Explorers
He started a school for navigation in Portugal to train sailors.
Prince Henry the Navigator
Cortez defeated this Native American empire.
Aztec Empire
Marco Polo described what in his book Travels?
His travels in China and Asia
Cartographers improved these, helping sailors know where to go.
Maps
Why did King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella finance Columbus’s journey?
To spread Christianity, gain wealth, and increase Spain’s power
He sailed west in 1492, hoping to find a new route to Asia.
Christopher Columbus
Pizarro defeated this South American empire.
Inca Empire
Which goods from China and India increased trade with Europe?
Spices, silk, and other luxury goods
Which Portuguese explorer was the first to find a sea route to Asia?
Vasco da Gama
What was the importance of the Northwest Passage to European explorers?
To find a faster trade route to Asia and riches
He conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico.
Hernán Cortés
What was the main goal of Spanish conquistadors in the Americas?
To gain wealth, land, and spread Christianity
Why was bullion (gold and silver) so important to the mercantilist system?
Bullion measured a nation’s wealth under mercantilism
How did the Pacific Ocean get its name, and who named it?
Named “peaceful” by Ferdinand Magellan
How did the Columbian Exchange affect the Americas?
Introduced diseases, new animals, and crops—often devastating to natives
He gave his name to the Americas after realizing the New World wasn’t Asia.
Amerigo Vespucci
ow were Cortes and Pizarro able to defeat powerful empires?
Superior weapons, horses, diseases that weakened natives, alliances with enemies
What new tools or inventions helped sailors explore farther?
Astrolabe, compass, improved ships (caravel), better maps
Why did Henry Hudson believe he found the Northwest Passage? What did he really find?
Thought Hudson Bay was the passage; it was really an inland sea/river system
How did the Columbian Exchange affect Europe, Asia, and Africa?
Brought new crops, animals, and goods, boosting populations and economies
He searched for the Northwest Passage but instead discovered a River in modern-day New Yorn that would later be named after him.
Henry Hudson
Which two regions of North America did Catholics and Protestants each build colonies in?
Catholics in Maryland; Protestants in other colonies (e.g., New England)
How and why did the slave trade in the Americas begin?
Need for cheap labor on plantations, beginning of transatlantic slave trade
How did Portuguese efforts to reach Asia differ from Columbus’s?
Portugal sailed around Africa; Columbus sailed west to reach Asia
What impact did Marco Polo’s book have on Europeans?
Sparked European interest in trade with Asia