The Age of Discovery

Question 1

conquistador

Answer 1

Conquistadors /kɒŋˌkɪstəˈdɔːrz/ is a term used to refer to the soldiers and explorers of the Spanish Empire or the Portuguese Empire in a general sense. During the Age of Discovery conquistadores sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, Oceania, Africa and Asia, conquering territory and opening trade routes. They colonized much of the world for Spain and Portugal in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries

Question 2

colony

Answer 2

a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.

Question 3

mercantilism

Answer 3

belief in the benefits of profitable trading; commercialism.

Question 4

balance of trade

Answer 4

The commercial balance or net exports (sometimes symbolized as NX), is the difference between the monetary value of exports and imports of output in an economy over a certain period, measured in the currency of that economy. It is the relationship between a nation’s imports and exports.

Question 5

the compass

Answer 5

A device used to determine geographic direction, usually consisting of a magnetic needle or needles horizontally mounted or suspended and free to pivot until aligned with the earth’s magnetic field. b. Another device, such as a radio compass or a gyrocompass, used for determining geographic direction.

Question 6

joint stock company

Answer 6

A joint-stock company is a business entity where different stocks can be bought and owned by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by his or her shares. This allows for the unequal ownership of a business with some shareholders owning a bigger proportion of a company than others do. Shareholders are able to transfer their shares to others without any effects to the continued existence of the company.

Question 7

Triangular trade

Answer 7

a multilateral system of trading in which a country pays for its imports from one country by its exports to another.

Question 8

Columbian exchange

Answer 8

The Columbian Exchange, or Grand Exchange, was the widespread transfer of animals, plants, culture, human populations, communicable diseases, technology and ideas between the American and Afro-Eurasian hemispheres in the 15th and 16th centuries, after Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage.
A major consequence of Columbus’ voyages was the eventual exchange of goods between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (the Americas). For a list of some of the goods that were shared in this “Columbian Exchange” between the continents, look here.

Question 9

Middle Passage

Answer 9

the sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies.

Question 10

Treaty of Tordesillas

Answer 10

The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed at Tordesillas on 7 June 1494 and authenticated at Setubal / Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Portugal and Spain along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands. This line of demarcation was about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands and the islands discovered by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage, named in the treaty as Cipangu and Antilia. The lands to the east would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west to Spain. The treaty was ratified by Spain, 2 July 1494 and by Portugal, 5 September 1494. The other side of the world would be divided a few decades later by the Treaty of Zaragoza or Saragossa, signed on 22 April 1529, which specified the antimeridian to the line of demarcation specified in the Treaty of Tordesillas. Originals of both treaties are kept at the Archivo General de Indias in Spain and at the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo in Portugal.

Question 11

Henry the Navigator

Answer 11

Prince of Portugal who led military campaigns in North Africa and directed voyages that spurred the growth of Portugal’s colonial empire.

Question 12

Christopher Columbus

Answer 12

Christopher (Sp. Cristóbal Colón; It. Cristoforo Colombo) 1446?–1506, Italian navigator in Spanish service: traditionally considered the discoverer of America 1492

Question 13

Vasco de Gama

Answer 13

Vasco da, c1460–1524, Portuguese navigator: first to sail from Europe to India

Question 14

Hernan Cortes

Answer 14

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)

Question 15

Zheng He

Answer 15

Zheng He, the Great Chinese Explorer is a bilingual English/Chinese picturebook about the amazing true-life story of Zheng He (1371-1433), a visionary explorer of China during the Ming Dynasty.

Question 16

Ferdinand Magellan

Answer 16

Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain; he commanded an expedition that was the first to circumnavigate the world (1480-1521)

Question 17

encomienda system

Answer 17

The encomienda system was used during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, whereby conquistadors (conquerers) were granted the towns of the native people they conquered. The conquistadors, known as encomenderos, taxed these native people and used them for labor in exchange for agreeing to provide safety through an established military and religious teachings.
However, most of the encomenderos used their influence and power to take more land from the natives, increase taxes, and ultimately force the natives into slavery. This exploitation of the indigenous natives eventually led to the breakdown of the entire encomienda system.

Question 18

spice trade

Answer 18

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 for commerce, in the Eastern World well into antiquity. Opium was also imported.