By the first part of the 15th century, Europe was beginning the most dramatic period of change in its history. Economics, together with politics and religion, was changing the societies of Europe. The recent, tremendous growth in the population of Europe had brought the cultivation of new land, the demand for new products, and a new class of merchants to trade in these products. The merchants were interested in trading in Asia. How- ever, Asia was still a mystery to them, for most of their knowledge of the East was based Marco Polo's hundred-year-old diary. Its tales were fresh on and enticing enough, though, to spark the search for new sea routes to Asia. The European search for trade markets and products led to discoveries that radically changed the course of history. This search eventually led to the discovery of the "New World.