Jacob’s Notes

Question 1

Who commissioned Christopher Columbus for his 1492 voyage?

Answer 1

Spain

Question 2

What significant exchange was initiated by Columbus’s 1492 expedition?

Answer 2

The Columbian Exchange

Question 3

What invention did Johannes Gutenberg create in the 1440s?

Answer 3

The printing press

Question 4

What was a major impact of the printing press on society?

Answer 4

Spread of Renaissance and Reformation ideas

Question 5

Define the Renaissance.

Answer 5

Period of cultural revival from the 14th to 17th centuries emphasizing humanism, individualism, and scientific inquiry

Question 6

Who was Admiral Zheng He?

Answer 6

Ming dynasty admiral who led seven voyages between 1405 and 1433

Question 7

What was the significance of the Columbian Exchange?

Answer 7

Widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Americas, Europe, and Africa

Question 8

What did Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses criticize?

Answer 8

Church corruption, including the sale of indulgences

Question 9

What was the Peace of Augsburg (1555)?

Answer 9

Treaty allowing rulers to choose Lutheranism or Catholicism as the official religion of their territories

Question 10

What empire peaked under Suleiman the Magnificent?

Answer 10

The Ottoman Empire

Question 11

Fill in the blank: The _______ Trade (1543–1641) involved Japan and Portuguese traders.

Answer 11

Nanban

Question 12

What did the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) accomplish?

Answer 12

Divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal

Question 13

What was the German Peasants’ War (1524–1525)?

Answer 13

Widespread revolt sparked by economic hardship and inspired by Reformation ideas

Question 14

What was the primary function of the Silk Roads?

Answer 14

Connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa for trade

Question 15

Define the Shogunate in Japan.

Answer 15

Feudal military government with power concentrated in the shogun

Question 16

What was the Ming Dynasty’s trade policy?

Answer 16

Prioritized agriculture over trade, limiting maritime commerce

Question 17

What was the Reconquista?

Answer 17

Centuries-long effort by Christian kingdoms in Spain to reclaim territory from Muslim rulers

Question 18

What happened during the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572)?

Answer 18

Thousands of French Protestants were murdered

Question 19

What is an astrolabe?

Answer 19

Navigational instrument used to calculate position using stars

Question 20

What did the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) establish?

Answer 20

Principles of state sovereignty and non-interference

Question 21

What was the Encomienda System?

Answer 21

Labor and tribute system implemented by the Spanish Crown in the Americas

Question 22

Who conquered the Aztec Empire?

Answer 22

Hernán Cortés

Question 23

Where are the Potosí Silver Mines located?

Answer 23

Modern-day Bolivia

Question 24

Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu?

Answer 24

Founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868

Question 25

What role did the Jesuits play during the Counter-Reformation?

Answer 25

Spread Catholicism and engaged in missionary work

Question 26

What was the significance of Vasco da Gama’s voyages?

Answer 26

Established a direct maritime route to India

Question 27

Define mercantilism.

Answer 27

Economic theory emphasizing state intervention to ensure a positive balance of trade

Question 28

What is feudalism?

Answer 28

A hierarchical social system where landowners provide protection to peasants in exchange for labor

Question 29

What is capitalism?

Answer 29

An economic system prioritizing private ownership and free markets

Question 30

What did the Treaty of Utrecht accomplish?

Answer 30

Ended the War of Spanish Succession and balanced power among European nations

Question 31

What was the War of the Austrian Succession about?

Answer 31

Disputes over Maria Theresa's succession to the Habsburg throne

Question 32

What characterized the Aztec and Incan Empires?

Answer 32

Dominant pre-Columbian civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America

Question 33

What did Adam Smith advocate in The Wealth of Nations?

Answer 33

Free markets and the division of labor

Question 34

What was the Enlightenment?

Answer 34

18th-century intellectual movement promoting reason, science, and individual liberty

Question 35

What was the Reformation?

Answer 35

16th-century movement to reform the Catholic Church, leading to Protestant sects

Question 36

What marked the Ocean Age (15th–17th centuries)?

Answer 36

Period of global maritime exploration and the establishment of trade routes

Question 37

Who conquered the Aztec Empire?

Answer 37

Hernán Cortés ## Footnote Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire from 1519 to 1521.

Question 38

What tactics did Hernán Cortés use to conquer the Aztec Empire?

Answer 38

Military tactics, alliances with Indigenous groups, exploiting internal divisions ## Footnote Cortés allied with groups like the Tlaxcalans and used European diseases to weaken the Aztecs.

Question 39

What role did diseases play in the conquest of the Aztec Empire?

Answer 39

Diseases like smallpox weakened the Aztecs ## Footnote This facilitated Cortés's conquest.

Question 40

What was Martin Luther's response to the German Peasants' War?

Answer 40

Opposed the war and denounced the peasants ## Footnote Luther viewed the rebellion as a threat to social order.

Question 41

What is the Sakoku Edict?

Answer 41

A policy enforcing Japan’s isolation from foreign influence ## Footnote Issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1639.

Question 42

What were the effects of the Sakoku Edict?

Answer 42

Maintained internal stability, limited exposure to advancements ## Footnote Japan had limited trade with the Dutch and Chinese.

Question 43

How did the Ottoman Empire consolidate power?

Answer 43

Efficient administration, military strength, religious tolerance ## Footnote The legal system was based on Sharia.

Question 44

What characterized the Tokugawa Shogunate?

Answer 44

Centralized feudal system, strict social classes, isolationist policy ## Footnote This period is known as the Edo period.

Question 45

What was the significance of silver in global trade?

Answer 45

Backbone of trade, linked Europe, Asia, and the Americas ## Footnote Facilitated cash economies and financed colonial expansion.

Question 46

How did the Ming Dynasty's trade policies affect its economy?

Answer 46

Limited global commerce and economic opportunities ## Footnote Banned private maritime trade.

Question 47

What role did Jesuits play in early modern global interactions?

Answer 47

Spread Catholicism and fostered cultural exchanges ## Footnote They acted as intermediaries and translated scientific knowledge.

Question 48

What was the impact of the Renaissance on science?

Answer 48

Reignited interest in classical learning, emphasized observation ## Footnote Paved the way for the Scientific Revolution.

Question 49

Why is the Ottoman Empire often compared to the Roman Empire?

Answer 49

Vast territorial expanse, diverse population, centralized governance ## Footnote Both empires tolerated cultural differences while enforcing unity.

Question 50

How did European exploration affect global power dynamics?

Answer 50

Established maritime empires, centralized power in Europe ## Footnote Led to immense wealth and devastated Indigenous populations.

Question 51

What factors led to the decline of the Ottoman Empire?

Answer 51

Internal corruption, military stagnation, economic challenges ## Footnote External pressures included defeats in wars with Russia and Austria.