AP Euro U1P2

Astrolabe

instrument adopted from Muslims that helps determine latitude

Caravel

European ship that was able to sail into the wind

Mercantilism

economic theory that says the govt should create a favorable balance of trade (more exports than imports) to accumulate wealth (gold and silver bullion)

Jesuits

Catholic missionaries that often came with explorers to convert natives

Vasco da Gama

first European to round Cape of Good Hope and to reach India by sea

Treaty of Tordesillas

negotiated by the Pope; established a line of demarcation between Portuguese and Spanish possessions in the New World

asiento

the contract to import slaves into the Spanish colonies

Columbian Exchange

term that describes the exchange of goods, plants, animals, and disease between Europe and the Americas

Dutch East India Company

joint stock company whose goal it was to make a profit in exploration

Price revolution

term to describe the inflation that resulted from the influx of gold and silver into the European economy as a result of exploration

Bank of Amsterdam

1st bank to establish t exchange rates for European currencies as European economies became connected in 1500s

Subsistence agriculture

when people grow small amounts of food on individuals plots; result is limited production and few surpluses

nobles of the robe

usually members of the judiciary or government, they represent those whose wealth was no longer based upon land ownership

serfdom

condition in which the laborer is bound to the land, although not owned as property

Little Ice Age (1300-1800)

period of shorter growing seasons that resulted in social upheaval and reduced family sizes