Period 1: European Exploration and Conquest

What is the Indian Ocean trade?

A vast maritime trade network connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia before European exploration.

What did the Indian Ocean trade do?

It facilitated the exchange of spices, textiles, and luxury goods, using monsoon winds for navigation.

Why is the Indian Ocean trade important?

It was the richest trade network in the world and drew Europeans to seek direct access to Asian markets.

What is Malacca?

A major port city in Southeast Asia located on the Strait of Malacca.

What did Malacca do?

It became a key trading hub linking the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea, attracting merchants from across Asia and beyond.

Why is Malacca important?

Its strategic location made it one of the most valuable trade centers, later seized by the Portuguese to control spice routes.

What is the gold/slave trade in Africa?

The exchange of African gold and enslaved people with European and Middle Eastern traders.

What did the gold/slave trade in Africa do?

It enriched African kingdoms and fueled European demand for labor in colonies.

Why is the gold/slave trade in Africa important?

It laid the foundation for the transatlantic slave trade and linked African economies to global commerce.

What is 1453?

The year the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople.

What did 1453 do?

It cut off traditional land routes between Europe and Asia, making eastern trade more difficult and costly.

Why is 1453 important?

It motivated Europeans to search for new maritime routes to Asia, sparking the Age of Exploration.

Who are Venetian and Genoese merchants?

Traders from the Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa.

What did Venetian and Genoese merchants do?

They dominated Mediterranean trade, importing Asian spices and goods through Middle Eastern intermediaries.

Why are Venetian and Genoese merchants important?

Their control of eastern trade pushed other European nations to seek alternative sea routes and break Italian dominance.

What are economic motives?

The desire for wealth that drove European exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries.

What did economic motives do?

They pushed explorers and monarchs to seek direct access to Asian spices, African gold, and New World resources.

Why are economic motives important?

They provided the main incentive for European expansion and the creation of overseas empires.

What are religious motives?

The spread of Christianity as a goal of European exploration.

What did religious motives do?

They inspired missionaries and rulers to convert indigenous peoples and justify conquest.

Why are religious motives important?

They gave spiritual legitimacy to exploration and colonization, intertwining faith with empire-building.

Who are conquistadors?

Spanish soldiers and adventurers of the 16th century.

What did conquistadors do?

They conquered large parts of the Americas, including the Aztec and Incan Empires, often using violence and alliances with local groups.

Why are conquistadors important?

Their actions expanded Spanish power and wealth but also devastated indigenous populations and cultures.

What is a caravel?

A small, maneuverable ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century.

What did the caravel do?

It combined square and lateen sails, allowing faster sailing and effective navigation against the wind.

Why is the caravel important?

It enabled long voyages of exploration and became a key tool of European maritime expansion.

What is Ptolemy’s Geography?

An ancient Greek work on cartography rediscovered in the Renaissance.

What did Ptolemy’s Geography do?

It provided detailed maps but underestimated the circumference of the Earth, making Asia appear closer.

Why is Ptolemy’s Geography important?

It shaped European navigation and exploration, encouraging voyages like Columbus’s westward journey.

What is the compass?

A navigational instrument that shows direction using the Earth’s magnetic field.

What did the compass do?

It allowed sailors to determine orientation at sea even when skies were cloudy or landmarks were not visible.

Why is the compass important?

It made long-distance ocean voyages safer and more reliable, supporting European exploration.

Who is Prince Henry the Navigator?

A Portuguese prince (1394–1460) who sponsored exploration along the west coast of Africa.

What did Prince Henry the Navigator do?

He established navigation schools and funded expeditions that advanced maritime knowledge.

Why is Prince Henry the Navigator important?

His patronage laid the groundwork for Portugal’s overseas empire and dominance in early exploration.

What are Portuguese trading cities?

Coastal settlements and forts established by Portugal in Africa and Asia.

What did Portuguese trading cities do?

They served as bases for controlling spice trade routes and collecting taxes on commerce.

Why are Portuguese trading cities important?

They gave Portugal a global network of power, making it the leading trading empire of the 16th century.

Who is Bartholomeu Dias?

A Portuguese explorer who sailed in the late 15th century.

What did Bartholomeu Dias do?

He became the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope at Africa’s southern tip in 1488.

Why is Bartholomeu Dias important?

His voyage opened the route for Europeans to reach Asia by sea.

Who is Vasco da Gama?

A Portuguese explorer active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

What did Vasco da Gama do?

He reached India by sea in 1498, establishing a direct maritime link between Europe and Asia.

Why is Vasco da Gama important?

His success secured Portugal’s dominance in the spice trade and marked the beginning of European involvement in Asia.

Who is Christopher Columbus?

An Italian navigator (1451–1506) sailing for Spain.

What did Christopher Columbus do?

He crossed the Atlantic in 1492 and reached the Caribbean islands, believing he had reached Asia.

Why is Christopher Columbus important?

His voyages began sustained contact between Europe and the Americas, transforming global history.

What is the Treaty of Tordesillas?

An agreement signed in 1494 between Spain and Portugal.

What did the Treaty of Tordesillas do?

It divided newly discovered lands outside Europe along a line in the Atlantic, granting Spain the Americas and Portugal Africa and Asia.

Why is the Treaty of Tordesillas important?

It prevented conflict between the two powers and gave Spain dominance in the New World while Portugal controlled Asian trade routes.

Who is Ferdinand Magellan?

A Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain in the early 16th century.

What did Ferdinand Magellan do?

He led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, though he was killed in the Philippines before completing the voyage.

Why is Ferdinand Magellan important?

His expedition proved that the Earth was round, vast, and that Asia could be reached by sailing west.

What is the French Canadian fur trade?

A system of commerce developed by French settlers in North America.

What did the French Canadian fur trade do?

It relied on alliances with Native Americans to exchange European goods for animal pelts, especially beaver.

Why is the French Canadian fur trade important?

It became the economic foundation of New France and shaped patterns of settlement and native relations.

What is the Aztec Empire?

A powerful Mesoamerican state centered in modern-day Mexico.

What did the Aztec Empire do?

It built an advanced society with large cities, agriculture, and tribute systems before being conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521.

Why is the Aztec Empire important?

Its fall marked a major step in Spanish colonization of the Americas and brought immense wealth to Spain.

What is the Incan Empire?

A large Andean civilization in South America centered in present-day Peru.

What did the Incan Empire do?

It built extensive roads, terraced agriculture, and a centralized administration before being conquered by Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

Why is the Incan Empire important?

Its conquest provided Spain with immense silver and gold, fueling European wealth and colonization.

What are viceroyalties?

Administrative divisions created by Spain in its American colonies.

What did viceroyalties do?

They placed Spanish territories under the authority of viceroys who governed in the king’s name.

Why are viceroyalties important?

They ensured centralized royal control over the colonies and organized Spain’s vast overseas empire.

What is the encomienda system?

A Spanish colonial labor system granting settlers the right to use indigenous labor.

What did the encomienda system do?

It required native people to work in exchange for supposed protection and religious instruction but often resulted in exploitation and abuse.

Why is the encomienda system important?

It laid the foundation for colonial forced labor and contributed to the collapse of indigenous populations.

What is mita?

A labor system adapted by the Spanish from the Incas.

What did mita do?

It required indigenous communities to provide labor for mining and public works on a rotational basis.

Why is mita important?

It sustained silver mining in Spanish America, especially in Potosí, and fueled Spain’s global wealth.

What is the role of women in colonization?

The participation of European and indigenous women in colonial societies.

What did the role of women in colonization do?

European women helped transplant culture and family structures, while indigenous and African women often worked, intermarried, or mediated between cultures.

Why is the role of women in colonization important?

Women shaped cultural exchange, social hierarchies, and the development of colonial societies.

What is the Columbian Exchange?

The global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old World and the New World after 1492.

What did the Columbian Exchange do?

It brought European crops and livestock to the Americas while introducing American foods like corn and potatoes to Europe, along with deadly diseases.

Why is the Columbian Exchange important?

It transformed global diets, economies, and populations, but also caused catastrophic indigenous depopulation.

What is smallpox?

A deadly viral disease spread by Europeans to the Americas.

What did smallpox do?

It devastated indigenous populations, wiping out millions who had no immunity.

Why is smallpox important?

It was one of the most destructive factors in European conquest, aiding colonization through demographic collapse.

What is European livestock?

Domesticated animals such as horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep brought to the Americas by Europeans.

What did European livestock do?

They transformed indigenous agriculture, transportation, and diets, but also caused environmental disruption.

Why is European livestock important?

They reshaped New World societies, especially horses, which revolutionized hunting and warfare for many native groups.

What is corn?

A staple crop native to the Americas.

What did corn do?

It spread to Europe, Africa, and Asia as part of the Columbian Exchange, becoming a crucial food source.

Why is corn important?

Its adaptability and high yields supported population growth worldwide.

What are potatoes?

A tuber crop originating in the Andes of South America.

What did potatoes do?

They spread to Europe through the Columbian Exchange, where they became a dietary staple, especially in northern regions.

Why are potatoes important?

Their nutritional value and resilience fueled population growth, particularly in Europe.

What is sugarcane?

A crop first cultivated extensively in the Americas by Europeans.

What did sugarcane do?

It became the main plantation crop in the Caribbean and Brazil, requiring massive amounts of enslaved African labor.

Why is sugarcane important?

It drove the expansion of the Atlantic slave trade and became one of the most profitable goods in global commerce.

What is the Atlantic slave trade?

The forced transport of Africans to the Americas from the 16th to 19th centuries.

What did the Atlantic slave trade do?

It supplied labor for plantations, especially in the production of sugar, tobacco, and cotton.

Why is the Atlantic slave trade important?

It created a brutal system of exploitation, reshaped societies in Africa and the Americas, and was central to the development of the Atlantic economy.

What is Potosí?

A massive silver-mining city in present-day Bolivia discovered by the Spanish in the 1540s.

What did Potosí do?

It became one of the largest cities in the world at the time and supplied huge quantities of silver to Spain.

Why is Potosí important?

Its output fueled European wealth and global trade but relied on brutal indigenous and African forced labor.

What is Spanish silver?

Precious metal extracted from mines in the Americas, particularly from Potosí and Mexico.