TURNING POINTS
The Crusades were a turning point for the world. During the war, there was a change in focus from the Holy Land to trade. As more time passed, people began to doubt that they would ever regain the Holy Land. One of these people was King Richard the Lionhearted. After the fourth crusade, he realized that if the Christians couldn't even make it to Palestine to fight the Muslims, they had no hope. People began to tire of losing their loved ones, so they began to drift from their origional plan. When the Crusaders traveled through Asia on their way home, they saw many new things. The Crusaders were fascinated by the products and ideas; consequently, they told everyone back home of the wonders they had seen. As ideas were spread, people's curiousity increased, they considered trading. Thus, trade between Europe and Asia increased dramatically.