AP Euro Vocab 1B

evangelized

The act of preaching a religious belief in hopes of winning converts.

lucrative

something that is profitable or valuable

New Monarchs

Historical term for those rulers who came to power in the 1500's and were able to establish stronger control over their nation's than medieval kings ever could.

caravel

Revolutionary Portuguese designed sailing ship capable of handling the dangers of ocean voyages. The vessels utilized three triangular sails, a rudder, and a rounded hull.

backstaff / astrolabe / sextant

Each are tools used by navigators to track speed and location using the sun, moon, stars, and the horizon.

portolani

Term for ancient, medieval maps used by early explorers in the 1300's and 1400's. They were highly inaccurate.

Cape of Good Hope

The strategic passage of water at the bottom of the African continent, marked by stormy seas caused by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Malacca

An old name for the islands of Indonesia coveted for their spices and strategic location.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement negotiated by Pope Alexander VI that split the unknown world between Spain and Portugal.

circumnavigate

The act of sailing around the world.

conquistadors

Spanish term for the soldiers who brutally conquered the New World native population in the 1500's.

Smallpox

A viral infection that caused high fever and an outbreak of painful blisters all over the body. Over 90% of the infected died.

encomienda

These were large land grants from the Spanish king to Spanish soldiers serving in the New World. They were given the right to demand labor from Native Americans living there.

Middle Passage

Term for the horrific journey of the captive African slaves across the Atlantic to the slave markets of the New World. Millions did not survive the voyages.

Mestizos

A mixed race people of European and Native American blood.

Mulattos

A mixed race people of European and African blood.

rationalize

To attempt to explain or justify an action or belief that other might find offensive.

relativism

The belief that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context and are not absolute.

demographic

The study of people and population.

Columbian Exchange

Term for the back-and-forth, give-and-take relationship between Europe and the New World. It was marked by the movement of people, crops, and goods between both hemispheres.

bullion

Precious metals (gold and silver) in bulk form, valued by weight.

inflation

A general increase in prices and a decline in the purchasing power of the money.

Price Revolution

Term for an economic upheaval that struck Spain and then all of Europe in the 1500's and 1600's. It was marked by inflation that drove up prices.

barter

The economic system where goods are traded for other goods without the use of currency.

Global Economy

Term for the beginnings of an intertwined worldwide economy that linked the four corners of the world through the exchange of goods.

Triangle Trade

Term for the economic relationship between Europe, Africa, and the New World.

coffee houses

Businesses that emerged in European cities selling coffee, sugar, and tobacco products imported from the New World. They are good examples of the global economy.

commercial

A synonym for business.

commercial capitalism

An early form of trade that focused on the movement of goods from a place where had low value to a place where these same goods could be sold for more. It is a forerunner of free-trade.

joint-stock corporations

A business model that was based on shared risk and shared reward. Shares (a portion of ownership) were sold to investors who owned a share in the entire business.

British East Indies Company

First chartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, the company came to dominate trade in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore) and Qing China. At its peak, it accounted for 50% of all world trade.

Dutch East Indies Company

First chartered in 1602, this company is considered the world's first multinational conglomerate. It built ships, and transported goods such as Java coffee, Taiwanese sugar, Indian tea and cotton, and South African wines.

Fuggers

A powerful and wealthy family that dominated the banking industry in Northern Europe, especially Germany.

bourgeoisie

Term referring to the urban, educated middle and upper classes.

mercantilism

The dominant economic policy of the 1500s - 1750s, it was based on the formation of self-sufficient national economies. This was achieved by limiting imports through high tariffs, the development of national industries, and the acquisition of colonies. It emphasized the amassing of bullion.

import

A good that is brought into a country from a foreign source.

tariff

A tax placed on imported goods to keep out foreign competition.

domestic

Of, or pertaining to one's own country.

free-trade

A system of economics that rejected the theory of mercantilism. The idea is to put as few barriers to trade as possible. The system rejects all tariffs.

Hanseatic League (Hansa)

An economic and military alliance of Northern European Trading cities made up of a number of Northern German coastal towns.