AP world unit 4

European Motivations for Era of Exploration

• wanted access to Asian Markets and Luxury Products

• Europeans were previously excluded from Asian trade networks

• Avoid Muslim intermediaries who control trade

• Competition between European states (if you don’t take it someone else will)

• Spread Christianity

European Advantages

• Geography - closets to the Atlantic ocean

• State & trading companies were effective in mobilzing human materials & resouces

• Advance gunpowder - cannons

• Advance maritime technology- compass, lateen sail, sternpost rudder

• local rivalries

• Internal divisions allow spaniards to make allies with indigenous peoples

Innovation in shipbuilding by Europeans

• Caravel - Portugese ship used in Columbus’ Nina & the Pinta

• Carrack - Portugese ship used in Columbus’ Santa Maria 

• Fluyt- Dutch carried ½ of all European trade 

Innovations from Asian world Europeans relied on 

• Lateen sail

• compass

• astrolabe

• astronomical charts

• current/wind tracking

Vasco de Gama

explored down the African coast & reached India - laid basis for Portugals maritime empire providing Europe direct access to Asian markets

impacts of reconquista on spain and portugal

made independent and unified kingdoms in Spain and Portugal

who sponsered earliest maritime exploration in portugal

ibernian kingdoms - Portugals prince henry the Navigator supported state sponsered exploration

Wealth gain in portugal 

by getting gold and slaves in west africa and getting routes to india 

what did Portuguese build in the Indean Ocean

trading post empires

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who conqured Aztec empire and brought mexico under spanish control

Conquistadors

Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who led the military expeditions than conquered large parts of the americas in the 1500

• mission was to claim land for spain, gain wealth, and spread christianity

The great Dying

Massive demographic collaspe of native american population after europeans arrived in the americas 

• happened because indigenous people had no immunities to old world disease

great dying impacts on indigenous peoples

• population loss

• communites in Caribean and central mexico collasped

• social breakdown because people were too sick

• Evironmental consequences

Little ice age

13th - 19th centuries marked by unusually cool temperatures across the world

General crisis

mid 17th century when near-record cold winters in China, Europes and North america, sparked by the little ice age led to famine, uprising, and wars

• shorter growing seasons

• food shortages

• contributed to the collaspe of the Ming dynasty and the civil war in Mughal india