Quotes from Laurence Bergreen

and lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands.

there, on its banks, build a raft to cross it. The river lay many miles to the north, and the task

In the Philippines, Magellan blundered into a confrontation with a combative local chieftain, Lapu Lapu.

In his peculiar morgue could be found a dozen corpses, no less than 144 heads, and 306 arms and legs.

On March 1, 1579, Drake caught sight of the Spanish treasure ship

proved daunting to the crew. They left most of the planks behind, and after four wretched days of marching overland

Philip made the most of their wedding, bringing ten thousand soldiers with him to England in 180 ships.

On April 6, after more than three months of repairs, she finally weighed anchor and unfurled her sails. The ship carried a full load of spices, one thousand quintals of cloves—fifty tons!—more than enough to justify the expense of the entire voyage.

They were entitled to meat three days a week, "That is to say on Sundays, Tuesday, and Thursdays.

the exhausted crew finally reached the broad expanse of the river.

The weather had relented, and fish, as they knew from their first visit to the river, were plentiful.

But English Protestants rebelled. "Bloody Mary" ordered the execution of the conspirators

O tenggerrismo (a adoração do céu) era, acima de tudo, uma crença unificadora, que inspirava os Mongóis a conquistar tudo o que existisse abaixo do céu – o que significava, na prática, todos os cantos do mundo. Ao levarem a cabo este seu mandato, os Mongóis tornaram-se os percursores da globalização, procurando ligar o mundo inteiro. Eram conquistadores e saqueadores, mas, mais do que isso, eram unificadores.

Prester John's letter was actually written by imaginative monks toiling in anonymity

The grant of lands, for instance, proved more generous than Magellan had any right to expect.

It is our wish and our will that of all the lands and islands that you shall discover

to grant to you . . . the twentieth part, and shall besides receive the title of Lieutenant and Governors of the said lands

has even been suggested that Marco Polo never made it to China, despite his apparently firsthand descriptions of that region.

Although Travels included Polo's experiences closer to home, enlivened with shrewd observations

the account was embellished with various wonders of

Lepanto was the scene of the victory that served as Prince Philip's claim to fame, until the English thoroughly undid it.

the East, notably Prester John, which added to its readability and appeal, even as they compromised its claims to authenticity.

The global spice trade underwent an upheaval in 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Turks

Polo, a tireless name-dropper, says he first encountered Prester John by reputation, as the lord of the Tatars