Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 The Iberian Peninsula was a center of selling of Irish and Flemish slaves from the eighth to the eleventh centuries, while in the ninth century, Vikings sold tens of thousands of Europeans to the Arabs of Spain.#2 The Iberian Peninsula was a target-rich environment for the Muslims who invaded in the post-1492 era. The peninsula was sparsely defended, and churches and monasteries were repositories for gold, silver, and bejeweled items.#3 As more African gold began to pour into Europe via the Peninsula, increased trade resulted continentally. The Bay of Biscay was termed the Sea of English by the early 1100s, and English pirates were detained in Galicia.#4 The Crusades also fueled transport, and by 1291 the Vivaldi brothers of Genoa were seeking to reach India by sailing southward. The thought had dawned that the fabled lure of Muslim Gold could be reached by heading in a like direction.