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Even the Dutch and Swedish
即使荷兰和瑞典
tried carving out modern American empires
也试着占领了现在美国的
in New York and Delaware respectively.
纽约和德拉华地区
Eventually Britain, France and Spain
最终英国，法国和西班牙
would battle it out for control of North America
为获得北美的控制权进行了战争
and ironically all 3 would lose.
讽刺的是它们都没有赢
Segment 2B;
第二节
the old world, 1500AD.
1500年的旧世界
The decline and fall, really,
罗马帝国的
of the Roman Empire.
衰退和瓦解
By 600AD the Western Roman Empire
600年时，西罗马帝国
was gone leaving behind the eastern Empire
解体，剩下了东罗马帝国
also known as the Byzantine Empire.
也就是拜占庭帝国
The Byzantines had carried on Roman traditions
拜占庭帝国继承了罗马的传统
for centuries but by 1000AD
直到1000年
they were losing territory rapidly to
它的领土被奥斯曼帝国
the rising Ottoman Turkish Empire,
迅速侵占
but that was not their only problem.
但这不是他们唯一的麻烦
The crusaders supposedly came
十字军过来
to reclaim the Holy Land from the Turkish Muslim,
要从土耳其穆斯林手中夺回圣土
quote unquote, infidels,
从这些所谓的"不信教者"手中
but in fact the crusaders were more interested in
但实际上十字军更想和
fighting the Byzantine Christian believers,
拜占庭的基督徒作战
or to be more precise, heretics.
更确切的说，是和异教徒作战
In the 12th century Byzantine trade
在12世纪，拜占庭的贸易
was also cut off by Italian shippers
被意大利商人所阻挡
while agribusiness interests drove
农业综合经营使得
the poor independent individual farmer out of business
贫困的单独农民没有了生意
The peasants provided the Byzantine state
他们为拜占庭帝国
with less and less revenue
提供的税收就越来越少
which made it hard for the Byzantines
这使得拜占庭很难
to maintain a viable army and navy.
维持有效的军队和海军
When Constantinople finally fell in 1453
当君士坦丁堡的统治于1453年结束时
the Roman Empire had come to its definite end.
罗马帝国真正完结
On a more positive note
好的一面是
the stream of refugees from Constantinople
从君士坦丁堡逃离的难民中
included scholars
包括很多学者
with their priceless ancient manuscripts.
他们带了很多无价的手稿
Once settled in Italy
在意大利安定下来后
these scholars stimulated
这些学者就引发了
a new human centered interest
引发了以人为中心的
in the ancient past
对过去的新关注
as opposed to the old Roman Catholic fixation
不同于过去罗马天主教
on sin and salvation.
对罪与救赎的定义
This revival of worldly or secular learning
这场大众或者世俗学习的复兴
kicked off the Renaissance
推动了之后的文艺复兴
which in turn kicked off the Enlightenment.
而文艺复兴又促进了启蒙运动
The Enlightenment provoked
启蒙运动使人们
a new interest in public affairs
对公共事务产生了新的兴趣
which would directly influence
而这一思想直接影响了
the founders of the United States of America.
美国的建国者们
Moscow and the Mongols;
莫斯科和蒙古人
far to the north of Constantinople
在君士坦丁堡特别北的地方
the young Grand Duchy of Moscow
年轻的莫斯科大公
wanted to follow in the
想要追随拜占庭帝国的
Byzantine Empire's footsteps.
脚步
The Russian, or Russ to be more precise,
俄罗斯人，准确的说是俄国
culture had emerged in the late 800's
文化在9世纪末期
around the city of Kiev.
在基辅形成
In the mid 1200's
在13世纪中叶
nomadic Mongols conquered Russia
游牧民族蒙古人击败了俄国
and ruled Russia like a subject state for 2 centuries.
开始了长达2个世纪的统治
As the Mongols weakened
随着蒙古势力的减弱
the city of Moscow grew in power and influence.
莫斯科的权力和影响力越来越大
Grand Duke Ivan the 3rd of Moscow
莫斯科大公伊凡三世
who came to the throne in 1462
于1462年继位
drove the Mongols off for good.
将蒙古势力驱逐出境
He then founded the Kingdom of Russia
他之后建立了俄罗斯
with himself as Tsar, or Caesar.
自己则成为沙皇
Ivan's wife, a Byzantine Princess
伊凡的妻子是拜占庭的公主
encouraged Ivan's ambitions
她一直鼓励伊凡的野心
until Ivan began thinking of Muscovy
直到伊凡将俄国
as the 3rd Rome after Constantinople and Rome itself.
看成是既罗马和君士坦丁堡之后的第三罗马帝国
Ivan the 3rd also saw Russia
伊凡三世也把俄国看成是
as the protector of the eastern
"东正教堂"
or quote unquote, orthodox Christian Church.
东方的保护者
To Russia's west were 2 dangerous enemies;
俄国的右侧有两个可怕的敌人
Poland and Lithuania.
波兰和立陶宛
Both of these nations practiced
这两个国家都信奉
western or Roman Catholic Christianity.
西，或者罗马天主教
To Russia's south
俄国的南部
the Ottoman Turks
是奥斯曼土耳其
had reached their greatest power under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566)
在苏里曼大帝的统治下 (1520-1566)
who ruled from 1520 to 1566.
达到了顶峰
Because Russia, Poland, Lithuania
因为东面的俄国
and the Ottoman Empire were all on the rise
波兰，立陶宛，奥斯曼帝国都在兴起
western European nations
想要获得土地或者新市场的
which wanted land or new markets
西欧国家就
could not expand eastward.
无法向东扩张
To the south lay Africa
南面是非洲
and a fringe of strong Muslim regimes
和穆斯林地区
and after that there was desert.
再往南就是沙漠
If the western European nations wanted
如果西欧国家
an outlet for their excess population
想要为过度增长的人口找到出路
they would have to look elsewhere.
它们就得找别的地方
