CNN Millennium — Season 1, Episode 5: The Fifteenth Century: Century of the Sail

Episode synopsis

China set out to dominate the seas. These new trade ventures were extremely lucrative, but after 30 years Ming bureaucrats forbade further voyages and abandoned maritime imperialism. Europe was torn by civil war, but the city states of northern Italy produced a cultural explosion known as the Renaissance. The Medici prince, Lorenzo the Magnificent, dominated and adorned Florence, nurturing painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and architecture. Greater than any European city was the Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital on the site of what is now Mexico City. Built on marshland in Lake Texcoco, the highly organized city was supported by trade over huge distances, the Aztec gods placated by mass human sacrifice. The Ottomans took advantage of the weakness of the Byzantine empire, conquered Constantinople, and turned it into the capital of their empire. Mehmed the Conqueror's palace included a harem for 2.000 women, stables for 4.000 horses, 10 mosques, 14 baths and two hospitals. The kitchen could feed 5.000 or 10.000 on holidays. There were many great voyages of the 15th Century including that of Vasco de Gama's discovery of a route to the Indian Ocean and Christopher Columbus crossing the Atlantic and back.

About CNN Millennium

A documentary series covering the last 1,000 years. Each of the 10 episodes focuses on a single century, brought to life by five vignettes from five different locations worldwide. Inspired by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto's book, "Millennium," and filmed in 28 countries, the series is as geographically far-ranging as the world it covers.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1The Eleventh Century: Century of the Sword
• E2The Twelfth Century: Century of the Axe
• E3The Thirteenth Century: Century of the Stirrup
• E4The Fourteenth Century: Century of the Scythe
• E6The Sixteenth Century: Century of the Compass
• E7The Seventeenth Century: Century of the Telescope
• E8The Eighteenth Century: Century of the Furnace
• E9The Nineteenth Century: Century of the Machine
• E10The Twentieth Century: Century of the Globe