There is absolutely nothing wrong with this sentence, but I get the sense that it has been translated into English from another language, or, was written in English originally, but not by a native speaker. The 'cycle of knowledge' just doesn't sound how an English speaker would phrase something. Given the context it appears to mean something like 'the sequence of events that had led his family............." or perhaps something like the 'change in attitudes and beliefs .......". To stake a claim and conquer it suggests that they found the land in question, claimed ownership of it and worked hard to bring it to a state of being productive - perhaps by clearing the original vegetation, or bringing irrigation to allow things to grow, or overcoming whatever initial challenge they found there that they had to overcome, or conquer. I hope some of that will be helpful.

Cycle of knowledge here refers to something that happened in the past and is happening again now. Author implies that an old man cannot understand why his son is making a mistake, even though man is aware of a similar situation in the past. To stake a claim means put a mark (e.g. on a land) to show that it belongs to you. To conquer is to forcibly gain control over something, e.g. The Greeks conquered the Persians.

Thank you !