AP European History Test 1 Study Guide

Unit 1

Money economy

an economic system based on money rather than barter; anyone can purchase any good without being limited to what they can produce to barter with

European overseas trade

Portugese trading network, Columbian Exchange, African Slave Trade, Dutch East India Company, British East India Company, Afroeurasian Trade World

Portugese trading network

based in forts along the African coast, negotiated a treaty that allowed them to export cloves to Europe, started to travel more extensively throughout Asia, seeking to expand access to spice trade, established settlements and sugar cane plantations; enslaved labor, sugar, and coffee exports made Portugal money

African Slave Trade

Result of expanding Atlantic trading system and colonization of the Americas; Triangular trade and middle passage

Dutch East India Company

A company founded by the Dutch in the early 17th century to establish and direct trade throughout Asia. Richer and more powerful than England's company, they drove out the English and Established dominance over the region. It ended up going bankrupt and being bought out by the British

British East India Company

controlled 25% of the world's trade, bought and sold spices, cotton, tea, silk, and opium

Caribbean

First area of Spanish exploration and settlement; served as experimental region for nature of Spanish colonial experience; encomienda system of colonial management initiated here.

The Pope

the bishop of Rome, head of the Roman Catholic Church

Johannes Gutenburg

German printer; in 1448 he invented a printing press that used movable type - made the Gutenburg Bible

Christianity and Conquest

Split in Europe resulting from the Protestant Reformation increased the desire of some countries to spread their faith; English groups sought refuge in North America from the Anglican Church

Decentralized Government

A government where its top level decision-making processes are dispersed throughout the system rather than being concentrated on one person, place or legislative body

Common Lands

Prior to the Agricultural Revolution, most western European villages traditionally set aside these fields, accessible to all in the community, to be used as pasture for livestock and for the production of hay

Reasons for European Exploration

Religion- spreading religion and religious refuge

Commercial motives- Searth for new routes to the East, quest for a water route, mercantilism

Advances in knowledge- Able to find locations accurately, allows for extended ocean voyages

Portuguese

took an early lead in European exploration (sponsored by Prince Henry); went East and established trading posts in West Africa, East Africa (Swahili City States) and India for spice trade

Africa

In the 16th century, warfare between states/groups in Africa for the purposes of capturing new slaves to be taken to the Atlantic market increased dramatically.

Thomas More

He was a English humanist that contributed to the world today by revealing the complexities of man. He wrote Utopia, a book that represented a revolutionary view of society (education for women and abolition of private property)

Vernacular Literature

Literature written in the everyday language spoken by common people; became increasingly available as a result of the spread of printing

Plantation Agriculture

Production system based on a large estate owned by an individual, family, or corporation and organized to produce a cash crop. Almost all plantations were established within the tropics, and many used slave labor to make goods cheaper.

Planter Society

Plantations with large workforce to farm crops; members organized and profitted from this labor

Jesuits

Catholic Religious group, preformed missionary work around the world and largely focused on education and expanding human knowledge.

Market economy

economic system in which decisions on production and consumption of goods and services are based on voluntary exchange in markets

Leonardo Da Vinci

A well known Italian Renaissance artist, architect, musician, mathemetician, engineer, and scientist. Known for the Mona Lisa; urged artists to move beyond the earlier emphasis on realism to portrayal of human beings that reflected their idealized or diving qualities

Niccolo Machiavelli

(1469-1527) Wrote The Prince which contained a secular method of ruling a country. "End justifies the means." Also supported a republican form of government, like the Roman Republic

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements; broke free of Scholasticism

Entrepreneurs

people who risk their time, money, and other resources to start and manage a business; generally acquired capital for their ventures as merchants

European attitudes towards natives

Mostly looked down on them and saw them as inferior and easy to control, who could be exploited for economic gain, converted to Christianity, and used as military allies. Some natives tried to fight back but were largely devastated by disease

Native Americans

the first people to live in North America, often exploited by European explorers and settlers

Bartolome de Las Casas

Dominican priest who spoke out against mistreatment of Native Americans- first time that any European colonizer publibly debated rights and treatment of indigenous peoples.

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506); concluded the shortest route from Asia to Europe was by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean; Explored all the major islands of the Caribbean and what is now Central America

Printing Press and religious reform

humanism spread to northern Europe and Northern humanism focused more on religious concerns then did their Italian counterparts. Humanists desired to reform Catholic Church but calls spread slowly at first. Printing became well-established and made it impact on Europe. Martin Luther called for religious reform and emphasized Bible as a main source of religious truth and believed people should be able to read it themselves without aid of priests. His ideas translate into German and were distributed and ignited controversy and protest. Performers added to the debate and printing press allowed them to spread ideas faster and wider. A revolutionary shift in Christianity known as protestant reformation began. Scripture readings became important part of protestant services that replace Catholic mass. People are able to read the Bible in their vernacular or local language and Bibles appeared in many vernaculars

Conquistadors

Early-sixteenth-century Spanish adventurers who conquered Mexico, Central America, and Peru. (Examples Cortez, Pizarro, Francisco.)

Henry VIII

(1491-1547) King of England from 1509 to 1547; his desire to annul his marriage led to a conflict with the pope, England's break with the Roman Catholic Church, and its embrace of Protestantism. Henry established the Church of England in 1532. He had 6 wives

Enclosure Movement

The process of consolidating small landholdings into a smaller number of larger farms in England during the eighteenth century; increased agricultural productiviy and benefitted large landowners, disrupted traditional village life and created hardships for many peasants

African slavery

10-15 million people taken from Africa between 1500 and 1870, Several million more people killed in slave raids and forced marches to the coast. Most bought from African slave traders, at least 15% died in horrible conditions aboard slave ships. Sold to North American plantations to make a huge profit

Sugar

sugar became a profitable commodity for European powers who established plantations in the Americas, leading to the Atlantic slave trade and a "sugar triangle" of trade

Renaissance Art

art which shows figures both religious or non-religious, more realistic, emphasis on nature, three dimensional with perspective, people are active and show great emotion, utilizes depth, light, shadow, and realism

Religion and monarchs

the relationship between religion and monarchs evolved from monarchs being seen as God's representatives, to the New Monarchs consolidating power by controlling church appointments and taxes, and finally to rulers using religious conflicts for political gain or establishing state churches to ensure national unity and authority. The Protestant Reformation and the subsequent Peace of Augsburg and Peace of Westphalia allowed some rulers to determine the religion of their states, while figures like Henry VIII of England and Henry IV of France used religious policy to enhance royal power and stability.

Price Revolution

increase in prices in 16th century-inflation-increased demand for goods-influx of gold and silver

Joint Stock Company

A company made up of a group of shareholders. Each shareholder contributes some money to the company and receives some share of the company's profits and debts. Raised large amounts of capital

Guilds

Association of merchants or artisans who cooperated to protect their economic interests; usually controlled the local government but remained loyal to the king or queen

Erasmus

(1466?-1536) Dutch Humanist and friend of Sir Thomas More. Perhaps the most intellectual man in Europe and widely respected. Believed the problems in the Catholic Church could be fixed; did not suport the idea of a Reformation. Wrote Praise of Folly.

Smallpox

A highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, weakness, and skin eruption with pustules that form scabs; responsible for killing Native Americans.

Medici Family

Ruled Florence during the Renaissance, became wealthy from banking, spent a lot of money on art, controlled Florence for about 3 centuries

Medieval vs. Renaissance Art

M-Idealized and symbolic, focused on church and salvation, meant to glorify god, flat, hierarchical (bigger you are = more important)

R- Reflected Human spirit, depicted nature, focused on regular people and Christianity, Intended to be pretty, 3D, more realistic and celebrated human form

Naturalism

A nineteenth-century literary movement that was an extension of realism and that claimed to portray life exactly as it was.

Act of Supremacy

1534 Declared the king to be head of the English church rather than the Pope (created by Henry VIII)

Centralized government

A government in which power is concentrated in a central authority to which local governments are subject

Commerce

the buying and selling of goods and services; helps shape economic development and cultural exchange- led to wealthy merchants being higher than the mobility

Christian humanists and the Church

A Northern European intellectual movement that sought to reform the Catholic Church by blending classical learning with Christian piety, emphasizing inner devotion and accessible scripture to improve society

New World

the name given by Europeans to the Americas, which were unknown to most Europeans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus

Reason

a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

Geometric Perspective

a drawing method by which it is possible to depict a three-dimensional form as a two-dimensional image that closely resembles the scene as visualized by the human eye.

Amsterdam

Capital city of the Netherlands; major center of trade and finance during the 16th and 17th centuries. The city emerged as a key player in the Columbian Exchange, facilitating the movement of goods, people, and ideas between Europe and the Americas; hub for art, culture, and innovation, reflecting the wealth generated by trade and commerce. -Europe's financial capital-

Peace of Augsburg

1555 agreement between between Charles V and the German Protestant princes declaring that the religion of each German state would be decided by its ruler

Northern Renaissance

Movement where Renaissance humanism and art spread to the regions north of the Alps in the late 15th centur; Christians wanted to restore what they considered purer Christian practices (less secular)

Treason Act

Punishable by death to deny that the King was the supreme head of the church; Thomas More was killed because he refused to accept that Henry VIII was head of the church

Exploration of the Americas

Transpired from the need to find another trade route to Asia and the Indies. European and Spanish explorers were forced westward due to the Treaty of Tordesillas as they were not permitted to explore in the Eastern hemisphere that belonged to Portugal. The only direction that remained open to them was west toward the unknown. Upon arrival to the Americas untold wealth was discovered. The Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans were discovered and destroyed. Expeditions traveling to central and South America were hoping to find a northwest passage to Asian trade. The search for such a passage revealed nothing but led to expansion up the northern coasts. Europeans began to establish colonies, conquer societies, and claim land in the name of the King or Queen.

God and Gold

Henry the Navigator's motto to bring Portugal more trade and power and spread Christianity

Capital

Wealth in the form of money, can be invested to create more wealth

Encomienda System

It gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to make them work. In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity; caused tremendous wealth to flow into Spain

Columbian Exchange

Began with the voyage of Columbus; the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) and the New World (Americas)

Humanism and art

Characteristic of Renaissance art that embraced Ancient Greek and Roman Works as sources of inspiration; focus on humanity, less focus on religion/gods, realism, classical art

The Printing Press

A mechanical device for transferring text or graphics from a woodblock or type to paper using ink. Presses using movable type first appeared in Europe in about 1450; 15th century invention which revolutionized the ability to print information which in turn affected the speed of the spread of information itself. Invented by Johannes Gutenburg

Single point perspective

A technique for achieving a sense of depth and realism by establishing a single vanishing point and painting or building all objects to diminish to it.

European disease

Were also brought to the americas, including small pox, malaria, and diphtheria- decimated native populations

Urban Financial Centers

Cities that became hubs for banking and finance. (Genoa, Amsterdam, London)

London

England's financial center as trade expanded with the establishment of joint-stock companies. As the Dutch weakened, London's importance grew.

Genoa

Center of capital for Spanish empire, bankers helped money flow from Spain to Spanish soldiers in the Netherlands

Gentry

Wealthy landowners who did not have inherited titles; made up most of the Royal Council

Serfdom

A type of labor commonly used in feudal systems in which the laborers work the land in return for protection but they are bound to the land and are not allowed to leave or to peruse their a new occupation. This was common in early Medeival Europe as well as in Russia until the mid 19th century. Laborers must pay rent (a portion of their crops or livestock), but they had some rights, unlike slaves, who were considered property and had no rights.

Michelangelo's David

Marble sculpture created by Michelangelo, reveals the splendor of the human form

Diet of Augsburg

Called by Charles V. This meeting of Protestant and Catholic reps assembled to impose a settlement of the religious divisions. Charles V wanted all Lutherans to revert to Catholicism, so Protestants were given a deadline for returning to Catholicism. As a result, the Lutherans formed the Schmalkaldic League.

Realism

A 19th century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be

Capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. Aspects of daily European life are shaped more and more by commercial and agricultural capitalism.

Individualism

a Renaissance and Enlightenment concept emphasizing the value of the individual, their unique talents, personal achievement, and self-reliance, moving away from a solely communal or religiously dictated perspective; influenced art and literature and supported secularism.

Religion and the Renaissance

Renaissance era saw a shift from medieval religious dominance to increased secularism and humanism, particularly in the Italian Renaissance, while the Northern Renaissance emphasized Christian humanism, moral reform, and laid the groundwork for the Protestant Reformation

Movable Type

Revolutionary printing technology, made of metal, developed by printers over the 1st half of the 15th century in Europe. Printers could compose whole pages of text by creating lines of type from individual letters. Once a page was printed, the printer could take the type apart and reuse it.