New Worlds: The Great Voyages of Discovery 1400-1600

by Ronald H. Fritze

The huge expansion in trade and the acquisition of vast empires that characterize this period of European history would set the pattern for at least the next two centuries. Fritze begins with a portrait of medieval Europe, its economy, its geography, and the developments in naval architecture that made the great voyages possible. Next, he narrates the travels of Henry the Navigator, Columbus, da Gama, and Cabot. He contrasts the establishment of the Portuguese spice empires in Asia with the simultaneous rise of the Mogul Empire, and he details as well the opening up of both South and North America. The culmination of these exploration efforts was the successful circumnavigation of the earth by Magellan and the opening of viable Pacific trade routes. A concluding chapter details the impact of European expansion, its effect on the European worldview and economy, and challenges to the Spanish and Portuguese from the Dutch, English, and French. Fully illustrated, this study captures the excitement of the era, while at the same time providing the latest scholarship in an accessible form.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Ronald H. Fritze is an American encyclopedist, historian, and writer known for his criticism of pseudohistoric ideas.

Fritze earned his BA in history at Concordia College in 1974. He obtained a master's degree from Louisiana State University and a PhD from Cambridge University in 1981. He has worked at Lamar University in Beaumont and the University of Central Arkansas in 2001 as chair of the history department. He is currently Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Athens State University.

Fritze is the author of Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science, and Pseudo-religions (2009) a book which critically examines the pseudohistoric claims of Martin Bernal's Black Athena, Erich von Däniken, Immanuel Velikovsky, Atlantis, Christian Identity, Nation of Islam, and fringe related pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories. According to Fritze pseudohistory is a "charlatan's playground" targeting those too "willing to suspend disbelief" and slip into an "abyss of fantasy". Fritze considers such pseudohistoric ideas to be irrational and misleading the public. The book has received positive reviews.

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