What if the Crusades had gone differently?

Western knights march east for two centuries, and come back with a taste for eastern goods.

If it had gone differently: Western Europe stays inward-looking; the appetite for spices and silk that will send ships around Africa never develops.

1. 1300Venice's trade empire, Europe's window on Asian goods stays narrow and dear; the hunger that funds the Atlantic voyages is muted.
2. 1400The Italian Renaissance, Europe never rediscovers the classical world on its own terms; the break with the medieval mind comes later and shallower.