history test flash cards

Famine

A widespread shortage of food often caused by crop failure, war, or climate change.

Eunuchs

Castrated men employed in royal courts, particularly in China under the Ming and Qing dynasties, who held administrative power and were trusted as loyal servants to the emperor.

Missionaries

Religious figures, often Catholic (like Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans), who traveled globally to spread Christianity as part of European imperial expansion.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a nation’s authority through conquest, colonization, or economic domination.

Plantation

Large agricultural estates in the Americas producing cash crops (sugar, tobacco, cotton) using enslaved labor, central to the Atlantic economy.

Circumnavigate

To sail completely around the world, first achieved by Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition.

Duties (in trade)

Taxes or tariffs imposed on goods by states to control trade and increase revenue.

Scurvy

A disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, common among sailors on long voyages.

Galleons

Large, multi-decked sailing ships used for oceanic trade and warfare.

Indentured Laborers (Servants)

Workers who agreed to labor for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the Americas.

Cash Crop

A crop grown primarily for sale rather than subsistence, such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

Sovereign

A supreme ruler or monarch possessing independent authority.

Divine Right

The doctrine that kings derive their authority from God.

Janissaries

Elite infantry units of the Ottoman Empire made up of enslaved Christian boys converted to Islam.

Conservatives

Individuals favoring traditional political and religious order, particularly defenders of monarchy and church authority.

Liberal

Supporters of reform, individual rights, and limitations on monarchical power.

Imam

In Islam, a religious leader guiding prayer and community life.

Metropolitan

A high-ranking bishop or church official overseeing multiple dioceses.

Suppress

To forcibly end or restrain movements, ideas, or uprisings.

Theocracy

A government ruled by religious leaders or based on divine authority.

Marco Polo

Venetian traveler whose accounts of Asia inspired later explorers during the Age of Exploration.

Pieces of Eight (Pesos de Ocho)

Spanish silver coins widely used in global trade.

Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who sponsored early voyages of exploration along the African coast.

Columbian Exchange

The global transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, and ideas following Columbus's voyages.

Vasco de Balboa

Spanish explorer who crossed the Isthmus of Panama and was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean.

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese navigator whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe.

Sir Francis Drake

English privateer who circumnavigated the globe and raided Spanish ships.

Vitus Bering

Danish explorer who explored the North Pacific and the Bering Strait.

James Cook

British explorer who mapped the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire.

Queen Nzinga

Ruler of Ndongo who resisted Portuguese colonization.

Dutch VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie)

The Dutch East India Company, one of the first joint-stock companies.

British East India Company

Chartered in 1600, it expanded British influence in India through trade and military control.

Triangular Trade

Transatlantic trade network linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

The Middle Passage

The brutal leg of the Triangular Trade where enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic.

Encomienda

Spanish labor system granting colonists control over indigenous labor in exchange for Christianizing them.

The Balkans

Region in southeastern Europe under Ottoman rule, a crossroads of cultures.

Martin Luther

German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation by challenging Catholic practices.

95 Theses

Luther’s list of grievances against the Catholic Church.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of the printing press, revolutionizing communication.

Henry VIII

English king who broke from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England.

John Calvin (Calvinism)

French reformer whose teachings emphasized predestination.

Jesuits

Members of the Society of Jesus, who spread Christianity globally.

30 Years War (1618–1648)

Devastating religious conflict in Central Europe between Catholics and Protestants.

Spanish Inquisition

Religious court established to enforce Catholic orthodoxy in Spain.

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

Chinese dynasty known for its strong centralized government and maritime exploration.

Yongle Emperor

Ming ruler who sponsored Zheng He’s voyages.

Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)

Manchu-led dynasty succeeding the Ming, expanding China's borders.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan.

Daimyo

Powerful feudal lords in Japan.

Samurai

Warrior class of feudal Japan serving the daimyo.

Shogun

Military ruler of Japan who held real power over the emperor.