History 1020 Exam1 Study Guide

Old World web

The large interconnected Afro-Eurasian network of trade, ideas, and disease, before 1500.

Local webs in Oceania, the Americas, Southern Africa

Smaller, isolated regional networks with limited long-distance exchange

Zheng He & Ming voyages

Massive Chinese expeditions (1405-1433) projecting Ming power across the Indian Ocean

End of Ming voyages & legacy

Voyages stopped due to cost and politics; China turned inward, leaving seas open to Europeans

Advances in sail/shipbuilding

Lateen sails, caravels, and better hulls enabled Europeans to sail farther and faster

Arab math & astronomy influence

Iberian navigators used Arab geometry, star charts, and astrolabe techniques

Reconquista

Christian reconquest of Iberia; fueled militant, expansionist attitudes in Spain/Portugal

European motives for exploration

Gold, glory, and God — wealth, fame, and spreading Christianity

Vasco da Gama & Calicut

First European to reach India by sea (1498), opening direct spice trade

Columbus & Hispaniola

Landed in the Caribbean (1492); enslaved Taíno and began Spanish colonization

Ferdinand Magellan

Led first circumnavigation of the glove (1519-1522), proving global connectivity

Smallpox & malaria (Guanches, Tasmanian, Taíno)

Old World diseased caused catastrophic population collapse among isolated people

Columbian Exchange

Global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people after 1492

Horses in North America

Reintroduced by Europeans; transformed Plains Indian mobility and warfare

Maize, cassava, key crops

American crops that boosted population growth in Africa, Europe, and Asia

New World crops & population growth after 1730

Potatoes and maize increased food supply, fueling European population expansion

Spread of Islam in Africa

Expanded through trade, rulers, and scholars across the Sahel and Swahili Coast

Africanizing Islam vs. orthodoxy

Local traditions blended with Islam, causing tension with purist reformers

King Afonso of Kongo

Christian ruler who adopted European customs and allied with Portugal

Small European settler colonies

Created hybrid societies and reshaped coastal politics (Cape Colony, Kongo, Angola)

The Khoi

Pastoralists at eh Cape; devastated by Dutch settlement and disease

Transatlantic slave trade

Largest forced migration in history; 12-14 million Africans shipped to the Americas

Middle Passage & destinations

Brutal Atlantic crossing; most enslaved people sent to Brazil and the Caribbean

Other slave trades (Indian Ocean, Sahara)

Millions more enslaved Africans sent to North Africa, Middle East, and Asia

Slavery as a business; signares

Slave trading became commercialized; African women (signares) profited through coastal marriages

Consequences for African societies

Population loss, militarization, economic disruption, and political instability

Epidemics & the Inka Empire

Smallpox weakened the Inka before Pizarro arrived, aiding Spanish conquest

Mayan resistance

Maya resisted Spanish rule for centuries, especially in the Yucatán

Túpac Amaru II

Led major Andean rebellion (1781-83) against Spanish rule; ultimately failed

Biological globalization & Little Ice Age

Population collapse in the Americas may have reduced CO2, deepening global cooling

Fisheries & fur trade

Indigenous peoples traded furs with French, British, and Dutch; reshaped North America

Plantation Zone

Region from Chesapeake to Brazil producing sugar, tobacco, rice with enslaved labor

Silver mining & mita

Spanish revived Inka mita labor draft for mines like Potosí, causing massive suffering

Fur exports & Russification of Siberia

Russian expansion for furs brought disease, tribute, and cultural assimilation

Hybrid societies & creole cultures

Mixed languages, religions, and identities emerged across the Americas

Jesuits (Anjiro & Xavier)

Missionaries spreading Catholicism; Xavier reached Japan with Anjiro’s help

Gutenberg & printing press

Moveable metal type (1450s) revolutionized information spread; earlier roots in Korea/China

Renaissance

Revival of classical learning in Italy; fueled by urban wealth and Greek scholars

Marin Luther & Ninety-five theses

Criticized indulgences; argued salvation by faith alone and scripture over church authority

Protestantism

New Christian movements rejecting papal authority and emphasizing scripture

Catholic Reformation

Catholic response: reforms, Inquisition, Jesuits, and Peace of Augsburg

Witch hunts

40,000-60,000 executed amid religious conflict and social anxiety (1500-1700)

Scientific Revolution

Shift toward experimentation, math, and observation; challenged old authorities

Safavids & Shi’ism in Iran

Safavid dynasty made Shi’a Islam the state religion, reshaping Iranian identity

Sikhism & Nanak

New religion blending Hindu and Islamic ideas; emphasized equality and devotion

Neo-Confucianism

Song-era revival stressing study, morality, and civil service exams

Wang Yangming

Taught that everyone can achieve moral knowledge through experience

Christianity in China & Japan

Limited success in China; initially successful in Japan but banned by 1640