When the Ottomon Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, the price of oriental trade goods went sky-high in Europe. Many believed there was a fortune to be made if a route to “the Indies” – the great civilizations of China, India and Japan – could be found. The desired route was one which bypassed the Muslim-controlled territories of the Middle East. Columbus devised a plan to sail west across the “Ocean Sea” going the long way around the world and arrive at China from the east. He tried to interest King John of Portugal in his plan, but that failed. So, in 1486, Columbus approached the Spanish court in his “Enterprise of the Indies.” Read More
