Vocab
Define Conquistador
The Spanish word for conqueror.
Who is Christopher Columbus?
He was an Italian explorer hired by the Spanish to find a fast all-water route to Asia. He was the first European explorer to colonize/"discover" the Americas.
What are the Spice Islands?
The secret islands that produced the much desired spices:
-nutmeg
-cloves
-ginger
-cinnamon
*Originally controlled by Arab traders.
The shift from an agrarian society to a monetary economy. As well as the focus on currency exchange rather than bartering.
What are the Spice Islands?
They are set of islands and countries (Maluku Islands, China, India, and East Indies: now known as Indonesia) that produced many important and desirable spices that Europeans overpaid for due to the Arab trader's monopoly.
Define Yellow Fever
An infection caused by a virus and spread by mosquitos in warm climates.
Who is Marco Polo?
A Venetian explorer who authored the book The Travels of Marco Polo. He inspired others to explore and update their maps.
Who colonized/"discovered" the coast of Africa?
The Portuguese first colonized/"discovered" the African coast in the mid-1400's.
What were the Crusades?
An attempt made by European knights and soldiers to reclaim The Holy Land from Muslims.
What is the Swahili Coast?
It is the East African Coast (where the African language Swahili is spoken) which was a valuable trade center controlled by the Portuguese.
Define Agrarian Society
A society that chiefly relies on agriculture or farming
Who is Juan Ponce de Leon?
He was a Spanish explorer that was obsessed with finding the Fountain of Youth. He colonized/"discovered" la Florida. He was shot in the thigh by a poisoned arrow and died.
Why were the Spaniards looking for Cibola?
They wanted to find the seven incredibly wealthy cities that were paved with gold.
What was the Turkish Trade Route Barrier?
In 1453, the Turks captured Constantinople ( a city that sat at the crossroads of many valuable trade routes). This meant higher costs for Europeans. This led to Europeans trying to find new and cheaper routes to get around the Turks.
What is Jamestown?
The first permanent English settlement in North America.
Define The Holy Land
an area in the Middle East that includes the city of Jerusalem and is considered special to members of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith.
Who is Las Casas?
He was a priest that settled in Hispaniola with a special grant called encomienda which gave Spaniards lots of land and enslaved workers. He decided that enslaving indigenous people was wrong an urged people to use African slaves instead. Eventually, he believed all slavery was wrong. He advocated to end both indigenous and African slavery.
Did the French find gold or a route to China?
No, the French did not find a better route to China. They also only ever found fool's gold.
Why is the establishment of Jamestown so important?
It was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
What is Saint Augustine?
The first established Spanish base off Florida's east coast. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement anywhere in North America.
Define Isthmus.
A narrow piece of land that connects two larger land masses.
Who is Juan de Onate?
One of the cruelest and most ambitious conquistadors. He seized food from indigenous tribes, who he also enslaved and murdered. His actions were so terrible he was recalled to New Spain and had his title revoked.
Why was Roanoke Island important?
It was the first English colony established in North America. But colonists quickly became discouraged and left. They tried to colonize the settlement again but found it abandoned.
What led to the change of balance in sea power between England and Spain?
The Spanish were tired of England interfering in water trade so they assembled an armada of ships to invade England and overthrow the Queen Elizabeth I. A pirate named Drake floated small ships on fire into the Spanish battle formation and defeated the Spanish (and decimated half of their armada of ships).
Why is Mexico City important?
It was the capitol of New Spain and a very important location of Spanish rule in the new world.