AP World History - Unit 4 Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from AP World History Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections.

Transoceanic Interconnections

European powers, particularly Portugal and Spain, controlled major shipping routes.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who financed many explorations.

Vasco da Gama

Explorer who sailed around eastern Africa to India for Portugal.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Agreement between Spain and Portugal to divide newly colonized lands.

Christopher Columbus

Explorer who sailed for Spain and reached the Americas.

Amerigo Vespucci (1500)

Explorer who determined that South America was a new continent.

Sternpost Rudder

Device invented in China that allowed better control of ships.

Lateen Sails

Sails invented in the Roman Empire that allowed for directional control of ships.

Astrolabe

Navigation device that measures the distance between the sun/stars to determine latitude.

Magnetic Compass

Navigation device developed in China used to determine direction.

Three-Masted Caravels

Large ships fit for longer journeys.

Hernando Cortés

Spanish conquistador who exploited the Aztec Empire.

Montezuma

Aztec ruler captured by Cortés.

Smallpox

Disease spread by the Spanish that decimated the Aztec population.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who took over the Inca Empire.

The Encomienda System

Hierarchical colonial society implemented by the Spanish in the New World.

Peninsulares

Spanish officials governing the colonies.

Creoles

Spaniards born in the colonies.

Mestizos

People of European and Native American ancestry.

Mulattos

People of European and African ancestry.

Viceroy

Governors of each of 5 regions of New Spain.

Encomienda System

System of forced labor used by the Spanish in the New World.

Middle Passage

The route across the Atlantic that slaves were forced to endure.

The Columbian Exchange

Transatlantic transfer of animals, plants, diseases, people, technology, & ideas among Europe, Americas, & Africa.

Age of Exploration

Trading, empire building, and conquest enabled by new forms of financing.

Joint-Stock Companies

Companies that pooled resources of merchants to reduce costs and risks.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that a favorable balance of import and export was best; this drove European colonialism.