Indeed, the Ottoman Empire relied on the Silk Trade to maintain their economic stability. The Silk Trade kept countries rich by which traders became more wealthier, “farmers were able to gain new seeds for various types of food, sailors were able to trade to Europe, seamstresses were given new types of materials to make clothes and shoes with” (Sundholm, 2014); these different types of workers were more prosperous than ever, all thanks to the Silk Trade. Undeniably, trade between dominant nations established new connections in religion, medical information, fashion, and scholarly ideas. Nevertheless, the routes eastward were now controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and other Eastern European powers and the Atlantic lay unexplored. Moreover, “the Ottoman Empire did not completely halt Italian trade, but it did block access to the Black Sea, which hindered trade and made it slower” (Grindle, 2017). Specifically, Europe saw a vast reduction in Genoese Black Sea Trade and many other cities’ trade routes were simply stopped and were not progressing as they should have been. “With the Ottomans hold of the Byzantine Empire, all nations trade were at the mercy of the Ottomans” (The Economist, 1999). Due to …show more content…
Constantinople’s fall led to the European Renaissance which produced advancements in education, art, philosophy; helping Europe move out of the Medieval period and into the Modern period. Commerce and trade also evolved during this time as banks and companies began to develop, and shipping technology had improved as well. In search of new routes to Asia with the intent to trade and spread the ideas of Christianity, many European countries began exploring the Atlantic. The European Renaissance has definitely shaped the modern world into what it is today. It is truly astonishing to see how much the fall of one city can help commence the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Although the Renaissance had already been in full swing when Constantinople was invaded, the fall of the city just adds more fuel to the fire. In fact, “many Byzantine scholars left Constantinople for Italy to continue their work; thus, implementing themselves and their ideas in the ongoing Renaissance (Grindle, 2017). Along with the scholars, some of the Crusaders also returned from the East and brought ideas back with them. In places like Italy, these ideas were quickly expanded upon and allowed to flourish. “One result of the development of new ideas was the creation of Petrarch's notion of humanism that explored man’s environment and the struggles that he faces” (Grindle, 2017). More