Module 1 Review: Early Modern Empires & the Americas

Flashcards cover key topics from Iberian maritime developments, Columbian Exchange, and the major Gunpowder Empires (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal), plus critical events and ideas from Pages 1–3 of the notes.

What region is home to the Reconquista and Granada?

Iberian Peninsula

What is the Reconquista?

A long process of Christian kingdoms reclaiming Iberia from Muslim rule, culminating with the capture of Granada in 1492.

Which was the last Muslim kingdom in Iberia, captured in 1492?

Granada

What does the term Maritime Revolution refer to?

A period of naval exploration and ship technology innovations enabling long-distance sea travel and voyages.

What is a caravel?

A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship used by Portuguese explorers for long voyages.

What are lateen sails?

Triangular sails that enable sailing against the wind and improved maneuverability.

What did Columbus and da Gama accomplish?

Columbus opened contact with the Americas; da Gama reached India by sea.

What are the Americas in this context?

Continents of the Western Hemisphere encountered by Europeans, sites of colonization and indigenous civilizations.

What are various networks/interactions in the early modern Atlantic world?

Trade, colonization, religious missions, and cultural exchanges linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Why did Europe end up in the Americas?

A combination of European motivations (economic, religious, political), technological advances, and competition.

What is the Columbian Exchange?

The transfer of crops, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after 1492.

Name three items from the Americas in the Columbian Exchange.

Maize (corn), potatoes, tomatoes (examples of American crops transferred to the Old World).

Name three items from the Old World in the Columbian Exchange.

Sugar, horses, smallpox (diseases) (examples of Old World contributions to the Americas).

What is the Intellectual Revolution in this context?

A shift in European thought spurred by Columbus’s journeys, including advances in science, geography, and ethnography.

How did natives respond to Europeans?

Diverse responses: adaptation, alliances, resistance, accommodation, or conflict.

What role did sugar play in the Atlantic world?

A major cash crop fueling plantation economies and the growth of slavery in the Americas.

What is the Great Dying?

Massive Indigenous population decline due to Old World diseases and disruption after contact.

What was the impact of European slavery in the Americas?

Transatlantic slave trade; Africans forced to work on plantations and mines; profound economic and social effects.

What was the strongest, most important region in the early-modern world (land-based emphasis)?

China (Ming era, a major land-based empire; note the exam excludes Qing).

What is the Mandate of Heaven?

The belief that Heaven grants the emperor the right to rule, which can be lost through misrule.

What empire rose after the Yuan and governed with Ming rule?

The Ming Dynasty (post-Yuan Empire).

What is neo-Confucianism?

A revival and reinterpretation of Confucianism integrating Buddhist and Daoist ideas to support state ideology.

Who was Zheng He and what was the purpose of his expeditions?

A Ming dynasty admiral whose treasure voyages aimed to display Chinese power, gain tribute, and seek trade.

What happened to the Chinese Navy after the expeditions?

The large-scale maritime voyages were curtailed and later ended, with a shift inward and reduced naval emphasis.

What are Gunpowder Empires?

Empires (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal) that used gunpowder weapons to expand and maintain power.

Which empire called itself the Defender of Islam?

The Ottoman Empire.

Which empire was centered in Persia and rivaled the Ottomans?

The Safavid Empire.

What is the Safavid religion?

Shia Islam established as the state religion in Safavid Persia.

What is the Mughal Empire?

Islamic empire in the Indian subcontinent founded by Babur, renowned for religious and cultural diversity.

Who was Babur?

Founder of the Mughal Empire; author of the Baburnama.

What is the Baburnama?

Babur’s memoir detailing his life and empire.

What is meant by demographics in the Mughal context?

The empire’s mix of Muslim ruling elites with Hindu majority subjects and related religious dynamics.

What was the British East India Company?

A private British company chartered to trade in India that played a key role in later empire-building.

What is syncretism?

The blending of religious or cultural elements across peoples and empires.

What is jizya?

A tax historically levied on non-Muslims within Muslim-ruled territories.

How did Akbar differ from Aurangzeb in policy?

Akbar promoted religious tolerance and synthesis; Aurangzeb pursued stricter policies and orthodox Islam.

What is the Hall of Worship in this context?

A term referring to a religious or ceremonial space within the empire; note its specific context may vary.

What does the term Gunpowder Empires emphasize about warfare?

The use of gunpowder weapons, especially artillery, in empire-building and defense.

What does 'Displaced archers' refer to in Gunpowder Empires?

Military shift from traditional archers to gunpowder-based warfare.

What is the significance of big cannons and siege warfare?

Key innovation in breaching fortifications and expanding imperial control.

Why do some historians question labeling these as 'gunpowder empires'?

Concerns about oversimplification, determinism, and Eurocentric framing of complex, multi-faceted polities.

What is the significance of 1453 Constantinople?

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans, marking a major power shift and the end of the Byzantine Empire.

What was the furthest excursion into Europe by the Ottomans?

Campaigns into the Balkans and sieges affecting Central Europe (e.g., Vienna).

What was the Ottoman approach to religion?

Islam as the state religion with a millet system allowing religious communities some autonomy; overall policy varied by ruler.

Who were the Janissaries?

An elite Ottoman infantry corps originally formed from Christian youths recruited through the devshirme.