1492

About this book

In 1492 the world changed course. For roughly 150 million years the continents and their peoples had drifted apart, each developing its own plants, animals, cultures and beliefs. Then, with astonishing suddenness, the pattern reversed. Acclaimed historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto argues that 1492 was the year our interconnected, modern world began. Most books on the subject follow Columbus alone. This one steps back to show the whole planet in that single year. Travel from Granada in January 1492 across the Sahara to Gao in West Africa, visit the kingdom of Kongo with Portuguese explorers, follow Jewish refugees from Spain around the Mediterranean, and look in on Russia, Asia, and the civilizations of the Americas that Columbus could not even imagine. The book weighs prophecy against reality, ecological exchange, the shifting balance between Christendom and Islam, and the rise of European long-range imperialism. It shows how events in many places, some connected and some not, shaped the world we live in today. Ideal for readers of world history, exploration and global civilizations, this is a sweeping and thought-provoking survey with a fresh perspective on a famous date. Buy the ebook and start reading online instantly in your browser.

Author

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Length

~403 pages

Reading time

8 h 1 min

Chapters

20

Released

November 11, 2026

Languages

🇬🇧 EN · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇧🇷 PT-BR · 🇲🇽 ES-MX · 🇵🇹 PT · 🇺🇦 UK · 🇨🇿 CS · 🇸🇰 SK · 🇬🇷 EL · 🇭🇺 HU · 🇹🇷 TR · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇷🇴 RO · 🇧🇬 BG · 🇭🇷 HR · 🇷🇸 SR · 🇸🇮 SL · 🇱🇹 LT · 🇱🇻 LV · 🇪🇪 ET · 🇸🇪 SV · 🇩🇰 DA · 🇳🇴 NB · 🇫🇮 FI · 🇯🇵 JA · 🇰🇷 KO · 🇨🇳 ZH · 🇹🇼 ZH-TW · 🇮🇩 ID · 🇻🇳 VI · 🇹🇭 TH · 🇮🇳 HI · 🇸🇦 AR · 🇮🇱 HE

Formats

eBook

Print format

Paperback, 13.5 × 21 cm, 400 pages

ISBN

9780061959097

Age rating

All Ages