APWH Unit 4: Maritime Developments, Columbian Exchange, and Global Empires

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering maritime expansion, the Columbian Exchange, global labor systems, and social/political challenges in the early modern period.

Mercantilism

An economic theory used by European states to measure wealth, often through the accumulation of silver and the funding of explorations.

Prince Henry the Navigator

A Portuguese leader in exploration who helped initiate the country's efforts to reach Africa, India, and South and Southeast Asia.

Bartholomew Diaz

A Portuguese explorer known for his role in Portugal's push to expand trade and cultural exchange between India and Europe.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who expanded trade to India and later invaded Swahili City States in East Africa.

Ferdinand Magellan

An explorer for Spain who was part of the effort to go around the world, eventually reaching the Philippines.

Galleon ships

Spanish ships used to carry large quantities of silver, establishing links between the Americas and Asia across the Pacific Ocean.

Northwest passage

A nonexistent water link to Asia through North America sought after by French, Dutch, and English explorers.

Jacques Cartier

A French explorer who traveled to North America, claimed parts of Canada for France, and sought the northwest passage.

Samuel de Champlain

A French explorer who participated in the exploration of North America for valuable resources like fur.

Astrolabe

A navigational tool improved by Muslim navigators that aided maritime exploration.

Caravel

A small, fast Portuguese sailing ship used for exploration.

Lateen sail

A triangular sail of Arabic origin that allowed ships to sail against the wind.

Zheng He

A Chinese admiral who led a fleet of Junk ships to India, the Middle East, and Africa to spread Chinese culture and create trade networks.

Columbian Exchange

The trade of disease, foods, and animals between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres (Old World and New World).

Quinine

A medicine used for combatting malaria that was brought to the Old World from the Americas.

Smallpox

One of the major diseases brought by conquistadores that contributed to the death of over $50\%$ of the indigenous population in the Americas.

Dahomey

A strong African kingdom that profited and became more powerful by exchanging slaves for European guns and cannons.

Commercial Revolution

The transformation of the global economy to a trade-based system using gold and silver.

Joint stock companies

Organizations like the Dutch East India Co. that helped develop empires by setting the groundwork for colonies through shared investment.

Triangular Trade

A trade network that developed between Europe, West Africa, and the Americas involving slaves and raw materials.

Seven Years' War

A major conflict where Britain and France fought over India and North America; ended with the Treaty of Paris and Britain kicking France out of India.

Treaty of Tordesillas

An agreement where Spain began conquering the Americas east of Brazil, while Portugal was granted Brazil.

Encomienda system

A brutal Spanish labor system in the 1500s that applied the European feudal system to race and ethnicity in the Americas.

Mita system

A labor system borrowed from the Inca by Spain in Peru to force men to work, particularly in silver mines.

Middle Passage

The arduous journey across the Atlantic Ocean used to transport enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Syncretism

The mixing of different beliefs and traditions, such as the blending of African and American traditions into religions like Santeria, Vodun, and Candomble.

Casta System

A social hierarchy in the Americas based on race and ethnicity, including categories like Peninsulares, Criollos, and Castas.

Peninsulares

The top of the Casta System; Spanish or Portuguese individuals born on the Iberian Peninsula.

Criollos

Individuals of European ancestry who were born in the Americas; they occupy the level below Peninsulares.

Mestizo

A person of mixed European and indigenous ancestry within the Casta System.

Mulatto

A person of mixed European and African ancestry within the Casta System.

Zambo

A person of mixed indigenous and African ancestry within the Casta System.

Pugachev Rebellion

A failed peasant revolt against Catherine the Great in Russia caused by the increased power of nobles over serfs.

Ana Nzinga

Ruler of Ndongo who allied with Portugal and later took over Matamba to lead a rebellion against the slave trade.

Maratha Empire

An empire created by a Hindu warrior group that fought against and ended Mughal control in India between 1680 and 1707.

Glorious Revolution

Also known as the Bloodless Revolution, it resulted in William of Orange taking the English throne, strengthening Parliament and Protestant rule.

Pueblo Revolt

A 1680 uprising by Pueblo and Apache groups against Spanish colonizers in the Americas; they killed 400 and drove the Spanish out until 1692.

Metacom's War

The final major effort by indigenous people to drive the British out of New England, resulting in the destruction of 12 towns.

Viziers

Advisors in the Ottoman Empire who gained significant power as sultans began to lose influence.

Jizya tax

A tax required of non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire; it was notably ended in the Mughal Empire during a period of religious tolerance.

Harem politics

The practice in the Ottoman Empire where women and concubines tried to influence the sultan to name their children as heirs to the throne.

Boyars

Noble landowners in Russia who were often mistrusted by the tsars.