European Exploration, Conquest, and Trade Systems: Key Concepts and Figures

Fall of Constantinople (1453)

Its fall, along with the collapse of Mongol trade systems and the Crusader states, cut Europe off from Asian trade and pushed Europeans to search for new routes to the East.

Caravels

Small, fast, and maneuverable ships used by European explorers that helped them travel long distances across the ocean.

Cartography

Improved mapmaking that helped explorers navigate; included tools like the compass, astrolabe, and portolan maps.

Vasco de Gama

Portuguese explorer who reached the coast of India in 1498 by correctly navigating around the Cape of Good Hope.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain

Spanish monarchs who sponsored explorers like Christopher Columbus and helped Spain build a large overseas empire.

Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who supported and encouraged early exploration along the west coast of Africa.

Conquistadors

Spanish conquerors who defeated major Native American civilizations and gained land, wealth, and noble titles.

Hernan Cortes

Conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico.

Francisco Pizarro

Conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in Peru.

Three G's (God, Gold, Glory)

Main motivations for European exploration: spreading Christianity, gaining wealth, and achieving fame or power.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Agreement drawn by the Pope dividing new lands between Portugal (East) and Spain (West).

Trade-Post Empire (Portugal)

Portugal focused on controlling coastal cities in Africa and Asia rather than colonizing; they dominated trade routes using forts and naval power.

Cartaz

A required trade certificate that non-Portuguese merchants had to buy to trade in Portuguese-controlled regions.

New Spain

Spanish empire in the Americas, stretching from South America to California, focused on extracting gold, silver, and cash crops.

Encomienda System

A Spanish labor system where settlers controlled Native American labor and were supposed to Christianize them.

Columbus

Italian sailing for Spain who reached the Caribbean in 1492 while looking for a west route to Asia; deeply religious, enslaved Native people, and started Spanish colonization.

Magellan

Led the first voyage to circumnavigate the world; died in the Philippines but his crew finished the journey.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colony established through Dutch exploration and run by the Dutch West India Company; Amsterdam became the financial center of Europe.

New France

French colonies in North America built through exploration by figures like Jacques Cartier.

Chartered Companies

Government-approved corporations (like the Virginia Company) that funded and operated colonies for profit.

Virginia Company

English charter company that founded the Virginia Colony in 1607.

British East India Company

English trade company that operated in the Indian Ocean, hiring soldiers and running colonies to expand English wealth.

Dutch East India Company

Dutch trading corporation that spread Dutch influence in Asia and the Indian Ocean.

John Cabot

English explorer who helped start England's claim to North American territory.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who helped establish French claims in North America.

Economic Effects (Price Revolution)

Influx of precious metals from the New World caused rising prices, hurting nobles on fixed incomes while helping the middle class.

Joint Stock Investment

Investors put money into expeditions and shared profits; helped fund risky voyages and spread financial risk.

Indentured Servants

European settlers who worked under a labor contract to pay for their trip to the Americas.

The Atlantic System

Triangular trade linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas; European goods bought enslaved Africans, who were shipped to the Americas to produce crops that were sold in Europe.

The Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds; brought new foods but devastated Native populations with diseases like smallpox.

Mercantilism

Economic system where governments controlled trade to gain more wealth than rival nations and strengthen national power.

Viceroy

Spanish royal governor who ruled parts of the Americas on behalf of the king.

Father Bartolomé de Las Casas

A Spanish priest who opposed Native American slavery but at first encouraged African slavery, which he later regretted.

The Slave Trade

Europeans expanded the existing African slave trade, especially to supply labor for plantations in the New World; about 10 million Africans were forced across the Atlantic.

Sengoku Period

A time of civil war and conflict in Japan before it unified.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

The shogun who unified Japan and started the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Edo Period

Period of peace and stability in Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Shimabara Rebellion

A revolt in Japan that contributed to the government's decision to isolate the country.

Sakoku

Japan's isolation policy that limited foreign influence and banned most outside contact.

Samurai

Warrior class in Japan who served the shogun and daimyo.

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty known for major achievements in trade and exploration before turning inward.