Modern History Midterm

Who was Akbar the Great?

Famed emperor of Mughal India remembered for expansion, religious tolerance, and cultural flourishing.

Who was Simón Bolívar?

Latin American revolutionary who helped secure independence for many countries in South America from Spain.

Who was Guru Nanak?

Founder of Sikhism who taught a universal religion where all cultures pray to the same God but under different names.

Who was Babur?

Central Asian conqueror who founded the Mughal Empire in India.

Who was Suleiman the Magnificent?

Celebrated Sultan who led the ottoman empire at its height of power, territorial expansion, and cultural achievement.

Who was Askia the Great?

Ruler of the Songhai Empire who expanded its borders, reformed administration, and promoted Islamic scholarship and trade.

Who was Queen Njinga?

Fierce African ruler from what is today Angola who resisted Portuguese colonization and secured power for her people.

Who was Olaudah Equiano?

Survivor of the transatlantic slave trade whose memoir exposed its horrors and helped inspire the early abolitionist movement.

Who was Montezuma II?

Aztec emperor who faced Hernan Cortes and fell during Spain’s conquest of Mexico

Who was Hernan Cortes?

Spanish Conquistador who defeated the Aztecs, and conquered Mexico for Spain

Pocahontas

Native American woman who helped the English survive in Jamestown, which eventually helped lay the foundation for today’s United States

Benjamin Franklin

American enlightenment thinker who proved lightning was a form of electricity and helped lead the United States to independence

George Washington

General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and the 1st president of the United States

Toussaint Louverture

Former slave who became general of the Haitian Revolution, defeating Napoleons forces and establishing Haiti’s independence

Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu?

Warrior who unified Japan and began the Edo period of Japanese isolation and cultural flourishing

Who was the Qianlong Emperor?

Qing ruler during the 1700s who presided over China’s greatest territorial expansion

Who was Nicolaus Copernicus?

Polish astronomer who said the sun is at the center of the universe instead of the Earth

Who was Martin Luther?

German monk who fought against the corruption of the Catholic church and began the Protestant Reformation

Who was Henry VIII?

English king with six wives who broke from the Catholic Church and founded the Church of England

Who was Elizabeth I

Queen of England who defeated the Spanish Armada, promoted early English expeditions to the Americas, and oversaw a cultural golden age

Who was Galileo Galilel?

Italian scientist who proved heliocentrism by discovering the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the mountains on the moon

Who was William Shakespeare?

One of history’s greatest writers, he composed Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet, among other works.

Who was Rene Descartes?

French philosopher who laid the foundations of modern rationalism (Obtaining true knowledge through though instead of observation)

Who was John Locke?

English thinker who laid the philosophical foundation for the majority of today’s modern governments.

Who was Spinoza?

Jewish philosopher who equated God with nature and is the father of modern secularism

Who was Louis XIV ?

The “Sun King” of France, he ruled for 71 years and was Europe’/s most powerful and important monarch of the 1600s and early 1700s

Who was Isaac Newton?

English scientist who discovered the laws of motion, calculus, and gravity.

Who was Peter the Great?

Russian tsar who modernized his empire along Western Lines, and expanded Russia’s reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean

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Who was Catherine the Great?

Empress of Russia who expanded territory and embraced Enlightenment ideas.

Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?

French general who conquered much of Europe before being exiled.

Why was the Americas referred to as the new world once it had been “Discovered”?

America had been largely unexplored, except for the Natives and sporadic contact across oceans or over the Artic). For thousands of years plants, animals, and people evolved independently because of the geographic separation.

What did Spain do after Columbus’s voyage?

Spain followed his voyage and sent more ships to conquer land and establish colonies.

What kinds of contact happened with the Americas before 1492?

sporadic contact across oceans or over the artic.

How did people first reach the Americas long ago?

People crossed the arctic to reach the Americas twenty thousand years ago

What evolved independently because of hemispheric separation?

Plants, animals, and people - The Columbian exchange changed this.

How many men did Cortes land with in Mexico?

He landed in Mexico with a few hundred men

Why did Cortes burn his ships when he arrive?

to end any opportunity of turning back and giving up

Where did Cortes ultimately reach?

The largest city in the Americas, Tenochtitlan in Mexico

What was Tenochtitlan?

The capital of the Aztec Empire

Who was in charge of the Aztec empire

Montezuma II

Why did Montezuma II believe the Spaniards were some type of deity?

An ancient prophecy once foretold that a light skinned God would come from the east in 1519, the same year that Cortes and his men landed in Mexico

What happened when Cortes landed in Tenochtitlan?

Montezuma II was taken captive and the Spaniards ultimately forced the city to surrender. Cortes then turned Tenochtitlan into Mexico City, which is described as Americas largest urban center in the Americas.

Where else do we see a conquest similar to Cortes’?

In South America - The Inca Empire was toppled by Francisco Pizarro and 300 of his men.

How was Francisco Pizarro able to defeat the Inca empire with only 300 men

The use of guns, horse, disease, and steel

What happened to the civilizations of the Americas during Spanish conquest?

One by one the civilizations fell to Spanish control/forces

Who was the Portuguese sailor that landed in South America, before Cortes conquered the Aztecs?

Cabrial

What colony did Cabrial help found?

Brazil

How prosperous was Brazil?

Brazil became one of the wealthiest and most populous colonies in the Americas

Why did other European countries get involved in colonization in the 1600s?

Spain and Portugal got enormously wealthy from their colonies, so other countries wanted a piece of the action to earn money as well.

Where did the French establish permanent colonies?

Today’s Canada and Louisiana

What was the first successful English colony?

Jamestown, Virginia in 1607

What is the story of John Smith and Pocahontas?

John smith fell in love with the native princess Pocahontas, who then helped save the colony

What did Jamestown become the foundation for?

Modern United States of America

During the 1700s, the Americas were largely divided. What countries were the Americas divided amongst?

Spain, France, England, and Portugal

During the division of control in the American colonies, had all the land been explored?

No, there was large portions of land that had been unexplored by Europeans

What was the most lasting effect from the European exploration and conquests?

The dismantling of the Atlantic as a barrier to the New world, which permitted the transference of people, plants, animals, and pathogens both the new world and old world had never seen before.

What are some examples of New World foods that spread to Eurasia and Africa?

Corn, Potatoes, beans, squash

What are some Old World animals that arrived in the Americas?

Chickens, cows, horses

What impacts did the Columbian Exchange have on the world?

Provided access to new foods and ideas, but more catastrophically, Native Americans had zero immunity to Old World pathogens. Things like smallpox, measles, and influenza tore through Native populations, killing up to 90% of the population in some places.

What was happening in Europe during the colonization in the Americas?

Islamic powers were attacking Europe from the east.

What technology did the Turkish have that provided them with an advantage?

Gunpowder, not only access to it, but their knowledge allowed them to use the gunpowder in highly effective ways

What did Turkish warriors go on to found?

Three Islamic Empires that dominated the central core of Eurasia and North Africa during the early Modern period.

Where did the Ottoman Empire begin?

A small state in today’s Turkey

How fast did the Ottoman expand?

Over three generations it expanded into one of the greatest and longest-lasting empires of the early modern era.

Where the the Ottoman Empire stretch and what did it connect?

Stretched across Central Europe to North Africa and across large part of the Middle East, connecting three continents

What advantage did the Ottoman Empire’s vast control of land provide?

It allowed them to control the trade routes between Europe and Asia.

What did the Ottoman control of trade routes prompt Europeans to do?

Launch voyages of exploration to bypass Ottoman lands

What military technology helped the ottomans rise?

Access to and knowledge of how to effectively use gunpowder and cannons to break through medieval defenses

What were Janissaries?

Christian boys recruited by the Ottoman empire to become soldiers who spearheaded their attacks

When did the Ottoman Empire reach its peak?

Under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent

How far did Suleiman’s armies advance?

All the way to the gates of Vienna

Why are millions of ethnic Europeans in the Balkans Muslim today?

Due to the Ottoman footprint and influence

What is the greatest Ottoman city and what would you find there?

Istanbul, massive mosques, Turkish baths, and palaces

What tradition did Suleiman follow involving women?

He kept a harem of many women selected for him

Who was Alexandria in the Ottoman context?

She was a Ukrainian slave apart of the harem, she used her influence to become Suleiman’s chief wife and had a great influence in the Ottoman state

How long did the Ottoman Empire last?

Till the end of the First World War

What empire was located east of the Ottomans centered in today’s Iran

The Safavid Empire

What specific form of Islam did the Safavid practice?

Shia - Their unique practice set it apart from its neighbors and continues to play a prominent role in Iranian society

What was a major conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire

They often fought long wars against each other control of mutual borders

What was the Safavid capital? What was it like to be there?

Isfahan - It was a global center of culture, learning, and art

What cultural legacies are the Safavid’s known for?

Persian rugs, miniature paintings, and Persian gardens