Edexcel: spain and the new world

1491

Isabella and Ferdinand completed their conquest of Spain, uniting the country. They agree to sponsor Columbus.

1492

Columbus sets sail for India and 'discovers' the Caribbean.

1493

Columbus returns to Spain with news of his discoveries. In December, he returns to the Caribbean.

1494

Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal

1498

Columbus's third voyage to the Caribbean

1500

Columbus arrested and is sent back to Spain in chains.

1503

Isabella sets up the Casa se Contratacion in Seville to oversee all trade with the Caribbean

1507

native population of Haiti reduced from 500,000 to 60,000 due to disease, slaughter and over-work.

1510

Balboa founds the first permanent settlement on mainland America: Santa Maria de la Antigua del Darien or Darien for short. By 1512 it was known as 'Golden Castile' because it was so prosperous and important to Spanish trade.

1511

Velasquez invades Cuba, chasing Hatuey, a native chief who had gone there from Haiti to warn the natives about the Spanish.

1512

Laws of Burgos

1512 Cuba

Hatuey captured and burned alive

1513

Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama and claims the Pacific ocean for Spain.

1513 Cuba

Massacre at Caonao - thousands of natives killed.

1514

settlement of Panama founded by Pedrarias and Espinosa on the south coast of Panama.

1514 Cuba

conquest complete

1519

Cortes sails from Cuba to Mexico. Massacre at Cholula. He reaches the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, where Montezuma invites him in and becomes a puppet ruler for the Spaniards.

1520

Cortes fights off a Spanish force sent by Velasquez to bring him back to Cuba. The Aztecs rebel against the Spanish and Montezuma is killed. Night of Tears: Spanish massacred at Tenochtitlan.

1521

Cortes and the Spaniards besiege Tenochtitlan and conquer the Aztecs. The Spanish now control Mexico, which they call New Spain.

1522

Magellan's vessel completes circumnavigation of the world

1523 New Spain

Cortes is made governor and captain-general of New Spain. King Charles also appoints four governors to reign with him.

1524 Peru

Pizarro's first expedition.

1526-7 Peru

Pizarro's second expedition.

1528 New Spain

Cortes is demoted to captain-general and a new governor, his enemy, is appointed. This was to stop them working together to exploit the area for their own gain.

1529

Pizarro is granted license to discover and conquer Peru

1530

Pizarro sets sail on his third exploration of Peru

1532

Atahualpa wins the civil war with his brother and takes control of the whole Inca empire. He meets Pizarro at Cajamarca.

1532

Battle of Cajamarca

1533

Atahualpa is executed. Pizarro crowns Manco Inca, his son, as chief, but he is a puppet ruler.

1536

The siege of Cuzco. The Spaniards are trapped in Cuzco.

1537

Spanish reinforcements arrive and defeat the Incas. Manco Inca retreats. The Spanish now control the whole empire.

1542

Bartolome de las Casas goes to Spain to argue for fairer treatment of the natives. Charles 1 signs New Laws.

1545

The silver mine at Potosi is founded.

1540s

a silver rush occurs as silver is discovered in many places, including Potosi Mountain.

1548

The city of La Paz is founded to connect the major silver mines with Lima, on the coast.

Astronomer

someone who studies the stars. Useful in helping explorers to navigate.

Bullion

gold and silver

Caravel

A small, fast sailing ship, mainly used for trade and longer oceanic exploration.

Carrack

A large sailing ship mainly used for trade and longer oceanic exploration.

Casa de Contratacion

House of trade. Based in Seville. All trade with the New World had to go through it.

Circumnavigate

to sail around the world

Conquistador

Armed adventurer and explorer who went to the New World had to go through the Casa.

The Cortes

The name for the Spanish Parliament

Council of the Indies

A council of Spanish officials. Originally set up to solve the problems of colonisation. Later, it became fully responsible for governing the Spanish lands in the New World.

Crusading spirit

The idea that invasion or exploration was to spread and protect the ideas of the Catholic Church.

Dominican

A type of catholic monk. Tried to convert people by teaching and preaching about Christ.

Encomendero

The head of an encomienda.

Encomienda

A parcel of land given to a settler, who had control of the land and everything/everyone on it.

Flower Wars

Ritualistic wars fought between the Aztecs and their enemies.

Fransiscan

a type of catholic monk. Took vows of poverty and humility. Tried to convert people by setting a good example.

Imperial policy

The policy of the Spanish government towards its growing empire in the New World.

Inflation

A situation where prices rise more quickly than wages

Isthmus

A narrow section of land

Laws of Burgos

laws passed that maintained the encomienda system and essentially made natives slaves. they states that indians were to be treated kindly and their hours of work regulated and to be instructed in christianity

Monopoly

complete control, usually over trade

New Laws

Passed by the Spanish crown in 1542 to protect the native population. Lots of them were cancelled when rebellion broke out, but the laws eventually led to the end of the encomienda system.

Privateers

Private ships sponsored by rival governments to attack, sink or capture enemy ships. A bit like government sponsored pirates.

Puppet ruler

A ruler who has no real power, but is controlled by someone else.

Smallpox

A deadly disease spread to the native population of the new world by the Spanish settlers.

Spice islands

Islands in the south pacific with rich supplies of valuable spices. Officially belonged to Portugal under the Treaty of Tordesillas, but King Charles thought he could claim them if he could find a westwards route.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.

Viceroy

Based in Mexico and Peru. Official representatives of the Spanish crown in the New World. Responsible for the way the New World was governed.

Isabella

Joint ruler of Spain in 1490. Very devout. Sponsored Columbus's first voyage.

Ferdinand

Joint ruler of spain in 1490. Sponsored Columbus's first voyage.

Columbus

Genoese explorer. Approached many rulers for sponsorship, hoping to find a route to India by sailing West. Discovered the Caribbean in 1492. Became governor of Haiti.

Bobadilla

Sent to Haiti to take over from Columbus in 1500. Developed gold mining in Haiti.

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Founded the settlement of Darien in Panama in 1510. Discovered the Pacific and claimed it for Spain in 1513. Replaced by Pedrarias. Beheaded.

Pedrarias and Espinosa

Explored the Isthmus of Panama. Founded the settlement of Panama on the Pacific coast.

Velasquez

Deputy governor of Haiti. Led a Spanish invasion of Cuba in 1511 to capture escaped rebel Hatuey. Went on to conquer the whole island and became first governor.

Charles 1

Spanish king from 1516

Magellan

Circumnavigated the globe between 1519 and 1522

Cortes

Velasquez's secretary. Sailed to Mexico in 1519. Conquered the country by 1521. Became governor and captain general until 1528.

Pizarro

Discovered and conquered Peru

Bartolome de Las Casas

Franciscan friar who spoke out against mistreatment of Native Americans

Hatuey

Native chief of Haiti who escaped to Cuba to warn natives of the Spaniards' brutality

Malinche

Mayan woman given to Cortes who acted as an interpreter for him

Montezuma

Emperor of the Aztecs who got conquered by the Spanish and forced to be a puppet ruler.

Huayna Capac

the Incan ruler under whom the Incan empire reached its widest extent (died in 1525 from smallpox)

Atahuallpa

Last ruling Inka emperor of Peru. He was executed by the Spanish.

Huascar

Atahualpa's brother

Manco Inca

Atahualpa's son forced to act as a puppet ruler for the Spaniards.

Tainos

a tribe of native people on the Caribbean islands who were usually peaceful

Caribs

a tribe of native people on the Caribbean islands who were usually war like and possibly cannibals.

Aztecs

The ruling tribe in Mexico.

Tabascans, Tlaxcalans , Cholula

Enemies of the Aztecs

Incas

Powerful tribe in Peru and South America.

San Salvador

The first island that Columbus landed on, October 1492

The Bahamas

Columbus sailed around the islands for three months looking for gold.

Haiti

Site of the first Spanish settlers in the New World.

Panama

First mainland region to be settled by Spain.

Cuba

Invaded by the Spanish in 1511.

Pacific Ocean

claimed for Spain by Balboa.

Mexico

Controlled by rich and powerful Aztec empire. Invaded by Cortes.

Peru

Controlled by powerful Inca empire. Invaded by Cortes.

Bolivia

Site of Potosi silver mine.

Portugal

Spain's main rival

Seville

Spanish city that held monopoly on Spanish trade from the New World.

The Straits of Magellan

An area at the bottom of South America where Magellan was able to cross the continent and continue his circumnavigation in the Pacific Ocean.

The Philippines

A collection of islands in south pacific, discovered by Magellan and claimed for Spain