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Prester John
A legendary Christian monarch whom Europeans believed ruled a prosperous kingdom in Africa or Asia.
Marco Polo's Travels
Accounts of Marco Polo’s journey to Asia, particularly China, inspiring European interest in the riches of the East.
Lateen Rig
A triangular sail that allowed ships to sail more effectively into the wind.
Quadrant
A navigational tool used to measure angles and help sailors determine their latitude.
Compass
A navigational instrument showing direction relative to the Earth's magnetic poles.
Astrolabe
An instrument used by sailors to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of stars.
Cartography
The practice of map-making, which improved significantly during the Age of Exploration.
Price Revolution
A period of rising prices in Europe due to an influx of silver and gold from the Americas.
Joint Stock Company
A business model where investors buy shares in a company, sharing risks and profits.
Mercantilism
An economic theory emphasizing a favorable balance of trade to increase national wealth.
Colony
A territory under the political control of another country, established for economic benefits.
Prince Henry the Navigator
A Portuguese prince who sponsored expeditions along the African coast.
The Gold Coast
A region of West Africa rich in gold, attracting European traders, particularly the Portuguese.
Bartholomeu Dias
A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa.
Vasco da Gama
A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea.
Goa
A port on the western coast of India significant in trade during the spice trade.
The Spice Islands
A group of islands rich in valuable spices, sought after by European traders.
Ferdinand and Isabella
The Spanish monarchs who sponsored Christopher Columbus’s voyages.
Christopher Columbus
An Italian explorer funded by Spain who made voyages leading to European awareness of America.
Hispaniola
An island in the Caribbean first explored by Columbus, which became a Spanish colony.
Pedro Cabral
A Portuguese navigator who claimed Brazil for Portugal during his voyage to India.
Amerigo Vespucci
An Italian explorer who recognized the lands discovered by Columbus were part of a new continent.
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
The Spanish explorer who crossed the Isthmus of Panama and saw the Pacific Ocean.
Ferdinand Magellan
A Portuguese navigator whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
An agreement dividing newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.
Conquistadors
Spanish soldiers and explorers who conquered large areas of the Americas.
Tenochtitlan
The capital city of the Aztec Empire, captured by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.
Hernán Cortés
A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition resulting in the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Montezuma
The last emperor of the Aztec Empire, defeated by Cortés.
Quetzalcoatl
A deity in Aztec mythology; associated with the arrival of the Spanish.
Smallpox
A disease that devastated indigenous populations in the Americas.
Cuzco
The capital of the Inca Empire, later captured by Spanish forces.
Francisco Pizarro
The Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Inca Empire.
Atahualpa
The last emperor of the Inca Empire, captured and executed by Pizarro.
Encomienda
A Spanish labor system granting settlers the right to demand labor from indigenous people.
Bartolomé de Las Casas
A Spanish priest who criticized the abuses of the encomienda system.
Viceroy
A governor who ruled a colony on behalf of the sovereign.
Audiencias
Spanish colonial courts that administered justice and advised viceroys.
Sugar Factories
Large plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil where enslaved Africans produced sugar.
Henry Hudson
An English explorer who sought a northwest passage to Asia.
Jacques Cartier
A French explorer who claimed parts of Canada for France.
Samuel de Champlain
A French explorer and founder of Quebec.
Treaty of Utrecht (1713)
Treaties that ended the War of Spanish Succession, redistributing colonial territories.
Asiento
A contract allowing foreign powers to supply enslaved Africans to Spanish colonies.
French and Indian War
A conflict between Britain and France in North America, ending with British dominance.
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The treaty that ended the French and Indian War, leading to territorial gains for Britain.
Dutch East India Company
A Dutch trading company that established trade in Asia.
Calicut
An Indian port vital for European spice trade.
British East India Company
An English company that dominated trade in India.
Robert Clive
A British officer who helped secure British dominance in India.
Battle of Plassey (1757)
A decisive battle where British forces defeated the Nawab of Bengal.
Canton
A Chinese port where Europeans traded under regulated conditions.
Slave Trade
The forced transport and sale of African people as slaves.
Triangular Trade
A trade system involving Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Middle Passage
The brutal sea journey endured by enslaved Africans to the Americas.
King Alfonso of Congo
A ruler who opposed the impact of the slave trade on his kingdom.
Quakers
A religious group that opposed slavery and advocated for its abolition.
Mestizos
People of mixed European and indigenous ancestry in Spanish colonies.
Mulattoes
People of mixed European and African ancestry in Spanish and Portuguese colonies.
Maize
A crop native to the Americas that became a staple in many regions.
Missionaries
Religious figures sent to convert indigenous populations to Christianity.
The Jesuits
A Catholic religious order active in missionary work.
Columbian Exchange
The exchange of goods, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the New World.
Commercial Revolution
A period of economic expansion in Europe, characterized by increased trade.
Hanseatic League
A commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds in northern Germany.
Money Economy
An economy in which goods and services are paid for with currency.
Capitalism
An economic system based on private ownership of the means of production.
Market
A place where goods and services are exchanged.
Guild
An association of artisans or merchants overseeing the practice of their craft.
Entrepreneur
An individual who creates and runs a new business.
Monopoly
The exclusive possession or control of the supply of a commodity.
Charter
A written grant conferring rights and privileges on a group or individual.
Joint Stock Company
A business entity where different stocks can be bought and owned by shareholders.
Dutch East India Company
A trading company established by the Netherlands for East Indies trade.
Banking
The business conducted or services offered by a bank.
Bank of Amsterdam
One of the first modern banks, pivotal in European banking development.
Capital
Wealth in the form of money or assets used to generate income.
Price Revolution
A period of time where inflation increased significantly across Europe.
Inflation
A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.
Mercantilism
An economic theory that emphasizes government regulation to increase national power.
Subsistence Agriculture
Farming that provides enough food for the farmer and their family.
Commercial Agriculture
Agriculture produced for sale in the market.
Enclosure Movement
The process of consolidating small landholdings into larger farms in England.
The "Putting Out" System
A domestic system of work where materials were distributed to rural workers.
Clergy
The body of all people ordained for religious duties in Christianity.
Nobility
A social class marked by hereditary titles or privileges.
Landed Aristocracy
A social class of people who own large amounts of land.
Gentry
The class of people next below the nobility in position.
Bourgeoisie
The middle class, typically with reference to materialistic values.
Nobles of the Robe
French nobility who acquired status through judicial or administrative offices.
Town Elites
Individuals such as merchants and bankers with significant economic power.
Guilds
Associations of craftsmen and merchants in the Middle Ages.
Working Class
Social class consisting of those employed for wages.
Urban Poor
The economically disadvantaged segment of the urban population.
Peasants
Farmers of low social status, often owning or renting small land.
Serfdom
The status of peasants bound to a lord's land under feudalism.
Rural-Urban Migration
The movement of people from the countryside to cities.
Deserving vs. Undeserving Poor
A distinction made about who is worthy of assistance or charity.
English Poor Law of 1601
Legislation aimed at reducing poverty in England.
Absolutism
A political system where a single ruler holds absolute power.
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