Age Of Exploration Flashcards
Prince Henry the Navigator
1394-1460
Portuguese prince that founded the School for Navigation
He was responsible for the early development of European exploration and maritime trade with other continents.
Vasco de Gama
1460/1469-1524
Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India.
Ferdinand Magellan
1480-1521
First to circumnavigate the Earth
Served under King Charles I of Spain
Sailed in search of trade routes to Indonesia
Encomienda
Legal system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor
Colombian Exchange
Widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations (including slaves), communicable disease, and ideas between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres following the voyage to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492
El Dorado
Spanish for “The Golden One”
Legendary city of gold that fascinated European explorers since the days of the Spanish conquistadors
In pursuit of the legend, Francisco Orellana and Gonzalo Pizarro departed from Quito in 1541 in a famous and disastrous expedition towards the Amazon Basin, as a result of which Orellana became the first person known to navigate the Amazon River all the way to its mouth
Potosi
A mountain popularly conceived of as being “made of” silver ore, which has always dominated the city. The Cerro Rico is the reason for Potosí’s historical importance, since it was the major supply of silver for Spain during the period of the New World Spanish Empire
Treaty of Tordesillas
Divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Crown of Portugal and Crown of Castile(Spain) along a meridian 370 league west of the Cape Verde islands (off the west coast of Africa). This line of demarcation was about halfway between the Cape Verde Islands (already Portuguese) and the islands discovered by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage (claimed for Spain), named in the treaty as Cipangu and Antilia (Cuba and Hispaniola). The lands to the east would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west
Fuggers
German family that was a historically prominent group of European bankers, members of the fifteenth and sixteenth-century mercantile patriciate of Augsburg, international mercantile bankers, and venture capitalists like the Welser and the Höchstetter families. This banking family replaced the de’ Medici family, who influenced all of Europe during the Renaissance
Merchant Capitalism
Earliest phase in the development of capitalism as an economic and social system
Price Revolation
Refers most specifically to the relatively high rate of inflation that characterized the period across Western Europe, with prices on average rising perhaps sixfold over 150 years
Domestic System/ Putting Out System
Work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the work in off-site facilities, either in their own homes or in workshops with multiple craftsmen
Mercantilism
The economic doctrine that government control of foreign trade is of paramount importance for ensuring the prosperity and military security of the state. In particular, it demands a positive balance of trade
Bullion
Coin struck from precious metal and kept as a store of value or an investment, rather than used in day-to-day commerce
Joint Stock Company
A business entity which is owned by shareholders. Each shareholder owns the portion of the company in proportion to his or her ownership of the company’s shares (certificates of ownership)
