Empires in the New World Study Guide

Leif Eriksson

Norwegian explorer, son of Erik the Red, first European to explore the Americas.

Henry the Navigator

Prince of Portugal who established a school of navigation and financed trips of exploration.

astrolabe

A device that enabled navigators to learn their ship's location by charting the position of the stars.

caravels

Ships that used triangular sails to sail against the wind, and had rudders to improve steering.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer, he was convinced that he could reach Asia by sailing westward across the Atlantic Ocean.

Line of Demarcation

Boundary between Spanish and Portuguese territories in the New World.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A treaty between Spain and Portugal that moved the Line of Demarcation.

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese captain of a Spanish fleet who sought a western route to Asia via the 'Southern Ocean'; he found a passage through South America, now known as the Strait of Magellan, but died during the expedition.

circumnavigate

To travel all the way around the globe.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas and Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Conquistadors

Spanish soldiers who led military expeditions in the Americas.

Hernán Cortes

Conquistador who conquered the Aztec empire.

Moctezuma II

Ruler of the Aztec empire during the early 1500s.

Francisco Pizarro

Conquistador who captured the Inca capital and killed the Inca leaders.

Encomienda system

System that gave settlers the right to tax Native Americans or to make them work. Forced Native American labor under Spanish rule.

plantations

Large farms that grew just one kind of crop and made huge profits for their owners.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Priest who wanted to convert Native Americans to Christianity by treating them in a better manner.

Viceroy

A ruler exercising authority in a colony on behalf of a sovereign.

Pueblos

served as trading posts and sometimes as centers of government.

Missions

An important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes, typically involving travel.

Presidios

A fortified military settlement.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th century religious, political, and cultural movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and led to the creation of Protestantism.

Protestants

A member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church.

Spanish Armada

Great fleet sent by Philip II of Spain in 1588 to invade England in conjunction with a Spanish army from Flanders.

Northwest Passage

A sea route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada.

Jacques Cartier

A French sailor, map-maker and explorer.

Charter

A written grant by a country's legislative or sovereign power, by which a body such as a company, college, or city is founded and its rights and privileges defined.

Slave Importation

Europeans imported African slaves for plantation labor.

Smallpox Outbreak

Disease that aided Cortés in conquering Aztecs.

Republica de Españoles

Spanish republic for European settlers in colonies.

Republica de Indios

Spanish republic for indigenous people in colonies.

Juan Ponce de León

Discovered Florida but failed to colonize it.

Queen Isabella I

Forbade slavery of indigenous populations in colonies.

Printing Press

Invention that spread Protestant Reformation ideas.

Port-Royal

First French colony in North America, Nova Scotia.

John Cabot

Explorer believed to have reached Newfoundland.

Bartolomeu Dias

First to round the Cape of Good Hope.

Vasco da Gama

First to sail directly to India by sea.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Discovered the Pacific Ocean from the Americas.

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Searched for the golden city of Cíbola.

Henry Hudson

Explored the Northwest Passage, discovered Hudson River.

Spanish Colonial Economy

Relied on Native American labor for wealth.

Cultural Impact

Spanish Empire altered Native American customs and traditions.

Exploration Motivation

Countries sought new trade routes and resources.