IRB Media Summary of Carrie Gibson's Empire's Crossroads

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Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The story of the modern Caribbean begins in a small port town in northern North Africa, almost within sight of the Iberian peninsula. On 25 July 1415, the feast day of St. James, Prince Henry of Portugal led a fleet of around 200 ships down the Tagus River to Atlantic Ocean.#2 The Portuguese were struggling to get wheat and gold from Ceuta. The small kingdom was dependent on imports, and could not produce enough to meet its needs. It was trying to access a steady, dependable source of grain and gold.#3 The legend of Prester John, a Christian king who had traveled to a faraway land, was used to encourage the search for him and his treasure. The story compelled people to search for him and his gold.#4 Henry the Navigator contributed to the rise of Portugal's maritime dominance in the fifteenth century, which resulted in part from his triumph in Ceuta. He was a leading ship owner, and he pushed Castile to invade Granada in 1419 and 1434, but that battle would not be fought for decades yet.