Scientific Revolution
Why did the Catholic Church place Galileo on trial in 1633?
His book defending heliocentrism contradicted Church teaching that Earth stood motionless at the center of the universe.
Who was the first European to reach India by sea and when?
Vasco da Gama rounded Africa and landed on India’s west coast in 1498.
Which Italian sailor persuaded Spain to finance a westward voyage?
Christopher Columbus convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to back his plan to sail west to Asia.
Which French writer mocked government and religion in witty attacks on intolerance?
Voltaire used satire to criticize both government and religious intolerance.
Which British author argued that women should enjoy the same rights as men?
Mary Wollstonecraft demanded equal rights for women.
Which instrument let Galileo revolutionize astronomy, and what did he observe with it?
Using an improved telescope, Galileo spotted lunar craters and Jupiter’s moons, revealing a far more complex universe.
Where did Columbus actually land on 12 October 1492, and what error did he make?
He reached a Bahamian island but mistakenly thought it was part of the Indies and called the people 'Indians.'
Why could a few hundred Spaniards defeat the mighty Aztec and Inca empires?
Guns, steel weapons, and European diseases let the conquistadors overwhelm the Aztec and Inca armies.
Which French monarch famously declared “I am the state”?
King Louis XIV made the boastful claim, “L’état, c’est moi.”
Who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796 and is considered an enlightened despot?
Empress Catherine the Great is often labeled an enlightened despot.
How did alchemy, though unsuccessful at making gold, aid modern science?
Although alchemists failed to create gold, their experiments with substances pioneered methods that evolved into modern chemistry.
What phrase describes the gap between a country’s exports and imports?
That gap is called its balance of trade.
Define the Columbian Exchange.
The Columbian Exchange was the two-way transfer of plants, animals, ideas, and technology between the Old and New Worlds beginning in 1492.
Which French thinker proposed that government power should be divided among branches?
Charles-Louis Montesquieu recommended the separation of powers.
Which 1789 French document proclaimed freedom of speech, press, and religion?
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen affirmed those liberties.
What guiding principle did René Descartes insist on before accepting anything as true?
Descartes held that no idea should be accepted without clear, reasoned proof.
Whose expedition achieved the first circumnavigation of Earth?
Ferdinand Magellan’s crew completed the globe-circling voyage in 1522 after he died en route.
What economic system gradually replaced mercantilism?
Capitalism allowed individuals and private businesses to run most industries for profit.
Which device became the grim symbol of the Reign of Terror?
The guillotine embodied the swift justice of the Terror.
At what 1815 battle was Napoleon finally defeated?
Napoleon met his ultimate defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
How did many scientists reconcile their work with religious faith?
Many scientists insisted that experimenting was simply a way to understand God’s creation, so science and faith could coexist.
Which late-1500s publication helped merchants chart new voyages?
The first printed atlas compiled detailed maps that guided traders to fresh sources of wealth.
Which 1588 battle shifted naval supremacy to England?
The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 ended Spain’s command of the seas and boosted England’s power.
Which 1805 naval battle ended Napoleon’s hope of invading Britain?
The British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar crushed the French fleet.
What opposing movement favored individual rights and representative government?
Liberalism championed civil liberties and popular participation.