Age of Exploration Vocab

Caravel

Small, maneuverable, and fast sailing ship developed in the 15th century

Astrolabe

Navigational tool used to determine a ship’s latitude though measuring the altitude of the sun or stars

Portolani

Medieval sailing guides and charts used by mariners in the Mediterranean Sea and along the Atlantic Coasts

Prince Henry the Navigator

“Founding father” of the AOE who assisted the Portuguese capture of Ceuta in Africa

Vasco de Gama

Portuguese explorer who was the first European to successfully sail around Africa to reach India by sea

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer and navigator from Genoa who completed four Spanish voyages across the Atlantic Ocean

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided newly discovered lands outside of Europe

Conquistadors

Spanish or Portuguese conquerer who in particular was one of the soldiers that defeated native populations and conquered lands

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human population, technology, diseases, and ideas between the new world and old world

Mercantilism

Economic system that European nations used to gain wealth and power by the accumulation of metals like gold and silver through trade

Encomienda System

Spanish colonial labor system that granted a Spanish colonist the right to demand tribute and forced labor from a specific number of indigenous people

Triangle Trade

Three stage transatlantic trade network that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Joint-Stock Company

A type of business where ownership is divided into freely transferable shares, and shareholders own a portion of the company based on their amount of shares

Price Revolution

Inflation across Europe driven by the rush of gold and silver from the Americas which caused increased money supply and therefore increases prices

Cartography

The process of critical map-making that allowed for distance voyages and colonial expansion

Magellan’s Circumnavigation

The first voyage to sail completely around the world proving it was round and far larger than anticipated

Dutch East India Company (VOC)

Dutch trading company that dominated Asian trade during the Age of Exploration

Middle Passage

The transatlantic journey that brought millions of enslaved africans to the Americas

Commercial Revolution

Economic transformation during the Age of Exploration that laid the foundation for modern capitalism

Capitalism

A shift toward profit-driven trade and private investment that fueled global exploration and colonization