The Decisive Battles of World History

Lecture 14: Frigidus, Badr, Diu—Obscure Turning Points

Muslims as an armed force to be reckoned with—one of the

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o It established Islam as a legitimate religion and infused its

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The Battle of Diu (1509)

x One of the pivotal moments in world history was the 16th century,

the era of exploration and colonization, when previously separate

cultures and civilizations became aware of one another and were

connected by new sea routes. For some civilizations, such as the

indigenous peoples of the

Americas, this contact

would be disastrous,

while for others,

such as Spain and the

Netherlands, it became

the stepping stone to

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colonial empires.

x Most of the earliest

European voyages of

exploration were motivated

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seaborne path to India,

Southeast Asia, and China,

fabled lands of limitless

riches—the source of rare

spices, silk, and other

prized luxury items.

x The reason for this

search for a sea route

was that all the land routes were controlled by Muslim powers

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their territories.

The new deep-bellied ships of the 15th

century were designed to provide the

stability and cargo space required to

traverse the oceans; such ships were

soon also armed with rows of cannons

along the sides.

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