APWORLD

Vasco de Gama

A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea, establishing a direct maritime route from Europe to Asia.

Trading post empire

A form of imperial control where a European power established coastal forts and trading hubs rather than large territories, primarily for economic gain and control over trade routes.

“Carrying trade”

Transport of goods by sea, particularly associated with European powers in the early modern era who moved products between different regions (e.g., Asian goods to Europe, or goods between Asian ports) for profit.

Philippines

An archipelago in Southeast Asia colonized by Spain, becoming a key link in the trans-Pacific trade route, particularly involving silver from the Americas.

British East India Company

A powerful English trading company chartered in 1600, that eventually came to rule large parts of India through trade, military force, and administrative control.

Dutch East India Company

A major European trading company, chartered in 1602, known for its extensive trading network in Asia, especially in the spice trade, and its quasi-governmental powers in the region.

Shogun

The hereditary military dictator of Japan during the Edo period (Tokugawa shogunate), who held real political power while the Emperor remained a symbolic figurehead.

Tokugawa

Refers to the Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal government of Japan that ruled from 1603 to 1868. It was characterized by a period of relative peace and isolation.

Ahmad Ibn Majid

An Arab navigator and cartographer from the 15th century, known for his navigational texts and charts, and possibly for guiding Vasco da Gama across the Indian Ocean.

Ferdinand Magellan

A Portuguese explorer who organized the Spanish expedition to the East Indies from 1519 to 1522, resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth, although he died en route in the Philippines.

Diaspora / Diasporic communities

The dispersion of a people from their original homeland, often involuntarily, and the communities formed by those dispersed people in new regions, maintaining cultural ties to their origin.

Silver drain

The economic phenomenon in early modern Europe where a large portion of New World silver flowed to Asia (especially China and India) to pay for high-demand luxury goods, leading to concerns about European bullion reserves.

Potosi

A city in present-day Bolivia part of Inca Empire, renowned for its rich silver mines discovered in 1545, which became the largest source of silver in the Spanish Empire and a global economic hub.

Soft gold

A term often used to refer to furs, particularly in the context of the fur trade in North America and Siberia, highlighting their high economic value and demand, similar to precious metals.

Transatlantic slave system

The system of forced migration and servitude that transported millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries, forming a crucial part of the global economy.

African diaspora

The global dispersion of people of African descent, largely resulting from the transatlantic slave trade, and the formation of communities and cultures in various parts of the world outside of Africa.

British Royal Africa Company

A mercantile company chartered in 1672 by the English Crown to trade along the West Coast of Africa, primarily dealing in gold, silver, and enslaved people.

Middle Passage

The sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies, forming the middle leg of the triangular trade route, notorious for its brutal and inhumane conditions.

Plantation

A large-scale agricultural estate, especially in tropical or subtropical regions, typically cultivated by resident labor (often enslaved or indentured) for the production of cash crops like sugar, tobacco, or cotton.

Maroon societies

Communities formed by escaped enslaved people in the Americas, particularly in remote areas of mountains or forests, where they created independent settlements and resisted recapture.

Palmares

One of the largest and most famous maroon societies in Brazil, established by escaped enslaved people in the 17th century, which thrived for nearly a century before being suppressed by Portuguese forces.

Signares

African or Afro-European women in French colonial Senegal, particularly in major trading posts, who gained wealth and influence through their business acumen and relationships with European men, often mediating between European and African cultures.

Kingdom of Dahomey

An important West African kingdom (approx. 1600-1894), known for its highly organized state, powerful army (including female regiments), and its significant role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Kingdom of Benin

A prominent West African kingdom (approx. 1180-1897), famous for its advanced governance, artistic achievements, and its involvement in trade with European powers, including the slave trade.