Timeline (1210: The Discovery of America)

1200-1230
In 1202 the Fourth Crusades begins, in an attempt to retake the Holy land of Jerusalem which was conquered by the Muslim Byzantine Empire during the Third Crusade. The main combatants were mainly French, Holy Roman, and Italian kingdoms but some support was sent from other kingdoms like England. In April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian (Eastern Orthodox) city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. This is seen as one of the final acts in the Great Schism between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. The crusaders established the Latin Empire (1204–1261) and other "Latin" states in the Byzantine lands they conquered. As a result of the Great Schism Europe was left divided between the Eastern Greek Orthodox church, and the Roman Catholic church. In 1205 the battle of Battle of Adrianople between the catholic Latin Empire and the orthodox Bulgarian empire results in the capture of the Latin emperor Baldwin I, this further divides Europe begins the decline of the Latin Empire. In the aftermath, Bulgaria and Nicean Empire (remains of Byzantine Empire after fall of Constantinople in 1204 - territory was situated in Asia Minor) would form an alliance against the Latin Empire of Constantinople. In 1207 A trade ship named the "Albion", captained by a man named Joseph America sets sail from England to trade goods with the Holy Roman Empire, Venice, and Israel. While coming up on the coast of Spain the an unexpected storm appears the ship is caught in the storm and the crew struggles to get out, after a few hours of trying to escape the storms chaotic nature, the crew is able to safely escape the dreaded typhoon. The captain and the navigators determine that there ship was blown at least twenty miles off course, realizing that if they turn back and try to head towards England again they may be caught in the storm once more, the captain orders the crew to continue sailing westward, the crew is a bit ambidextrous at first believing that the world is flat and if the continue sailing westward than they may fall off the Earth, the captain did not believe in this superstition and ordered the crew to continue sailing.

In the first year of sailing resulted in the crew using most of the ships supplies, so the captain ordered the use of the supplies that where meant to be traded be used, the crew was shocked by this order, but the captain stated to his crew "by the time we return there might not be any kingdom left to trade with", most of the crew was confused by this statement but they did follow the captains orders. By the start of the second year most of the crew where becoming tired, homesick, and a few where becoming mutinous, in February of 1208 ten crew members attempted to overthrow the captain, but this mutiny was soon put down, and the crew members where all thrown overboard, where they most likely drowned in the freezing water. In 1209 the captain began having thoughts of turning the ship around and sailing back to England, he told his crew they would continue sailing in the western direction for five more months if they found no land then they would turn back. In April 1210 the crew of the Albion began seeing what looked like land formations over the horizon and began to move quickly toward this land. Captain Joseph America, and his crew set foot on this land, on April filth, 1210. The captain said to his crew "Where not in Eurasia, where not in Africa, we must be in a new land, an undiscovered land." The captain and his crew began setting up a camp on the beach they landed, when they where approached by the natives of the land. The two could not understand each others languages so they tired using bodily expressions, but the captain was able to show the natives they where peaceful by offering the natives silk sheets. The natives where impressed by the softness of the sheet, and new the crew was harmless.