C! China's culture influenced politics and religion in countries throughout Asia
The Ottoman Empire dominated trade routes between Europe/the Mediterranean and Asia. It had a virtual monopoly over these trade routes from the early 1400s through the early 1500s. However, by 1500 European ships had become ocean-worthy and sailors (beginning with da Gama) found the sea route to Asia around the southern cape of Africa. Though the land route to Asia through Ottoman territory was shorter and more direct, the ocean route around Africa could be faster and was not vulnerable to blockade by the Turks. The Ottoman Empire gradually lost some of its wealth due to the shifting trade, but it remained the singlest greatest power in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean until the late 1600s.
<span>So, the most important impact of the Ottoman Empire on global trade was that its power in the 1400s and 1500s forced European nations to invest in ocean-going navigation and exploration in order to sail to Asia rather than go through Ottoman land routes.</span>
