Maritime Revolution and Empires

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to maritime exploration, the Columbian Exchange, and the establishment of maritime empires.

Caravel

A small, fast Portuguese ship with lateen sails, enabling better maneuverability and the ability to sail against the wind

Carrack

A large Spanish ship used for long voyages, capable of carrying heavy cargo and large crews

Fluyt

A Dutch cargo ship designed for efficient trade, lighter and requiring fewer crew members, making it cost-effective

Lateen sail

Sails that allowed ships to tack into the wind, improving speed and maneuverability

Compass

A tool that helped sailors determine direction with more accuracy, essential for long-distance voyages

Astronomical Charts

Star maps used with tools like the astrolabe to determine location at sea

Motives for European maritime exploration

Political, religious, and economic rivalries, aiming to expand power and control trade routes

Impact of Ottoman control of the Eastern Mediterranean

Blocked traditional land-based trade routes to Asia, prompting Europeans to search for new oceanic routes

Reason for increased Spanish voyages

Spain hoped to find new trade routes and gain dominance over Portugal in accessing Asian goods, especially in the Indies

Regions targeted by English, French, and Dutch explorers

New Spain (Mexico), New Granada (Colombia, Venezuela), Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Economic impacts of European explorations

Established colonies, accessed valuable resources, and intensified competition for overseas empires

Columbian Exchange

The global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after 1492

Key crops introduced from the New World

Potatoes, maize, tobacco, turkeys

Old World items introduced to the Americas

Millet, okra, wheat, rice, barley, oxen, sheep, goats

Diseases introduced to the Americas

Smallpox, measles, influenza, bubonic plague

Impact of diseases on indigenous populations

Drastically reduced populations, enabling European colonizers to dominate territories with less resistance

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal dividing the world into zones of colonization to avoid conflict over territories

Labor systems used in the Americas

Slavery, indentured servitude, encomienda system

How enslaved people resisted labor systems

Through rebellions, escape, and sabotage

European states that established maritime empires

Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, France, Britain

Purpose of the Treaty of Tordesillas

To divide new lands between Spain and Portugal to avoid conflict over territories

Role of slavery in the Americas

The growth of plantation economies increased the demand for enslaved Africans

Impacts of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Demographic shifts in Africa, such as a decrease in male populations and disruption of families

Forms of coerced labor used

Slavery, indentured servitude, encomienda system

How enslaved people resisted labor systems

Through rebellions, escape, and sabotage