Sea Travel in Middle Ages

     To transport large amounts of goods merchants during the Middle Ages preferred to travel by sea.  In the 12^th century Europeans started to use rudders on their ships.  The rudder made the ship easier to steer.  Traveling by water was not safe; there was the threat of pirates and shipwrecks.    At dangerous points along the coasts, lighthouses were put up to help the sailors avoid a shipwreck.   Sailors tended to stay near the coasts as they believed the Earth was flat and that if the sailed to the end of the sea they would fall off.  With the help of the compass sailors and merchants  were able to travel long distances and began to explore farther into the oceans.  This lead to the Age of Discovery and Expansion, and the discovery of the American continent.  European explorers traveled to new lands and brought back new goods, and lots of gold.  And European religion and culture spread to the New World.