Final Notes

World Island

The region of the world composed of Europe and Asia before America was discovered, with Asia seen as the most important part.

Feudalism

A hierarchical system where ordinary people provide services to a lord, who owes allegiance to a higher lord, ultimately reaching the king.

The Great Khan

Title used by Mongol rulers, particularly referring to Kublai Khan, the emperor who hosted Marco Polo.

Cosmopolitanism

The impulse to explore and engage with different parts of the world.

Venice

A powerful trading city with strategic maritime connections.

Genoa

A rival city to Venice, known for its strong trading position; imprisoned Marco Polo.

Crusades

Religious wars between Christians and Muslims over control of the Holy Land.

Louis IX

King of France known for leading the Seventh and Eighth Crusades.

Convivencia

The coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in medieval Spain before the Reconquista.

Reconquista

The Christian effort to reclaim Spain from Muslim rule, culminating in 1492.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Monarchs who unified Spain and financed Columbus’s voyage.

Rustichello of Pisa

Writer who co-authored The Travels of Marco Polo while in prison with him.

John Mandeville

Author of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a widely read medieval travelogue.

Ottoman Empire

A powerful empire that controlled trade routes between Europe and Asia.

Dark Continent

A Eurocentric stereotype depicting Africa as primitive and uncivilized.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Region below the Sahara, with limited European interaction until the Age of Exploration.

Dualism

The division of the world into opposing forces, such as good vs. evil.

Timbuktu

A key center of trade and Islamic learning in West Africa.

Prester John

A mythical Christian king believed to rule a wealthy African kingdom.

Ethiopia

A Christian kingdom that engaged with European explorers.

Songhai Empire

A powerful West African empire known for its wealth and trade networks.

Leo Africanus

A North African traveler who temporarily converted to Christianity and documented his journeys.

Dom Henrique (Henry the Navigator)

Portuguese prince who funded early voyages of exploration.

Gil Eanes

Portuguese explorer searching for gold and involved in the early slave trade.

Nuno Tristão

Attempted to conquer parts of Africa but shifted to trade relations.

San Jorge da Mina

A Portuguese trading post in modern-day Ghana, later involved in the slave trade.

Kingdom of Kongo

A powerful African kingdom that established diplomatic and religious ties with Portugal.

Diogo Cão

Portuguese explorer who established contact with the Kingdom of Kongo.

Manikongo Nzinga a Nkuwu

King of Kongo who converted to Christianity.

Prince Kasuta

Kongo prince taken hostage to Portugal, where he converted to Christianity.

Syncretism

The blending of religious traditions, such as African beliefs with Catholicism.

Trans-Saharan Slave Trade

A pre-existing African slave trade system before European involvement.

Canary Islands

Early site of European colonization and experimentation with plantation economies.

Pre-Columbian America

The Americas before European contact, often misrepresented as primitive societies.

Coastal Route Theory

Hypothesis that early Americans migrated along the Pacific coast.

Olmecs

Early Mesoamerican civilization (2500 BCE–100 BCE) known for religious and military influence.

Teotihuacan

A major city in Mesoamerica, predating the Aztecs.

Tenochtitlan

The capital of the Aztec Empire, known for its advanced infrastructure.

Inca Empire

South American empire centered in Cuzco, known for engineering and communication systems like quipu.

Chaco Canyon

A major Ancestral Puebloan settlement in North America.

Cahokia

A large Mississippian city that was a trade and agricultural hub.

Leif Erikson

Norse explorer believed to have reached North America around 1000 CE.

Great Man Theory

The idea that history is shaped by exceptional individuals, such as Columbus and Cortés.

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator funded by Spain, landed in the Caribbean in 1492.

Taino Indians

Indigenous people of the Caribbean, encountered by Columbus.

Encomienda System

Spanish labor system exploiting Indigenous people.

Hernán Cortés

Conqueror of the Aztec Empire.

Malintzin (Doña Marina)

Indigenous woman who served as an interpreter for Cortés.

Tlaxcala

Indigenous allies of the Spanish against the Aztecs.

Moctezuma II

Aztec emperor during the Spanish conquest.

La Noche Triste

Night when the Spanish were driven out of Tenochtitlan.

Francisco Pizarro

Conqueror of the Inca Empire.

Atahualpa

Last Inca emperor, captured and executed by the Spanish.

Technology, Religion, Alliances, Disease

Key factors in Spanish victories.

Virgin Soil Epidemics

Indigenous populations lacked immunity to European diseases.

Smallpox

Most devastating disease, killing millions of Indigenous people.

Wayna Qhapaq

Inca ruler who died of smallpox, leading to civil war.

Tisquantum (Squanto)

Indigenous man who assisted the Pilgrims after surviving European enslavement.

Silver and Gold

Primary motivations for Spanish colonization.

Zacatecas & Potosí

Major silver mining centers.

Mita System

Adapted from Inca labor practices for Spanish mining.

Treasure Fleet

Spanish ships transporting wealth to Europe.

Quinta Royal

Spain’s 20% tax on colonial wealth.

Humanism

Intellectual movement emphasizing classical texts and empirical observation.

Johann Gutenberg

Invented the printing press, facilitating knowledge dissemination.

Michel de Montaigne

Philosopher who examined European perceptions of Indigenous people.

Amerigo Vespucci

Explorer whose accounts led to the naming of America.

Cannibalism Myth

European stereotype depicting Indigenous people as savages.