AP European History, Chapter 14 Study Guide

Why did Genoa become involved in Atlantic colonization?

When their rival Venice became more successful in trading, Genoa turned to finance. The Genoese gave their skills to Iberian monarchs and financed new world colonies

Who was Prester John?

Ruler of a Christian African Nation and descendant of one of the wise men.

What were the motivations of European explorers?

God, Glory, Gold

After the Genoese lost access for slaves from the Black Sea, where did they turn to obtain slaves?

Indigenous people from the Canary islands, Muslim prisoners, Jewish refugees, and Africans

How did the introduction of Ptolemy’s Geography mislead European cartographers?

Ptolemy assumed the world was a lot smaller than it actually was, indicating Asia wasn’t far from Europe

Who resisted the efforts of the Portuguese to establish themselves in the Indian Ocean trade

Muslims, who controlled the port cities

When Vasco da Gama arrived in the Indian Ocean, how did he navigate these unknown waters?

He hired an Indian to be his guide

What did Columbus believe he had found when he arrived in the Caribbean?

He believed he had found Japan, thus ‘finding’ the Indies

According to his agreement with the Spanish crown, what rewards would Columbus recieve if he found a water route to Asia?

He would become the viceroy of territory he discovered and would receive 10% of the riches he encountered

What was the result of the Treaty of Tordesillas?

The Atlantic Ocean was divided, with Spain getting the West while Portugal got the East (Brazil)

How did Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe affect Spanish colonization?

It proved the world was round and bigger than they believed

How did the English and French seek a route to East Asia

They sailed the N. Atlantic to find a Northwest passage to the Indies (failed)

What two rival Islamic empires dominated the Middle East

Persian Safavids and Turkism Ottomans

What became Cortes’s crucial advantage in his conquest of the Mexica Empire?

He would exploit internal disputes in the empire to his own advantage, as well as forging alliances with the Tlaxcalas and other subject kingdoms.

Portugal’s participation in European expansion was given critical support by whom

Prince Henry the Navigator

How did the Spanish respond to the trap set by the Inca king Atahualpa

They ambushed and captured him, put him up for ransom, then executed him

Why did settlers from the Massachusetts colony disperse into new communities such as Connecticut and Rhode Islands

Religious disputes among the colonies

How did the Spanish monarchy seek to maintain its control over its colonies

The Crown established intendants, whom had broad administrative and financial authority and were responsible directly to the monarch. (new nobility w/ local authority)

At the time of his death, what did Columbus believe about the islands he found?

That they were off the coast of Asia/he found the Indies

How did the encomienda system function?

the crown granted conquerors the right to employ groups of Natives for labor or demand tribute from them in exchange for food and shelter

How did French colonies respond to the problem of the low migration levels from France?

colonial officials encouraged French traders to form ties with and marry native women

How did English colonies differ from other major European colonies in their treatment of African women?

English masters rarely freed the children that they fathered with female slaves

How did Portuguese merchants obtain most of their slaves in Africa?

they traded for slaves with local leaders

What was the primary cause of the emergence of inflation in Spain in the 16th century?

A population increase, the rise in demand for food and goods (like sugar), and a scarcity of goods. Silver intensified the issue

How did justifications for slavery change from the 15th to 18th century?

arguments for slavery focused more on science and nature and less on religion

How did Michel de Montaigne offer a counterpoint to Europe's growing imperial activities?

he rejected the notion that one culture was superior to another