Atlantic Worlds Study Guide

15/1 - Europe in the Age of Marco Polo

• World Island: The region of the world before America was discovered, composed of Europe and Asia. Asia was seen as the most important part, while Europe was treated merely as a peninsula.

• Feudalism: A hierarchical system where ordinary people provided services (monetary or labor) to a lord, who in turn owed allegiance to a higher lord, ultimately reaching the king.

• The Great Khan: Title used by Mongol rulers, particularly referring to Kublai Khan, the emperor who hosted Marco Polo.

• Cosmopolitanism: The impulse to explore and engage with different parts of the world.

• Venice: A powerful trading city with strategic maritime connections.

• Genoa: A rival city to Venice, known for its strong trading position; imprisoned Marco Polo, where he met Rustichello da Pisa.

• Crusades: Religious wars between Christians and Muslims over control of the Holy Land.

• Louis IX: King of France known for leading the Seventh and Eighth Crusades.

• Convivencia: The coexistence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in medieval Spain before the Reconquista.

• Reconquista: The Christian effort to reclaim Spain from Muslim rule, culminating in 1492.

• Ferdinand and Isabella: Monarchs who unified Spain and financed Columbus’s voyage.

• Rustichello of Pisa: Writer who co-authored The Travels of Marco Polo while in prison with him.

• John Mandeville: Author of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a widely read medieval travelogue.

• Ottoman Empire: A powerful empire that controlled trade routes between Europe and Asia, prompting European exploration.

22/1 - Encounters With Africa

• Dark Continent: A Eurocentric stereotype depicting Africa as primitive and uncivilized.

• Sub-Saharan Africa: Region below the Sahara, with limited European interaction until the Age of Exploration.

• Dualism: The division of the world into opposing forces, such as good vs. evil.

• Timbuktu: A key center of trade and Islamic learning in West Africa.

• Prester John: A mythical Christian king believed to rule a wealthy African kingdom.

• Ethiopia: A Christian kingdom that engaged with European explorers.

• Songhai Empire: A powerful West African empire known for its wealth and trade networks.

• Leo Africanus: A North African traveler who temporarily converted to Christianity and documented his journeys.

• Dom Henrique (Henry the Navigator): Portuguese prince who funded early voyages of exploration.

• Gil Eanes: Portuguese explorer searching for gold and involved in the early slave trade.

• Nuno Tristão: Attempted to conquer parts of Africa but shifted to trade relations.

• San Jorge da Mina: A Portuguese trading post in modern-day Ghana, later involved in the slave trade.

• Kingdom of Kongo: A powerful African kingdom that established diplomatic and religious ties with Portugal.

• Diogo Cão: Portuguese explorer who established contact with the Kingdom of Kongo.

• Manikongo Nzinga a Nkuwu: King of Kongo who converted to Christianity.

• Prince Kasuta: Kongo prince taken hostage to Portugal, where he converted to Christianity.

• Syncretism: The blending of religious traditions, such as African beliefs with Catholicism.

• Trans-Saharan Slave Trade: A pre-existing African slave trade system before European involvement.

• Canary Islands: Early site of European colonization and experimentation with plantation economies.

27/1 - America on the Eve of Contact

• Pre-Columbian America: The Americas before European contact, often misrepresented as primitive societies.

• Coastal Route Theory: Hypothesis that early Americans migrated along the Pacific coast.

• Olmecs: Early Mesoamerican civilization (2500 BCE–100 BCE) known for religious and military influence.

• Teotihuacan: A major city in Mesoamerica, predating the Aztecs.

• Tenochtitlan: The capital of the Aztec Empire, known for its advanced infrastructure.

• Inca Empire: South American empire centered in Cuzco, known for engineering and communication systems like quipu.

• Chaco Canyon: A major Ancestral Puebloan settlement in North America.

• Cahokia: A large Mississippian city that was a trade and agricultural hub.

• Leif Erikson: Norse explorer believed to have reached North America around 1000 CE.

29/1 - The Spanish Conquest

• Great Man Theory: The idea that history is shaped by exceptional individuals, such as Columbus and Cortés.

• Christopher Columbus: Italian navigator funded by Spain, landed in the Caribbean in 1492.

• Taino Indians: Indigenous people of the Caribbean, encountered by Columbus.

• Encomienda System: Spanish labor system exploiting Indigenous people.

• Hernán Cortés: Conqueror of the Aztec Empire.

• Malintzin (Doña Marina): Indigenous woman who served as an interpreter for Cortés.

• Tlaxcala: Indigenous allies of the Spanish against the Aztecs.

• Moctezuma II: Aztec emperor during the Spanish conquest.

• La Noche Triste: Night when the Spanish were driven out of Tenochtitlan.

• Francisco Pizarro: Conqueror of the Inca Empire.

• Atahualpa: Last Inca emperor, captured and executed by the Spanish.

• Technology, Religion, Alliances, Disease: Key factors in Spanish victories.

3/2 - Death and Disease

• Virgin Soil Epidemics: Indigenous populations lacked immunity to European diseases.

• Smallpox: Most devastating disease, killing millions of Indigenous people.

• Wayna Qhapaq: Inca ruler who died of smallpox, leading to civil war.

• Tisquantum (Squanto): Indigenous man who assisted the Pilgrims after surviving European enslavement.

5/2 - Indian Labor and Global Trade

• Silver and Gold: Primary motivations for Spanish colonization.

• Zacatecas & Potosí: Major silver mining centers.

• Mita System: Adapted from Inca labor practices for Spanish mining.

• Treasure Fleet: Spanish ships transporting wealth to Europe.

• Quinta Royal: Spain’s 20% tax on colonial wealth.

10/2 - The Atlantic Renaissance

• Humanism: Intellectual movement emphasizing classical texts and empirical observation.

• Johann Gutenberg: Invented the printing press, facilitating knowledge dissemination.

• Michel de Montaigne: Philosopher who examined European perceptions of Indigenous people.

• Amerigo Vespucci: Explorer whose accounts led to the naming of America.

• Cannibalism Myth: European stereotype depicting Indigenous people as savages.

Timeline of Key Events

Before 1492: Pre-Columbian Era

• 2500 BCE–100 BCE → Olmec civilization develops in Mesoamerica, pioneering religious and military traditions.

• 100 BCE–750 CE → Teotihuacan flourishes as a major Mesoamerican city.

• 1253 → Aztecs arrive in the Valley of Mexico.

• 1471 → Pachakuti dies, and Thupa Inka inherits the Inca Empire.

Europe in the Age of Marco Polo (15/1)

• 13th Century → Marco Polo travels to the court of the Great Khan.

• 1298 → Marco Polo meets Rustichello da Pisa in a Genoese prison and dictates his travels.

• 1492 → The Reconquista concludes with the fall of Granada; Ferdinand and Isabella fund Columbus’s voyage.

Encounters With Africa (22/1)

• 1400s → Dom Henrique (Henry the Navigator) funds voyages along the African coast.

• 1482 → Portuguese establish the San Jorge da Mina trading post in modern Ghana.

• 1480s → Portuguese explorers, including Diogo Cão, contact the Kingdom of Kongo.

America on the Eve of Contact (27/1)

• 12,000–20,000 years ago → First Americans migrate from Asia.

• 1491 → Complex societies like the Aztecs, Incas, Cahokia, and Chaco Canyon thrive.

The Spanish Conquest (29/1)

• 1492 → Columbus lands in the Caribbean, encountering the Taino.

• 1493 → Columbus establishes a settlement on Hispaniola.

• 1519 → Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico; the conquest of the Aztecs begins.

• 1521 → Tenochtitlan falls to Spanish forces.

• 1532 → Francisco Pizarro begins the conquest of the Inca Empire.

• 1533 → Atahualpa is executed; Spanish rule expands in Peru.

Death and Disease (3/2)

• 1518 → First smallpox epidemic in the Caribbean.

• 1520 → Smallpox devastates Tenochtitlan after “La Noche Triste.”

• 1535 → Native population of Hispaniola nearly wiped out.

• 1593 → Mexico’s Indigenous population drops from 25 million to 2 million.

Indian Labor and Global Trade (5/2)

• 1500s → Encomienda system implemented in Spanish colonies.

• 1545 → Potosí silver mines discovered in modern Bolivia.

• 1600 → Potosí’s population reaches 150,000.

• 1628 → Piet Heyn captures the Spanish Treasure Fleet.

The Atlantic Renaissance (10/2)

• 1450s → Johann Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionizes knowledge distribution.

• 1493 → Columbus’s letters published across Europe.

• 1600s → Renaissance humanism influences European views on the Americas.