2 European Exploration and Colonization

Age of Exploration

A period from the 15th through the 17th centuries when European nations explored the world seeking new trade routes, wealth, land, and power. Exploration was driven by competition between nation-states and the goals of Gold, God, and Glory.

Amerigo Vespucci

An Italian explorer and mapmaker who realized that the lands discovered by Europeans were not part of Asia but instead two separate continents. North and South America were later named after him.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

A Spanish priest who initially participated in the encomienda system but later spoke out against the enslavement and mistreatment of Native Americans. He wrote books and letters urging reforms and laws to protect Indigenous peoples.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian navigator funded by Spain who sailed west in 1492 searching for a route to Asia. He instead reached the Caribbean, initiating lasting European contact with the Americas. His expeditions led to colonization, enslavement, and exploitation of Native peoples.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread exchange of plants, animals, people, culture, technology, and diseases between the Americas and Europe following Columbus's voyages. This exchange permanently altered societies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers and soldiers who traveled throughout the Americas in search of wealth. They used violence, alliances, and superior weapons to conquer Native civilizations and expand Spain's empire.

Counter Reformation

A movement by the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century to respond to the Protestant Reformation. While some reforms were made, the Church largely reaffirmed its traditional beliefs and practices.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

In 1588, England defeated Spain's powerful navy when Spain attempted to invade. Storms and faster English ships destroyed much of the Armada, marking the decline of Spanish dominance and the rise of England as a major power.

Elizabeth I

Queen of England and daughter of Henry VIII who stabilized England politically and religiously under Protestantism. Her reign marked a Golden Age that included exploration, economic growth, and victory over Spain.

Encomienda System

A Spanish labor system in which colonists were granted land and control over Native American labor. Native peoples were forced to work and pay tribute in exchange for supposed protection and Christian instruction.

English Reformation

England's break from the Roman Catholic Church when Henry VIII created the Church of England after the Pope refused to annul his marriage. This established Protestantism in England under royal control.

Ferdinand Magellan

A Spanish explorer whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe. Magellan was killed in the Philippines, but his crew completed the journey, proving the world could be traveled by sea.

Francisco Pizarro

A Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in South America by capturing its leader and exploiting internal divisions.

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado

A Spanish conquistador who explored parts of the American Southwest, including modern-day Texas and New Mexico, while searching for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold.

Gold, God, and Glory

The main motivations behind European exploration. Europeans sought wealth, spread Christianity, and increased national pride and power.

Henry VIII

King of England whose desire for a male heir led him to break with the Catholic Church and establish the Church of England. His reign caused major religious and political changes in England.

Hernán Cortés

A Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire. He used military force, alliances with rival tribes, and control of resources to overthrow Aztec rule.

Hispaniola

A Caribbean island where Columbus established Spain's first settlement in the Americas. It became a center of Spanish colonization and Native population decline.

Infectious Diseases

European diseases such as smallpox, measles, influenza, and malaria that spread rapidly among Native American populations, causing massive population loss due to lack of immunity.

John Cabot

An Italian explorer sailing for England who explored the coast of North America in 1497, helping establish England's claim to the region.

Juan de Oñate

A Spanish official and conquistador who ruled harshly over Pueblo peoples in the Southwest, using violence and punishment to enforce Spanish control.

Juan Ponce de León

A Spanish explorer who led expeditions into Florida, named the region, and served as the first governor of Puerto Rico.

Maize

Corn, a staple crop of the Americas that supported permanent settlements and population growth among Native American societies.

Martin Luther

A Catholic monk whose Ninety-Five Theses criticized Church practices and sparked the Protestant Reformation, leading to the creation of new Christian denominations.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Native American ancestry who emerged as a new social group within Spanish colonial society.

Missions

Religious settlements established by Europeans to convert Native Americans to Christianity and extend colonial control over surrounding regions.

New France

French-controlled territory in North America centered on the fur trade and alliances with Native American groups rather than large-scale settlement.

New Spain

Spain's colonial empire in the Americas, which included Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, and regions of North America and South America.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant Christian denominations across Europe.

Pueblo Revolt

A 1680 uprising in which Pueblo peoples successfully expelled Spanish settlers and missionaries from New Mexico for over a decade.

Renaissance

A European period of renewed interest in classical learning, science, art, and exploration that helped fuel global exploration and discovery.

Roanoke

An English colony established in 1587 that mysteriously disappeared, earning the nickname the 'Lost Colony.'

Roman Catholicism

A Christian religion led by the Pope that played a central role in European exploration and colonization efforts.

Sir Walter Raleigh

An English explorer who sponsored early attempts to colonize North America, including the Roanoke settlement.

St. Augustine

The oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States, founded by Spain in Florida in 1565.

Tainos

Native American people of the Caribbean who were among the first Indigenous groups encountered by Europeans and were heavily impacted by disease and exploitation.