading for the Holy Land, where they
were eventually ___________________.

● Later, groups of Christian knights set out to battle Muslim warriors, both seeing fighting a
________________as a way of guaranteeing themselves a place in ________________. The
________________ Crusade created a Christian kingdom in the Middle East that lasted for about a
________________years.

● In 1187, the new Muslim leader, Sultan Saladin, recaptured ________________. The strength of the
united Muslims after Saladin eventually brought an end to the Crusades. The Muslims regained all their
________________.

The Results of the Crusades

● There were ________________ important results of the Crusades for Europeans:

(1) ________________ with the Muslim civilization: the Muslim world was more advanced. Due
to the contact, Europe was exposed to ideas about medicine, astronomy, philosophy,
mathematics, and ancient literature.
 (2) _______________: The Crusades brought back many new goods such as oils, spices and
new varieties of fruit. Europeans wanted more of these goods, which led to an
________________ in trade.

Goods from the East

● Italian merchants began to bring luxury goods not available in Europe. They included,
________________,________________________,___________________________,_______________
___________________,___________________________,______________________________
● What spice was the most valuable? ___________________________
● How did sellers count it out based on its high value? __________________________________
● When ships loaded with luxury goods and spices returned to sea ports in Genoa and Venice,
________________ from all over Italy flocked to buy the valuable cargo. They then took the goods to
sell in other cities and ________________ centers.
● What were the names of the 2 seaports in Italy?
_____________________________,__________________________________