Key Historical Events from Reconquista to Enlightenment

Reconquista

The centuries-long campaign by Christian states to recapture territory from Muslim rulers in Spain, ending in 1492 with the fall of Granada.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who discovered a sea route to India (1497-1498), marking the beginning of European maritime dominance.

Habsburg-Ottoman Rivalry

Conflict between Christian Europe (Habsburgs) and the Muslim Ottoman Empire, driven by territorial expansion and religious differences.

Centralizing States

Monarchs consolidating power by reducing feudal influences, exemplified by Louis XIV's France and Peter the Great's Russia.

Passion Plays

Religious dramas depicting the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, popular during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Martin Luther/Lutheranism

95 Theses challenging Catholic practices, leading to Protestant Reformation; emphasized justification by faith.

John Calvin/Calvinism

Focused on predestination and strict moral discipline, shaping Protestant movements in Switzerland and beyond.

Catholic Reformation (Counterreformation)

Catholic Church's response to Protestantism, including reforms (Council of Trent) and new orders (Jesuits).

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

1572 massacre of Huguenots (French Protestants) during religious wars in France.

Methodism

Religious revival movement led by John Wesley, emphasizing personal faith and social reform.

Dutch War of Independence

Also called the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648); the Netherlands gained independence from Spain.

Thirty Years' War

Devastating European conflict (1618-1648) fueled by religious and political rivalries; ended with the Peace of Westphalia.

Glorious Revolution and Constitutionalism

Overthrow of James II in England (1688), establishing parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional monarchy.

Humanism

Intellectual movement emphasizing classical learning, individual potential, and secularism.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Author of The Prince, advocating pragmatic and sometimes ruthless political tactics.

Renaissance Art

Celebrated humanism, perspective, and realism; notable artists include Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Baroque Art

Dramatic, emotional, and ornate style, exemplified by works of Caravaggio and Bernini.

Scientific Revolution/New Sciences

Transformative period of scientific discoveries; emphasis on observation, experimentation, and reason.

Nicolas Copernicus

Proposed heliocentrism, challenging geocentrism.

Galileo Galilei

Used the telescope to support heliocentrism; faced Inquisition for his views.

Isaac Newton

Formulated laws of motion and universal gravitation, unifying physics and astronomy.

Renee Descartes

Philosopher and mathematician; 'Cogito, ergo sum' and analytical geometry.

Colombian Exchange

Transfer of crops (maize, potatoes), animals (horses), and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

Multi-racial Social Hierarchies

Castas system in the Americas, stratifying society by race and heritage.

Missionaries in the New World

Catholic missions aimed at converting Indigenous populations.

New World Slavery and Labor

Systems like encomiendas and haciendas exploiting Indigenous and African labor.

Virgin of Guadalupe

Religious icon blending Indigenous and Catholic traditions in Mexico.

Songhai Empire

West African empire known for trade, education, and Islam; fell in 1591.

Ethiopia

Christian kingdom in East Africa resisting Muslim incursions and colonialism.

Kongo Kingdom

Central African state, major player in Atlantic slave trade.

Queen Nzinga

Leader of Ndongo and Matamba; resisted Portuguese colonization and slavery.

Middle Passage

Harsh journey of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Effect of Slave Trade on Africa

Depopulation, social disruption, and economic changes.

Religious Policy in the Mughal Empire

Akbar's tolerance vs. Aurangzeb's orthodoxy.

Neo-Confucianism

Revival of Confucian thought in China, emphasizing morality and societal order.

Civil Service Examination

Merit-based system for selecting officials in Imperial China.

China and Christianity

Jesuit missions, syncretism, and eventual suppression.

Tokugawa Japan: Seclusion

Policy of limiting foreign influence and trade.

Dutch Learning

Study of Western science via Dutch traders.

Japanese Theater and Art

Kabuki, woodblock prints, and the flowering of Edo culture.

John Locke

Natural rights philosophy, influential in liberalism and political theory.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Advocated for the social contract and general will.

Voltaire

Critic of organized religion, champion of free speech and reason.

Adam Smith

Father of modern economics; Wealth of Nations.

Denis Diderot

Editor of the Encyclopédie, spreading Enlightenment ideas.

Carl Linnaeus and Scientific Racism

Developed taxonomy but also laid foundations for racial classifications.

Deism

Belief in a rational, impersonal deity.

Enlightened Despotism

Absolute monarchs adopting Enlightenment ideas, e.g., Frederick the Great.

Conflict between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire

A conflict between Christian Europe (Habsburgs) and the Muslim Ottoman Empire over territorial and religious dominance.

Centralizing states

States where monarchs consolidated power, reducing feudal influences (e.g., Louis XIV's France, Peter the Great's Russia).

Passion Plays

Religious dramas depicting the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Martin Luther's primary contribution to the Reformation

Posting the 95 Theses, challenging Catholic practices and emphasizing justification by faith.

Counterreformation

The Catholic Church's response to Protestantism, including reforms like the Council of Trent and the founding of the Jesuits.

Thirty Years' War

A European conflict (1618-1648) fueled by religious and political tensions, ending with the Peace of Westphalia.

Glorious Revolution

The overthrow of James II of England in 1688, establishing parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional monarchy.

Humanism

An intellectual movement emphasizing classical learning, individual potential, and secularism.

Niccolo Machiavelli

The author of The Prince, advocating pragmatic and often ruthless political tactics.

Isaac Newton's contribution to science

He formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, unifying physics and astronomy.

Colombian Exchange

The transfer of crops, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

Virgin of Guadalupe

A religious icon blending Indigenous and Catholic traditions in Mexico.

Encomienda system

A labor system where Spanish settlers exploited Indigenous peoples for labor and tribute.

Queen Nzinga

A leader who resisted Portuguese colonization and the Atlantic slave trade in Ndongo and Matamba.

Middle Passage

The brutal journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Effects of the slave trade on Africa

Depopulation, social disruption, and economic changes due to the loss of millions of people.

Civil Service Examination in China

A merit-based system for selecting officials in Imperial China.

Policy of seclusion in Tokugawa Japan

A policy limiting foreign influence and trade, keeping Japan isolated from most outside contact.

Dutch Learning in Japan

The study of Western science and technology through Dutch traders.

John Locke's contribution to political theory

He developed the concept of natural rights, which influenced liberalism and democracy.

Voltaire

An Enlightenment thinker who criticized organized religion and championed free speech and reason.

Deism

The belief in a rational, impersonal deity that created the universe but does not intervene in human affairs.