APWH #6

Queen Elizabeth I

Protestant queen of England(1558-1608); strengthened England, defeated Spanish Armada, promoted exploration

Phillip II

King of Spain(1556-1598); defender of Catholicism; launched the Spanish Armada against England

Queen Isabella & Ferdinand

Catholic monarchs of Spain; unified Spain, completed Reconquista, funded Columbus

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince; sponsored exploration of Africa and development if navigation schools.

Spanish Armada

Spanish fleet sent against England in 1588; defeated by Elizabeth I’s navy, marking decline of Spain’s naval power

Vasco da Gama

portuguese explorer; first to sail around Africa to India(1498), opening direct sea trade with Asia

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese explorer for Spain; first expedition to circumnavigate the globe(1519-1522)

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer sponsored by Spain; reached the Americas in 1492 while seeking a route to Asia

Jacques Cartier

French explorer, claimed parts of Canada(st. lawrence river) for France in the 1500s

Francis Drake

English sea captain and privateer; raided spanish ships, circumnavigated globe, helped defeat Armada

Conquistadors

Spanish conquerors (like Cortes and Pizarro) who defeated native empires in the Americas 

Scientific Revolution

16-17th century- movement emphasizing observation, experimentation, and scientific method; challenged traditional beliefs

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador; conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico(1519-1521)

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador; conquered the Inca Empire in Peru(1530s)

Henry Hudson

English explorer; searched for Northwest Passage; explored Hudson River and Hudson Bay

Northwest Passage

Hypothetical sea route through North America to Asia sought by European explorers

Dutch Trading Empire

Commercial empire built on spice trade, colonies, and powerful fleets; dominated Indian ocean trade in 1600s

Java

Indonesian island; controlled by the Dutch as a base for their spice trade empire in Southeast Asia

Circumnavigation

sailing all the way around the globe; first completed by Magellan’s crew(1519-1522)

Caravel

Small, fast portuguese ship for longer voyages

astrolabe

navigation tool using stars to find latitude at sea

compass

magnetic device to show direction, crucial for oceanic voyages

Galleons

Large, armed Spanish ships used for trade and warfare across oceans

Stern-mounted rudder

steering device on the back of ships; improved ability to maneuver

lateen sail

triangular sail allowing ships to sail against wind/sail faster with wind

carrack

Large, multi deck ship for long voyages, used by Portuguese and Spain

Fluyt

Dutch cargo ship, efficient for trade and cheap to build

Cartography

mapmaking, improved accuracy supported exploration

Maize

corn crop from Americas, became staple food worldwide

Measles

Contagious viral European disease spread to the Americas, deadly to natives who lacked immunity

Smallpox

Most devastating disease brough by Europeans to the New World during Columbian exchange

Malaria

Mosquito-borne disease; affected colonization in tropical regions, from Africa to the Americas, carried by enslaved Africans

Typhoid

Waterborne bacterial disease; spread with crowded populations as well as food and water, Europe to the Americas with colonists, fever focused

Cholera

Deadly waterborne disease, outbreaks tied to poor sanitation and contaminated water(floods), South Asia to Europe and the Americas, spread through global trade/migration, dehydration focused

Great Dying

Massive death of Native Americans from European diseases(smallpox, measles, typhus, etc)

Taino

Indigenous Caribbean people first contacted by Columbus; nearly wiped out by disease and conquest

Sugarcane

Cash crop from Asia; grown in Americas with enslaved labor, fueled by Atlantic trade

Cacao

Plant from Mesoamerica; source of chocolate, valued in Europe

Columbian Exchange

Global transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between Old and New Worlds after 1492

Middle Passage

Brutal sea journey enslaved Africans endured to the Americas

Atlantic Slave Trade

Forced transport of Africans to work in the Americas(16th-19th century)

Plantation Agriculture

Large scale farming using enslaved labor to grow cash crops(sugar, tobacco, cotton)

Oyo Empire

West African state(Yoruba people) that profited from slave trade as well as farming. Strong calvary armies

Triangle Trade

System linking Europe, Africa, and Americas with goods, slaves, and raw materials

Mercantilist

Economic system: colonies supply raw goods, mother country profits

Dahomey

African kingdom(benin/slave coast) that grew powerful by trading slaves with Europeans, had female soldiers and was ruled by an absolute monarchy

Asante

West African kingdom(modern day Ghana) that thrived by trading gold and slaves with the europeans. Unified by golden stool and used firearms

King Alfonso

Christian ruler of Kongo who appealed to Portugal to limit slave trade but failed

Olaudah Equiano

Former enslaved African who wrote about the horrors of slavery

African diaspora

Spread of African peoples culture across the Americas via slavery