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Prester John
A legendary Christian monarch whom Europeans believed ruled a prosperous kingdom in Africa or Asia, inspiring explorations to locate his realm.
Marco Polo's Travels
Accounts of Marco Polo’s journey to Asia, particularly China, which inspired European interest in the riches of the East and encouraged exploration.
Lateen Rig
A triangular sail that allowed ships to sail more effectively into the wind, facilitating European exploration by increasing navigational versatility.
Quadrant
A navigational tool used to measure angles and help sailors determine their latitude by measuring the height of the sun or stars above the horizon.
Compass
A navigational instrument showing direction relative to the Earth's magnetic poles, essential for accurate sea navigation.
Astrolabe
An instrument used by sailors to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of stars above the horizon.
Cartography
The practice of map-making, which improved significantly during the Age of Exploration, aiding navigation and exploration.
Price Revolution
A period of rising prices in Europe due to an influx of silver and gold from the Americas, leading to inflation and changes in the European economy.
Joint Stock Company
A business model where investors buy shares in a company, sharing both the risks and profits, which financed many exploratory voyages.
Mercantilism
An economic theory emphasizing a favorable balance of trade to increase national wealth, often leading to colonial expansion to secure resources.
Favorable Balance of Trade
An economic policy under which a nation aims to export more than it imports to accumulate wealth, often associated with mercantilism.
Colony
A territory under the political control of another country, established for economic or strategic benefits.
Prince Henry the Navigator
A Portuguese prince who sponsored expeditions along the African coast, advancing navigation and exploration efforts.
The Gold Coast
A region of West Africa rich in gold, which attracted European traders and explorers, particularly the Portuguese.
Bartholomeu Dias
A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, opening the route to Asia.
Vasco da Gama
A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia through an ocean route.
Goa
A port on the western coast of India that became a Portuguese trading center and colony, significant in the spice trade.
The Spice Islands
A group of islands in present-day Indonesia, rich in valuable spices, which were highly sought after by European traders.
Ferdinand and Isabella
The Spanish monarchs who sponsored Christopher Columbus’s voyages, leading to European exploration of the Americas.
Christopher Columbus
An Italian explorer funded by Spain who made voyages across the Atlantic, leading to European awareness of the American continents.
Hispaniola
An island in the Caribbean, first explored by Columbus, that became one of the first Spanish colonies in the New World.
Pedro Cabral
A Portuguese navigator who claimed Brazil for Portugal during his voyage to India.
Amerigo Vespucci
An Italian explorer who recognized that the lands discovered by Columbus were part of a new continent, which was later named "America" in his honor.
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
The Spanish explorer who crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the New World.
Ferdinand Magellan
A Portuguese navigator whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe, though he died before the journey was complete.
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
An agreement between Spain and Portugal, mediated by the Pope, dividing newly discovered lands outside Europe between them.
Conquistadors
Spanish soldiers and explorers who conquered large areas of the Americas, motivated by wealth, power, and spreading Christianity.
Tenochtitlan
The capital city of the Aztec Empire, which was captured by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.
Hernán Cortés
A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico.
Montezuma
The last emperor of the Aztec Empire, who was defeated by Cortés and his forces.
Quetzalcoatl
A deity in Aztec mythology; some believed that the arrival of the Spanish corresponded to a prophecy involving Quetzalcoatl.
Smallpox
A disease brought by Europeans to the Americas, which devastated indigenous populations due to lack of immunity.
Cuzco
The capital of the Inca Empire in present-day Peru, later captured by Spanish forces.
Francisco Pizarro
The Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Inca Empire in South America.
Atahualpa
The last emperor of the Inca Empire, captured and executed by Pizarro and his forces.
Encomienda
A Spanish labor system granting settlers the right to demand labor from indigenous people, often leading to exploitation.
Bartolomé de Las Casas
A Spanish priest who advocated for the rights of indigenous people, criticizing the abuses of the encomienda system.
Viceroy
A governor who ruled a colony on behalf of the sovereign, commonly used in Spanish colonies.
Audiencias
Spanish colonial courts that administered justice and advised the viceroys in governing Spanish colonies.
“Sugar Factories”
Large plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil where enslaved Africans produced sugar, which was a lucrative export.
Henry Hudson
An English explorer who sought a northwest passage to Asia and explored parts of present-day Canada and the northeastern U.S.
Jacques Cartier
A French explorer who claimed parts of Canada for France, searching for a northwest passage to Asia.
Samuel de Champlain
A French explorer and founder of Quebec, establishing the first permanent French settlement in Canada.
Treaty of Utrecht (1713)
A series of treaties that ended the War of Spanish Succession, redistributing colonial territories among European powers.
Asiento
A contract allowing foreign powers to supply enslaved Africans to Spanish colonies, significant in the Atlantic slave trade.
French and Indian War
A conflict between Britain and France in North America, part of a larger imperial struggle, ending with British dominance in the region.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The treaty that ended the French and Indian War, leading to significant territorial gains for Britain in North America.
Dutch East India Company
A Dutch trading company that established and maintained trade in Asia, especially in the Spice Islands, often using force.
Calicut
An Indian port visited by European traders, particularly the Portuguese, as a key point in the spice trade.
British East India Company
An English company that dominated trade in India, eventually leading to British political control over the region.
Robert Clive
A British officer and administrator who helped secure British dominance in India, notably after the Battle of Plassey.
Battle of Plassey (1757)
A decisive battle in which British forces defeated the Nawab of Bengal, establishing British control over parts of India.
Canton
A Chinese port where the British and other Europeans traded with China under regulated conditions.
Slave Trade
The forced transport and sale of African people as slaves to work in European colonies, especially in the Americas.
Triangular Trade
A trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving goods, slaves, and raw materials.
Middle Passage
The brutal sea journey endured by enslaved Africans being transported to the Americas.
King Alfonso of Congo
A ruler who initially cooperated with the Portuguese but later opposed the impact of the slave trade on his kingdom.
Quakers
A religious group that was one of the first to oppose slavery, advocating for its abolition.
Mestizos
People of mixed European and indigenous ancestry in Spanish colonies, representing a new social class.
Mulattoes
People of mixed European and African ancestry in Spanish and Portuguese colonies, also forming a distinct social class.
Maize
A crop native to the Americas that became a staple in Europe, Africa, and Asia due to the Columbian Exchange.
Missionaries
Religious figures sent to convert indigenous populations to Christianity, often accompanying explorers and settlers.
The Jesuits
A Catholic religious order that was active in missionary work, especially in Asia and the Americas.
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of goods, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the New World following Columbus's voyages.
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