Study terms from chapters 9-11 of the textbook
Bartolomeu Dias
a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, reaching the Indian Ocean in 1488. His voyage opened the way for a sea route to Asia.
Bubonic Plague
a deadly disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through fleas and rodents, leading to widespread mortality in the 14th century.
Ceuta
a coastal city in North Africa, captured by the Portuguese in 1415, marking the beginning of European colonial expansion in Africa.
Christopher Columbus
an Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.
Desiderius Erasmus
a Dutch philosopher and Christian humanist who is known for his works on education and theology, as well as for his critical edition of the Greek New Testament.
Eunuch
a man who has been castrated, often employed in positions of power or service in royal courts, particularly in the Ottoman Empire and other historical contexts.
Francesco Patrarca
an Italian poet and scholar, known as the "father of Humanism," who greatly influenced the Renaissance through his writings and rediscovery of classical texts.
Hongwu
the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China, known for his efforts to restore Chinese culture and consolidate power after the Mongol rule.
Humanist
a scholar or thinker who emphasizes the value of human beings, focusing on classical texts and the study of humanities, particularly during the Renaissance.
Hundred Years’ War
a series of conflicts fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453, primarily over claims to the French throne.
Ibn Battuta
a Moroccan explorer and traveler, known for his extensive journeys throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia during the 14th century, documenting his experiences in the "Rihla".
John of Montecorvino
a Franciscan missionary and the first archbishop of Beijing, known for his efforts to spread Christianity in Asia during the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
Leonardo de Vinci
an Italian polymath of the Renaissance, known for his contributions to art, science, and engineering, including masterpieces like the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper."
Little ice age
a period of cooler temperatures that lasted from the 14th to the mid-19th century, significantly impacting agriculture and economies in Europe and North America.
Mandarin
a dominant Chinese language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family, widely spoken across China and in Chinese communities worldwide.
Marco Polo
a Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled to Asia in the 13th century, documenting his experiences and influencing European perceptions of the East.
Melaka
a thriving port city in present-day Malaysia, known for its strategic location in maritime trade routes during the 15th century.
Michelangelo Buonarotti
an Italian Renaissance artist known for his sculptures, paintings, and architectural works, including the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David.
Ming dynasty
a Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644, known for its trade expansion, cultural achievements, and the construction of the Great Wall.
Qadi
an Islamic judge who interprets and applies Islamic law in legal matters.
Qing dynasty
the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912, known for its territorial expansion and cultural exchanges.
Pico Della Mirandola
an Italian Renaissance philosopher known for his work "Oration on the Dignity of Man," which emphasizes human potential and the importance of free will.
Prince Henry the Navigator
a Portuguese royal who played a key role in the early days of the Portuguese Empire by promoting maritime exploration and the discovery of new lands.
Rabban Sauma
a Mongol envoy and diplomat in the 13th century who traveled to Europe, promoting relations between the Mongol Empire and the West.
Renaissance
a period of renewed interest in art, literature, and learning in Europe, characterized by a revival of classical ideas and humanism, spanning roughly from the 14th to the 17th century.
Shari’a
Islamic legal system derived from the Quran and the Hadith
Slave trade
the capturing, selling, and buying of enslaved persons.
Sufis
practitioners of Sufisim, a mystical branch of Islam that emphasizes the inward search for God.
Tsar
a title that roughly corresponds to emperor and is associated primarily with rulers of Russia.
Yongle
emperor (r. 1403–1425) was the most powerful, effective, and extravagant ruler of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). His reign was punctuated by vigorous military campaigns and unprecedented maritime expeditions.
Yongle Encyclopedia
represented an ambitious endeavor to record all forms of knowledge known to Chinese civilization at the time of Yongle's reign. It covered a diverse array of subjects that included Confucian classics, history, geography, philosophy, literature, science, art, statecraft, religion, and divination.
Zheng He
a Chinese Muslim eunuch explorer who was sent by the Ming dynasty emperor Yongle (r. 1403-1424 CE) on seven diplomatic missions to increase trade and secure tribute from foreign powers.
Afonso d’Alboquerque
a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean and built a reputation as a fierce and skilled military commander.
Astrolabe
an instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets
Back staffs
a device that sailors used to determine latitude by measuring the angle of the sun or the pole star above the horizon. The latter was similar to the former but fitted with a reflector and formerly used for taking the altitudes of heavenly bodies.
Bartolomeu Dias
Portuguese explorer who in 1488 led the first expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa from the Atlantic and sight the Indian Ocean.
Captain James Cook
English navigator who claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain and discovered several Pacific islands (1728-1779)
Ceuta
a seaport and enclave of Spain in N Morocco, on the Strait of Gibraltar
Christopher Columbus
an Italian explorer responsible for the European discovery of America in 1492--> he had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain, under the patronage of the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, hoping to find a westward route to India
Columbian Exchange
refers to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds--> exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life
Cross staffs
an instrument formerly used at sea for taking the altitude of a celestial body
East India Company
originally a private company granted a trade monopoly with the East Indies by Queen Elizabeth I--> its success in extracting concessions from native rulers eventually led to its de facto control over much of modern India between 1757 and 1858
Ferdinand Magellan
a Portuguese explorer who organized the Castilian expedition to the East Indies from 1519 to 1522, resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth, completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano
Guanahaní
an island in the Bahamas that was the first land in the New World sighted and visited by Christopher Columbus' first voyage, on October 12, 1492>>> it is not known precisely which island it was, but Guanahani is the native Taíno name; Columbus called it San Salvador.
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
an officer of the Dutch East India Company in Indonesia (VOC) in the early seventeenth century, holding two terms as its Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
Java
an island in modern Indonesia, and formerly home to the capital of the Dutch East Indies at the city of Batavia (modern Jakarta), founded in 1619
Joint-stock company
a company whose stock is owned jointly by the shareholders
Manila
a city on the coast of the Philippines and near San Juan
Manila galleons
Spanish trading ships which made round-trip voyages once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean from the port of Acapulco (present-day Mexico) to Manila in the Philippines --> which were both part of New Spain
Miguel López de Legazpi
also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo (The Elder), was a Basque-Spanish navigator and governor who established the first Spanish settlement in the East Indies when his expedition crossed the Pacific Ocean from the Viceroyalty of New Spain in modern-day Mexico--> he was the first Governor-General of the Spanish East Indies (which included the Philippines) and obtained peace with various indigenous nations and kingdoms>>> Miguel López de Legazpi made Manila the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince of Portugal who led military campaigns in North Africa and directed voyages that spurred the growth of Portugal's colonial empire--> noted for his patronage of Portuguese voyages of exploration of the W coast of Africa
São Jorge da Mina
a fortress erected by the Portuguese that was the first of many facilities along the shore of West Africa designed to facilitate the growing trade between Europeans and Africans--> was established to protect Portuguese traders from other Europeans
Seven Years' War
the war (1756-63) of Britain and Prussia against France and Austria, resulting from commercial and colonial rivalry between Britain and France and from the conflict in Germany between Prussia and Austria--> Prussia and Britain won, and their victory greatly increased their power
Siberia
an extensive geographical region, and by the broadest definition is also known as North Asia--> Siberia has been historically part of Russia since the 17th century
Taíno
a Caribbean tribe who were the first indigenous peoples from the Americas to come into contact with Christopher Columbus
Vasco de Gama
a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea
Vitus Bering
also known as Ivan Ivanovich Bering, was a Danish cartographer and explorer in Russian service, and an officer in the Russian Navy
VOC
established in 1602, private merchants advanced funds to launch the company, to send ships and crews and provide them with materials and money to be able to trade
Volta do mar
a phrase in Portuguese which means literally "turn of the sea"--> is a navigational technique perfected by Portuguese navigators during the Age of Discovery in the late fifteenth century, using the dependable phenomenon of the great permanent wind wheel, the North Atlantic Gyre>>> this was a major step in the history of navigation, when an understanding of winds in the age of sail was crucial to success: the European sea empires would never have been established had the Europeans not figured out how the trade winds worked
Absolutism
the political doctrine and practice of unlimited centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator
Angelicans
the common name for the members of the Church of England created by King Henry VIII
Calvinists
theological principles based on the ideas of John Calvin, emphasizing the sovereignty of God, predestination, and the importance of grace in salvation
Capitalism
an economic system based on open competition in a free market, in which individuals and companies own the means of production and operate for profit
Carolingian
a Frankish noble family that ruled much of Western Europe from the 8th to 9th centuries. Named after Charlemagne was its most famous ruler, and the dynasty is associated with the unification of much of Western and Central Europe, the revival of learning and culture, and the strengthening of the concept of a Christian empire..
Catherine the Great
German-born Russian tsarina in the 18th century; ruled after assassination of her husband; gave appearance of enlightened rule; accepted Western cultural influence; maintained nobility as service aristocracy by granting them new power over peasantry.
Catholic Reformation
a religious movement began in Germany when Martin Luther began a debate about abuses in the Roman Catholic Church
Charles V
ruler of both the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and the Spanish Empire (as Charles I of Spain) from 1516, as well as of the lands of the former Duchy of Burgundy from 1506. He stepped down from these and other positions by a series of abdications between 1554 and 1556.
Constitutional states
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
Council of Trent
the formal Roman Catholic reply to the doctrinal challenges of the Protestant Reformation. It served to define Catholic doctrine and made sweeping decrees on self-reform, helping to revitalize the Roman Catholic Church in the face of Protestant expansion.
Émilie du Châtelet
a significant figure of the Enlightenment, recognized for her contributions to science, mathematics, and philosophy. She was a French noblewoman, physicist, and intellectual who worked to advance the understanding of physics and mathematics in 18th century Europe.
English Civil War
a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and Royalists (Cavaliers) from 1642 to 1651, primarily over the manner of England's governance and issues of religious freedoms.
Galileo Galilei
Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars
Glorious Revolution
Bloodless revolution that replaced King James with his daughter and son-in-law (Mary and William) who promised to limit their power through the Bill of Rights that turned England into a constitutional monarchy. Constitutional Monarchy. A monarchy limited and ruled by a constitution.
Hasburgs
powerful European family that provided many Holy Roman emperors, founded the Austria empire and ruled 16th-17th century Spain.
Isaac Newton
English physicist and mathematician. Developed the laws of motion and universal gravitation. Made significant contributions to calculus and optics.
Johannes Gutenberg
a German inventor best known for introducing printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing press in the 15th century.
Louis XIV
known as the Sun King, he was an absolute monarch that completely controlled France
Martin Luther
a German theologian and religious reformer whose actions sparked the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He challenged the Catholic Church's practices, especially the sale of indulgences, and emphasized salvation through faith alone, reshaping the religious landscape of Europe.
Nicolaus Copernicus
a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at its center, challenging the geocentric view that had dominated for centuries.
Ninety-Five Theses
a list of propositions written by Martin Luther in 1517, criticizing the Catholic Church's practices, particularly the sale of indulgences.
Peace of Westphalia
a series of peace treaties signed between May and October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. The treaties ended the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War. The Thirty Years' War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648.
Peter the Great
the czar, or monarch, of Russia from 1682 until he died in 1725. During his reign, he worked to modernize Russia and transform it into an empire that rivaled anything in Europe.
Protestant Reformation
a religious movement that began in the 16th century, aiming to reform the practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.
Protoindustrialization
the regional development, alongside commercial agriculture, of rural handicraft production for external markets. Cottage industries in parts of Europe between the 16th and 19th centuries had long been a niche topic of study.
Ptolemaic universe
The theory that the earth is motionless and surrounded by nine spheres. Could not account for observable planetary movements, but was consistent with Christian theory of creation.
Richelieu
the chief minister to Louis XIII. Cardinal Mazarin was the chief minister to Louis XIV. Together they were responsible for greatly increasing the wealth and power of the French monarchy and for extending the power of France in European affairs.
Romanov
the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia, reigning from 1613 until the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917 during the Russian Revolution.
Scientific revolution
a series of events that took place in Europe during the 17th century and marked advances in the natural sciences. Scientists also developed the scientific method, used to study and analyze natural phenomena, during this period.
Serfdom
the status of serfs under the Manorialism or Feudalism system, and is practically a modified form of slavery or forced labor. It takes place in a system of economic and political relations between landlords and their peasant laborers. The common people were called the serfs.