Summary of Roger Crowley's Conquerors

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Sample Book Insights:

#1 In August 1483, a group of weather-beaten sailors was hauling a stone pillar into an upright position on a headland on the coast of what is now Angola. It was five and a half feet tall and surmounted by an iron cross, fixed into a socket with molten lead.

#2 The Portuguese began to explore West Africa in the 1480s, and in the process, they began to delineate the shape of a continent. They were small expeditions led by a squire of Henrique’s household, and they carried a few soldiers.

#3 The Portuguese were also motivated to explore Africa by the desire to do great deeds. They were half English, and their cousin was Henry V, the victor at Agincourt. They lived by an honor code that would accompany the Portuguese across the world.

#4 The Portuguese were attracted to the idea of outflanking Islam’s grip on Europe economically and ideologically. They were hoping to trade directly with the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, and find the River of Gold.