Jacob’s Notes Flashcards
Who commissioned Christopher Columbus for his 1492 voyage?
Spain
What significant exchange was initiated by Columbus’s 1492 expedition?
The Columbian Exchange
What invention did Johannes Gutenberg create in the 1440s?
The printing press
What was a major impact of the printing press on society?
Spread of Renaissance and Reformation ideas
Define the Renaissance.
Period of cultural revival from the 14th to 17th centuries emphasizing humanism, individualism, and scientific inquiry
Who was Admiral Zheng He?
Ming dynasty admiral who led seven voyages between 1405 and 1433
What was the significance of the Columbian Exchange?
Widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas, Europe, and Africa
What did Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses criticize?
Church corruption, including the sale of indulgences
What was the Peace of Augsburg (1555)?
Treaty allowing rulers to choose Lutheranism or Catholicism as the official religion of their territories
What empire peaked under Suleiman the Magnificent?
The Ottoman Empire
Fill in the blank: The _______ Trade (1543–1641) involved Japan and Portuguese traders.
Nanban
What did the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) accomplish?
Divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal
What was the German Peasants’ War (1524–1525)?
Widespread revolt sparked by economic hardship and inspired by Reformation ideas
What was the primary function of the Silk Roads?
Connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa for trade
Define the Shogunate in Japan.
Feudal military government with power concentrated in the shogun
What was the Ming Dynasty’s trade policy?
Prioritized agriculture over trade, limiting maritime commerce
What was the Reconquista?
Centuries-long effort by Christian kingdoms in Spain to reclaim territory from Muslim rulers
What happened during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572)?
Thousands of French Protestants were murdered
What is an astrolabe?
Navigational instrument used to calculate position using stars
What did the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) establish?
Principles of state sovereignty and non-interference
What was the Encomienda System?
Labor and tribute system implemented by the Spanish Crown in the Americas
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Where are the Potosí Silver Mines located?
Modern-day Bolivia
Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868
What role did the Jesuits play during the Counter-Reformation?
Spread Catholicism and engaged in missionary work
What was the significance of Vasco da Gama’s voyages?
Established a direct maritime route to India
Define mercantilism.
Economic theory emphasizing state intervention to ensure a positive balance of trade
What is feudalism?
A hierarchical social system where landowners provide protection to peasants in exchange for labor
What is capitalism?
An economic system prioritizing private ownership and free markets
What did the Treaty of Utrecht accomplish?
Ended the War of Spanish Succession and balanced power among European nations
What was the War of the Austrian Succession about?
Disputes over Maria Theresa’s succession to the Habsburg throne
What characterized the Aztec and Incan Empires?
Dominant pre-Columbian civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America
What did Adam Smith advocate in The Wealth of Nations?
Free markets and the division of labor
What was the Enlightenment?
18th-century intellectual movement promoting reason, science, and individual liberty
What was the Reformation?
16th-century movement to reform the Catholic Church, leading to Protestant sects
What marked the Ocean Age (15th–17th centuries)?
Period of global maritime exploration and the establishment of trade routes
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire from 1519 to 1521.
What tactics did Hernán Cortés use to conquer the Aztec Empire?
Military tactics, alliances with Indigenous groups, exploiting internal divisions
Cortés allied with groups like the Tlaxcalans and used European diseases to weaken the Aztecs.
What role did diseases play in the conquest of the Aztec Empire?
Diseases like smallpox weakened the Aztecs
This facilitated Cortés’s conquest.
What was Martin Luther’s response to the German Peasants’ War?
Opposed the war and denounced the peasants
Luther viewed the rebellion as a threat to social order.
What is the Sakoku Edict?
A policy enforcing Japan’s isolation from foreign influence
Issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1639.
What were the effects of the Sakoku Edict?
Maintained internal stability, limited exposure to advancements
Japan had limited trade with the Dutch and Chinese.
How did the Ottoman Empire consolidate power?
Efficient administration, military strength, religious tolerance
The legal system was based on Sharia.
What characterized the Tokugawa Shogunate?
Centralized feudal system, strict social classes, isolationist policy
This period is known as the Edo period.
What was the significance of silver in global trade?
Backbone of trade, linked Europe, Asia, and the Americas
Facilitated cash economies and financed colonial expansion.
How did the Ming Dynasty’s trade policies affect its economy?
Limited global commerce and economic opportunities
Banned private maritime trade.
What role did Jesuits play in early modern global interactions?
Spread Catholicism and fostered cultural exchanges
They acted as intermediaries and translated scientific knowledge.
What was the impact of the Renaissance on science?
Reignited interest in classical learning, emphasized observation
Paved the way for the Scientific Revolution.
Why is the Ottoman Empire often compared to the Roman Empire?
Vast territorial expanse, diverse population, centralized governance
Both empires tolerated cultural differences while enforcing unity.
How did European exploration affect global power dynamics?
Established maritime empires, centralized power in Europe
Led to immense wealth and devastated Indigenous populations.
What factors led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire?
Internal corruption, military stagnation, economic challenges
External pressures included defeats in wars with Russia and Austria.
