Chapter 1 : the new world

Crusades

A series of military expeditions by Western European authorities aimed at raiding Christian cities for gold and bringing back goods to Europe.

Black Death

A devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that teaches all wealth belongs to the mother country and amplifies the power of kings.

Portugal

The first major country involved in exploration, focusing on eastern routes.

Prince Henry

Heir to the Portuguese throne who wanted to create a school of navigation but never inherited the throne.

Vasco de Gama

The first explorer to cross the Cape of Storms during Portuguese explorations.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, aiming to find a westward route to Asia.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of goods, products, and ideas between the Old and New Worlds, which included the introduction of horses and diseases to Native Americans.

Encomiendas

Slave labor grants that gave Spaniards the right to enslave Native Americans.

Repartimiento

Temporary slave labor grants in the Spanish colonies.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A papal agreement that granted Portugal Brazil and everything east of the line, causing discontent in Spain and among England and France.

Tainos

An Indian tribe with a population decline from 400,000 in 1492 to 11,000 in 1518, primarily due to pathogens.

Bartolomé de las Casas

A priest who documented the atrocities committed by conquistadors against Native Americans in his book "On the Devastation of the Indies."

Hernán Cortés

Conquistador who arrived in the Aztec Empire, burned his ships, and conquered the Mexica Empire with 350 men.

Sistema de Castas

A racial hierarchy in colonial Spanish America, including Peninsulares, Criollos, Mestizos, and Indios.

Petrine Theory

The belief in the Catholic Church that authority given to Saint Peter by Christ has been passed down to the popes.

Religious Reformation

A movement challenging the practices of the Catholic Church, leading to significant changes in Christianity.

Jan Hus

A reformer who argued for the Bible to be in the vernacular and was executed for his beliefs.

Excommunication

A warning from the Church meant to prompt repentance from sinners.

Indulgence

A practice where individuals could donate money to the Church for the forgiveness of sins.

Martin Luther

A Catholic monk who wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, criticizing the Catholic Church and sparking the Reformation.

Lutheran Church

A branch of Christianity that emerged from Martin Luther's teachings and the Reformation.

John Calvin

A lawyer and theologian who wrote "Institutes of Christian Religion" and established a theocracy in Geneva.

Henry VIII

A Catholic king who sought an annulment from his wife Catherine of Aragon to have a male heir, leading to the creation of the Church of England.

Counter/Catholic Reformation

The Catholic Church's efforts to regain followers through methods like torture and education led by Ignatius Loyola.