the age of discovery Flashcards
conquistador
one of the Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century
colony
a group of people who leave their native country to form in a new land a settlement subject to, or connected with, the parent nation.
mercantilism
practices or spirit; commercialism
balance of trade
the difference between the values of exports and imports of a country, said to be favorable or unfavorable as exports are greater or less than imports
the compass
an instrument for determining directions, as by means of a freely rotating magnetized needle that indicates magnetic north.
joint stock company
an association of individuals in a business enterprise with transferable shares of stock, much like a corporation except that stockholders are liable for the debts of the business
triangular trade
a pattern of colonial commerce in which slaves were bought on the African Gold Coast with New England rum and then traded in the West Indies for sugar or molasses, which was brought back to New England to be manufactured into rum
columbian exchange
a dramatically widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture (including slaves), communicable diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres
middle passage
the part of the Atlantic Ocean between the west coast of Africa and the West Indies: the longest part of the journey formerly made by slave ships.
treaty of tordesillas
Treaty of Tordesillas, (June 7, 1494), agreement between Spain and Portugal aimed at settling conflicts over lands newly discovered or explored by Christopher Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers.
henry the navigator
prince of Portugal.
christopher columbus
Italian navigator in Spanish service: traditionally considered the discoverer of America 1492.
vasco de gama
Naval commander Vasco da Gama’s 1497 expedition from Lisbon opened a route to India and led to Portugese dominance of the Eastern spice trade
hernan cortes
Hernan Cortes (also Hernando Cortez) was a Spanish explorer who took Mexico from the Aztecs in 1521. He first sailed from Spain in 1504 on a voyage to Santo Domingo, where he lived until joining Diego Velazquez in conquering Cuba in 1511
zheng he
formerly romanized as Cheng Ho, was a Hui court eunuch, mariner, explorer, diplomat, and fleet admiral during China’s early Ming dynasty. Born Ma He, Zheng commanded expeditionary voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa from 1405 to 1433.
ferdinand magellan
discoverer of the Straits of Magellan 1520 and the Philippines 1521.
spice trade
The spice trade refers to the trade between historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, and turmeric were known and used in antiquity for commerce in the Eastern World
encomienda system
Encomienda, in colonial Spanish America, legal system by which the Spanish crown attempted to define the status of the Indian population in its American colonies. It was based upon the practice of exacting tribute from Muslims and Jews during the Reconquista (“Reconquest”) of Muslim Spain.
dutch east india company
The United East Indian Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; VOC), referred to by the British as the Dutch East India Company, was originally established as a chartered company in 1602, when the Dutch government granted it a 21-year monopoly on Dutch spice trade
arawak
a member of a people originally of the Greater Antilles and adjacent South America, now living mainly in Guiana. They were forced out of the Antilles by the more warlike Caribs shortly before Spanish expansion in the Caribbean
the philippines
of or relating to the Philippines
fort jesus mombasa
a Portuguese fort located on Mombasa Island. It was built between 1593 and 1596, by order of King Philip I of Portugal, to guard the Old Port of Mombasa, Kenya
kongo kingdom
Basin of the Congo (Zaire) river, conglomeration of several village alliances, participated actively in trade networks, most centralized rule of the early Bantu kingdoms, royal currency: cowries, ruled 14th-17th century until undermined by Portuguese slave traders.
menin tribe
a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.
