Primary sources in world history

Europeans widened their world in a search for goods, land, raw materials, and other objects that created wealth in the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. View documents, maps, art, and the words from the people and events that marked this interaction of world cultures.

The time period from the Fall of Rome to the middle of the fifteenth century is explained in the artwork created and the words spoken by people in various cultures. Read about the roles played by the Vikings, the Ottomans, the Chinese, Islam, Christianity, and even the Black Death in this tumultuous period.

The authority of the pope was challenged by Martin Luther, a monk who wished to reform some corrupt practices of the Catholic Church. This challenge ended up changing not just Christianity but the social order. Artwork and texts provide a window into the events of this fascinating time.