Early Modern World History Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical figures, terms, concepts, and empires from early modern world history.

African Diaspora

Africans living outside of Africa (usually as slaves) who retained some aspects of their cultures

Akbar the Great

1556-1605 remembered for his military successes and administrative achievements in the Mughal Empire

Ana Nzinga

Ruler of Ndongo in south-central Africa that became an ally to Portugal to stop Portuguese slave raids and attacks from other Africans

Asante Empire

African kingdom on the Gold Coast that expanded rapidly after 1680

Astronomical Chart

A map of stars that improved navigation

Aztec Empire

An empire in Mexico that was overthrown by Cortes in 1521

Barbary Pirates

Those who plied the seas near North Africa along the Barbary Coast and captured other European slaves in the Mediterranean and then sold them to the sultan or other high-ranking officials

Bartolomé de Las Casas

(1474-1566) First bishop of Chiapas in southern Mexico who devoted most of his life to protecting Amerindian peoples from exploitation. His major achievement was the New Laws of 1542, which limited the ability of Spanish settlers to compel Amerindians to labor for them

Bartholomew Diaz

Sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 into unknown waters then returned home for fear of a mutiny

Boyars

Russian landholding aristocrats; possessed less political power than their western European counterparts

Capitalism

The economic system of large financial institutions -banks, stock exchanges, investment companies-that first developed in early modern Europe. Commercial capitalism, the trading system of the early modern economy, is often distinguished from industrial capitalism, the system based on machine production

Cartography

Mapmaking

Cash Crop

Sellable crop that is grown and gathered for the market such as sugar and tobacco

Charter Companies

Groups of private investors who paid an annual fee to France and England in exchange for a monopoly over trade to the West Indies colonies

Chattel Slavery

A system where individuals were considered property to be bought and sold

Christopher Columbus

Navigator who explored the Americas under the flag of Spain

City of Potosi

Located in Bolivia it was one of the richest silver mining centers and most populous cities in colonial Spanish America

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages

Commercial Revolution

Transformation to a trade-based economy using gold and silver

Conquistadors

Spanish soldiers who conquered parts of the Americas in the 16th century

Cossack

Peoples of the Russian Empire who lived outside the farming villages, often as herders, mercenaries, or outlaws. They led the conquest of Siberia in the 16th and 17th centuries

Creole

West African languages mixed with European languages

Dahomey

West African kingdom that became strong through its rulers' exploitation of the slave trade and acquisition of firearms

Dutch East India Company

(1602) A mercantile company chartered by the Dutch to conduct trade missions throughout the East Indies

Dutch West India Company

(1621-1794) Trading company chartered by the Dutch government to conduct its merchants' trade in the Americas and Africa