World History: Americas, Renaissance, Exploration, and Absolutism

Vocabulary flashcards covering Native American civilizations, the Italian and Northern Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, European exploration, and absolute monarchies.

Bering Strait

A land bridge exposed during the Ice Age (15,000-20,000 years ago) that connected Asia and North America.

Hopewell

An Eastern Woodlands people residing in the Ohio River Valley who built earth mounds as tombs and cultivated corn, squash, and beans.

Cahokia

A major burial mound structure reaching 98 feet high, built by Eastern Woodlands people, which collapsed during the 1200s.

Three Sisters

The primary agricultural crops grown by Native American groups, consisting of corn, beans, and squash.

Iroquois League

A alliance formed to bring peace between native tribes, created by Deganawida and Hiawatha.

Grand Council

A governing body of 50 Iroquois leaders and representatives that introduced democratic principles to the region.

Clan Mothers

Iroquois women who held the power to select the male members of the Grand Council.

Pueblos

Stacked multi-story homes made of stone and adobe (sun-dried brick) constructed by the Anasazi.

La Venta

An Olmec center featuring a 30-foot high pyramid located over San Lorenzo.

Chinampas

Artificial floating gardens constructed by the Aztecs to expand agricultural space on lakes.

Nazca Lines

Large geometric figures and drawings of animals etched directly into rock by the Nazca people.

Quipu

An Inca record-keeping system that utilized a series of knotted strings.

Secular

A worldly focus on the enjoyment of material items as opposed to continuous religious devotion.

Mercenaries

Soldiers who offered their services in war to whichever ruler or faction paid the highest price.

The Book of the Courtier

A handbook outlining the ideals, etiquette, and political expectations required of Renaissance nobles.

Vernacular

The native spoken language of a specific region or country, such as Italian, French, or German.

Fresco

A technique of painting done on fresh, wet plaster with water-based paints to create durable murals.

Christian Humanism

A intellectual movement in Northern Europe that combined Renaissance learning with the goal of reforming the Catholic Church.

Indulgence

A grant or document issued by the Catholic Church releasing a person from all or part of the punishment for sin.

Ninety-five Theses

A list of academic propositions written by Martin Luther attacking church abuses, specifically the sale of indulgences.

Edict of Worms

An imperial decree declared by Charles V that made Martin Luther an outlaw and commanded the burning of all his works.

Peace of Augsburg

A 1555 agreement formally accepting the division of Christianity in Germany, allowing rulers to choose Lutheranism or Catholicism.

Predestination

John Calvin's theological belief that God has determined in advance who will be saved and who will be damned.

Consistory

A church court set up in Geneva under John Calvin to enforce moral discipline and public conduct.

Anabaptists

Radical Protestant groups who believed in adult baptism, absolute separation of church and state, and refusal to bear arms.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement that divided newly discovered lands outside Europe between Portugal and Spain.

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers and military conquerors who claimed territory across the Americas.

Encomienda

A Spanish policy granting colonial settlers the right to force Native Americans to work as laborers in mines and plantations.

Columbian Exchange

The extensive interchange of plants, animals, culture, populations, and diseases between the Americas and Europe.

Mercantilism

An economic theory holding that national prosperity depends on acquiring bullion (gold) and maintaining a favorable balance of trade.

Middle Passage

The forced sea voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

Peninsulares

Spanish and Portuguese officials born in Europe who held top administrative and judicial posts in Latin America.

Creoles

Descendants of European settlers born in Latin America who controlled land and business but held lower rank than peninsulares.

Mestizos

Individuals born of mixed European and Native American ancestry in colonial Latin America.

Mulattoes

Individuals born of mixed European and African descent in Latin America.

Mita

A colonial labor arrangement in Peru that allowed Spanish officials to draft indigenous people to work in silver mines.

Huguenots

French Protestants influenced by John Calvin, who made up 7% of the total French population and 50% of the nobility.

Edict of Nantes

A 1598 decree recognizing Catholicism as the official religion of France while granting full religious rights to Huguenots.

Peace of Westphalia

The 1648 treaty ending the Thirty Years' War, dividing the Holy Roman Empire into over 300 independent states.

Divine Right of Kings

The political doctrine asserting that monarchs receive their power directly from God and are accountable only to Him.

Puritans

English Calvinists who sought to cleanse and eliminate Catholic practices from the Church of England.

Absolutism

A governing system where a monarch holds supreme, unrestricted authority over state affairs.

War Commissariat

A tax collection and military supply organization established in Prussia by Frederick William the Great Elector.

Natural Rights

Fundamental rights belonging to all humans from birth, identified by John Locke as life, liberty, and property.