Michael Baizerman Author

I'm still doing the research called "The Quest for the River of Gold". It focuses on the European search for the origin of West African gold in the Late Middle Ages and the Age of Discoveries. In my view, we have to realize why on earth European explorers would take pains to approach this part of the earth.  The research will cover four or five steps. The first of them is dubbed 'The Near Shore'. That is, near to southern Europe. Despite all religious antagonism of the Middle Ages, cross-cultural trade across the Mediterranean gained momentum even during the Age of the Crusades. West African gold enabled Italian economies, e.g. Genoa, Florence, and Venice, to mint gold coins and decorated European palaces and churches.  The first section describes European 'funduks' located in North African ports where western merchants were allowed to dwell and trade. They were permitted to install amenities to make their lifestyle insid...

As I have promised, I uploaded a draft copy of  The Rediscovered Islands. This will be the third chapter of Unit I of my third book.  The article delves into the medieval history of the Canary Islands from their rediscovery in the 1430s to European colonization in the course of the 15th and 16th centuries. The author emphasizes the dark sides of the European intrusion, including ecological imperialism and genocide.   Tags: Brothers Vivaldi, Cape Non, Francesco Petrarch, Angelino Dulceti, Luis de la Cerda, Afonso IV, Boccaccio, Jean de Bethencourt, Gadifer de la Salle, Ferdinand of Aragon, Isaballa of Castile, Pedro de Vera, Alfonso de Lugo The article includes five parts. The first part, The Priority of Discovery, sums up what is known about the possible date of the discovery and the name of the first explorer. It shows that from the beginning there were several contenders on the coveted territory.  The second part, People Behind the Scenes, expla...