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This history on our Aboriginal Peoples and their contribution to Canada’s rich military heritage is the latest in a series of books prepared by the Director of History and Heritage commemorating especial military experience. Authors : P. Whitney Lackenbauer, Ph.D., R. Scott Sheffield, Ph.D., John Moses, Maxime Gohier

Professional soldiers were a recent development in the Europe of 1500. They fought for pay, not for loot or feudal obligation, and could have firearms as weapons.

Much of the geographical knowledge in the Middle Ages dated back to the classical Greeks with various later accounts added in. These would include those of the Vikings in northern seas and Marco Polo’s tale of travels in the Far East during the 13th century. Maps published before Christopher Columbus’ discoveries in 1492 remained essentially as shown. There was no suspicion amongst Europeans, Asians and Africans that there might be other continents. Map from 'Ridpath’s Cyclopedia,' 1885.