In the fifteenth century, the world beyond Europe began to emerge from myth and legend. For those who sailed beyond the known world life was harsh beyond measure. The explorers were not lured only by gold, precious stones and spices – they were driven to colonize, to enslave, to bring their religion to the unconverted. Excerpted from the acclaimed book, Unknown Seas, this work tells the story of the vital role of spices in Medieval Europe and provides a history of India as it existed at the time when the all-sea route was discovered by the Portuguese, linking the East with the West for all time. "Watkins's account of the volatile cultural melange of India in the 15th century is fascinating..." The Guardian