AP European History - Unit 1: Age of Exploration & Renaissance Flashcards
What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
Agreement between Spain and Portugal dividing the newly discovered lands.
What major event in 1492 ended Muslim rule in Spain?
The Reconquista, when Ferdinand and Isabella captured Granada.
What is the Columbian Exchange?
Widespread exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old World and New World after 1492.
What is the Encomienda System?
A Spanish labor system that allowed colonists to force indigenous people to work in exchange for “protection.”
Who were the New Monarchs?
Rulers like Ferdinand and Isabella (Spain), Henry VII (England), and Louis XI (France) who centralized power and weakened nobility.
What Was the purpose of Exploration for European powers?
God, Glory, Gold – convert natives, gain wealth, and increase national power.
Who is Prince Henry the Navigator?
Portuguese royal who funded early voyages along Africa’s coast and established navigation schools.
What did Vasco da Gama accomplish?
First to sail directly from Europe to India by going around Africa.
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernan Cortes.
Who conquered the Inca Empire?
Francisco Pizarro.
What invention by Johannes Gutenberg helped spread Renaissance and Reformation ideas?
The printing press (c. 1450).
What is Humanism?
Intellectual movement focusing on the study of classical texts, human potential, and achievements.
What city was the center of the Italian Renaissance?
Florence.
Who were the Medici?
A powerful banking family in Florence who were major patrons of Renaissance art.
What did Machiavelli argue in The Prince?
That rulers should do whatever is necessary to keep power – even lie or use fear.
What was the Northern Renaissance known for?
Focus on Christian values, Church reform, and social change.
What was the impact of the Price Revolution?
Inflation in Europe due to silver from the Americas, which shifted economic power and hurt peasants.
What was the Commercial Revolution?
A period of economic expansion, colonialism, and rise of capitalism in Europe following exploration.
What is secularism?
A shift in focus from religion to worldly (non-religious) matters, especially in Renaissance thought.
What is civic humanism?
The idea that educated citizens should be active in politics and public life – popular in Renaissance Italy.
