Download The Age of Exploration and Absolutism

The Age of Exploration and Absolutism
World History Study Guide
Part 1: Age of Exploration
Section 1: European Exploration
A) Who’s Who?
1. Henry The Navigator: Prince of Portugal who discovers several islands in the Caribbean
and maps the west coast of Africa
2. Bartholomew Diaz: Portuguese explorer who rounds the southern tip of Africa
3. Vasco de Gama: Portuguese explorer who sails around Africa and all the way to India;
establishes trading posts for valuable spices.
4. Christopher Columbus: Italian navigator who sails to “the Indies” searching for a faster
route to India; accidentally discovers the Caribbean and the Americas as a result and
opened the Americas to European exploration.
B) Key Terms:
1. Caravel: a small, highly maneuverable, sailing vessel developed by the Portuguese
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. Post Renaissance, the world was largely unmapped.
2. Prince Henry of Portugal was the first European to attempt to map the western coast of
Africa in detail.
3. Bartholomew Diaz sails to the Southern tip of Africa
4. Vasco de Gama is the first European to sail AROUND Africa and reach the spice ports of
India
5. The efforts of Prince Henry, Diaz, and de Gama opened the door for future explorations
of the Pacific/Atlantic oceans
Section 2: Spanish Conquests in America
A) Who’s Who?
1. Pedro Alvarez Cabral: Portuguese explorer who claimed Brazil for the Portuguese crown.
2. Amerigo Vespucci: Proclaimed the discovery of the Americas by Columbus was a “New
World”; the continents are named after him.
3. Ferdinand Magellan: Explorer who’s expedition circumnavigates (sails completely
around) the world
4. Hernan Cortez: Spanish conquistador (conqueror) who explores Central America, meets
the Aztecs, captures their leader for a ransom, and topples the Aztec empire with a mix of
germs, guns, and steel.
5. Francisco Pizzarro: Spanish explorer who conquered the Incas for their abundant silver
mines.
6. Juan Ponce de Leon: Spanish explorer who establishes the first Spanish colony in North
America (Florida)
7. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado: Spanish explorer who explored the majority of Central
America and North America. Explored parts of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma,
and Kansas.
B) Key Terms
1. Encomienda: slave labor system where the Native Americans of Mexico/central America
are forced to work for the Spanish.
2. Mestizo: The name of a new “race” of people; blended Spanish and Native Central
American Indian heritage
3. Circumnavigation: Navigating a circumference; navigating around an island, continent,
or planet
a. Magellan’s expedition was the first to sail around the world.
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. The Spanish and Portuguese quickly exploited the “New World” discovered by
Columbus
2. The interactions between the Spanish/Portuguese and the Native Americans were not
very peaceful
3. Spanish explorers devastated the major Central and South American Indian tribes
a. Aztecs
b. Incas
4. Spanish continue to expand and move further into N. America; culture blends and
populations begin to change.
Section 3: European Competition in the Americas
A) Who’s Who?
1. Verrazano – French explorer who discovers New York Harbor
2. Jacques Cartier – French explorer who discovers Mont Royal (Montreal, Canada)
3. Samuel de Champlain – French explorer who discovers Quebec (New France).
4. Marquette & Joliet – French explorer who discovers the Great Lakes
5. La Salle – French explorer who discovers lower Mississippi river valley. He named the
area Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV.
6. King James of England: Establishes first British colonies in America; Jamestown
7. Henry Hudson: Dutch explorer who founded the Hudson River, Hudson Bay, and the
Hudson Strait; area that is now modern day New York
B) Key Terms
1. Pilgrims: Protestants from England who sought religious freedom; established a colony
in Plymouth and were not very tolerant of other religions
2. Puritans: Protestants from England who sought religious freedom; established a colony
in the Massachusetts bay and were very tolerant of others’ religions
3. Tobacco: a plant that can be refined and smoked; later would become a staple crop for
the American colonies
4. Manhattan Island: An island off the coast of NY, bought from the Manhattan Indian tribe,
and would later be home to New Amsterdam/New York
5. French and Indian War: A war fought by the English and the French for dominance in
North America; The English fought against a combined force of French and Native
Americans in both Canada and what would later become the United States
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. North America was exploited by many countries in Europe
2. It served as a refuge for people seeking religious toleration and a place to grow new and
in demand crops like tobacco
3. The French and English were the dominant colonial powers in N. America and would
later fight over the control of their part of the continent
4. The French and Dutch become business partners with the Native Americans and had a
relatively peaceful relationship with them. The British did not work well with the Native
Americans, which would lead to a labor shortage in their colonies and a demand for
cheap labor.
Section 4: The Atlantic Slave Trade
A) Who’s Who?
1. Overseer: The “Manager” of slaves in the field
B) Key Terms
1. Slavery: Forcing a person or group of people to do manual labor against their will; can be
both hereditary and non-hereditary
2. Middle Passage: The route of the slave trade that leads from Africa to the Americas
3. Triangle Trade Route: The path of the slave trade: 1) Slaves to N. America, 2) Products
collected/gathered by slave labor shipped back to colonies in Europe, and 3) Goods used
to trade for slaves (guns, clothes, sugar, tobacco, etc.) sent to Africa to buy more slaves.
4. Real Estate Slavery: Slaves are a part of the plantation and are usually not sold to other
places.
5. Chattel Slavery: Slaves considered livestock and would be actively traded with other
slave owners.
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. Slavery fulfills the need for cheap labor in the European colonies
2. Slavery is not a new concept, part of “human culture” for centuries.
3. Africa became the primary source for slave labor in the Americas
4. Africans would enslave Africans and sell them to Europe
5. Slavery would become part of colonial life in the Americas.
Section 5: The Columbian Exchange
A) Key Terms
1. Colonization: Settling a new land with people from your “mother country”
2. Commercial Revolution: The growth of new economies and trade of new goods
3. Capitalism: An economic system where the means of production are privately owned by
individuals and companies as opposed to governments
4. Mercantilism: An economic system that focuses on the wealth of the country as
determined by the amount of gold/silver it has or how much they sell at market. Also
promotes an atmosphere of competition which drives innovation and economics
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. The exchange of goods from the Americas to Europe would be known as the Columbian
Exchange.
2. The Columbian Exchange would reshape the economies of the world with the birth of
capitalism and a focus on mercantilism.
Part 2: Absolutism
Section 1: Spanish Absolutism
A) Who’s Who?
1. Philip II: Spanish absolutist ruler who promoted the spread of Catholicism and increases
the military might of the Spanish throne.
2. El Greco and Diego Velasquez: Court painters who painted the Spanish nobility
3. William of Orange: English born lord who would become regent of the Spanish
Netherlands. Would make the Netherlands the “bank” of Europe during the Absolutist
period and would later become king of England.
B) Key Terms
1. Absolutism: Belief that a monarch has the right to “absolute rule” over a population due
to a divine right.
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. Rulers during the 1500s and 1600s become “absolute rulers”
2. Build huge armies, levy heavy taxes, regulate religion
3. Reduce power of nobility/force them to live in palace
4. Create new gov. organizations
5. Spend extravagant amounts of money on themselves.
Section 2: French Absolutism
A) Who’s Who?
1. Prince Henry IV: French king who converts the country of France to Catholicism and
issues the Edict of Nantes, promoting religious toleration in France.
2. Louis XIII: A weak king, son of Henry IV. Considered a “puppet king” b/c of the strength
of his advisor, Cardinal Richelieu.
3. Cardinal Richelieu: Catholic priest/cardinal and advisor to Louis XIII who reduced power
of nobility, made protestants vulnerable, forbade the building of fortified castles in
France, and got France involved in the 30 years war.
4. Louis XIV: “The Sun King”; Inherits the throne at 4 years old and goes on to become a
very harsh ruler. Proclaimed “I am the state” and took all the power from the nobility and
gave it to himself. Cancels the Edict of Nantes and persecutes protestants in France.
Puts France into massive amounts of debt with his extravagant spending and building of
the Versailles.
5. Cardinal Mazarin: The regent of Louis XIV; made France the most powerful country in
Europe during the 1600s. His policies made the people rebel against him and the nobility
seek his replacement.
6. Phillip of Anjou: Louis XIV’s grandson and heir to the Spanish throne. His appointment to
the throne would have united Spain and France. Treaty of Utrecht gives Phillip the throne
and keeps France and Spain separate.
B) Key Terms:
1. Skepticism: Philosophical belief that nobody can have absolute knowledge. Focuses on
“learning the truth”.
2. The Versailles: Palace built by Louis XIV. Cost nearly 200 billion in today’s money. Would
house the nobility of France. Put the French crown in debt and came to be a symbol of
the selfishness of the French monarchy.
3. Treaty of Utrecht: A treaty that prevented Spain and France from joining their crowns and
countries and becoming a super country.
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. The French crown becomes insanely wealthy and powerful during the 1600s
2. Louis XIV and this advisor make France into a powerhouse
3. Louis XIV’s rule would serve as the catalyst (starting point) of the French Revolution
Section 3: Central European Absolutism
A) Who’s Who?
1. Charles VI: The inheritor of the Austrian throne who establishes an Austrian empire.
2. Maria Teresa: Heir to the Austrian throne. Most of her rule will be spent fighting Prussia.
3. Hapsburgs: The ruling family of Austria and later the Austro-Hungarian empire.
4. Frederick William: The governor of Brandenburg who eventually would become “King”;
establishes the Prussian empire as a world military power.
5. Frederick the Great: Son of Frederick William. Was a servant to the state of Prussia and
did much to benefit the people and the empire.
B) Key Terms
1. Junker: The ruling/land owning class in Prussia
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. During the late 1600s and early 1700s, the Holy Roman Empire collapses and leaves a
power vacuum in Europe.
2. Powerful families in Germany, Austria, and Prussia fill the void and fight for dominance.
3. Their influence will lead to the Hapsburgs becoming one of the most powerful regimes in
Europe.
Section 4: Russian Absolutism
A) Who’s Who?
1. Ivan the Terrible: The first of the Russian absolutist emperors. Reign started out just and
kind but became cruel and “Terrible” once his wife died. Would be perpetually fighting
the landed nobility in Russia.
2. Peter the Great: Established a warm water port in St. Petersburg and brings Russia into
the modern age by “Westernizing” the country.
B) Key Terms
1. Tsar: A Russian translation of Caesar; would come to be the name of the rulers of Russia
up to the early 20th century.
2. Westernization: Emulating (imitating/copying) the advances of the Western nations and
countries in Europe. Meant to bring in modern technology.
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. Russia never experiences the renaissance, reformation, or the age of exploration, but
they still develop absolutist monarchs like the rest of Europe.
2. As a result, Russia is the last country to “modernize” in Europe
3. The efforts of Peter the Great bring Russia into the “modern age”
Section 5: English Absolutism
A) Who’s Who?
1. Elizabeth I: The first “Queen” of England; defeats the Spanish Armada and puts the
kingdom into debt
2. Charles I: Successor to Elizabeth. Dissolved parliament b/c they refused to loan him
money. Signs the petition of rights, but promptly ignores it and starts the English Civil
War
3. Oliver Cromwell: Takes the throne from Charles after the English Civil War. Imposes a
militaristic state and puts down the Irish rebellion.
4. Charles II: Restores the monarchy to power in England. Passed the law of Habeas
Corpus (no imprisonment without being charged)
5. James II: King of England who converts to Catholicism and attempts to rebuild parts of
Ireland. Overthrown by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange.
6. William of Orange: Overthrows James II and takes the throne with his wife Mary. Instates
a constitutional monarchy and the cabinet system in England, which made the king
subject to checks and balances.
B) Key Terms
1. Petition of Rights: The parliament’s first attempt at establishing a set of civil rights in
English society; was ignored by Charles.
2. Habeas Corpus: Nobody can be imprisoned without being charged
3. Restoration: The period of time where Charles II restores the Monarchy to power in
England
4. Glorious Revolution: The revolution that dethrones James II and restores power of the
English throne to protestant rulers; Led by William of Orange and his wife Queen Mary
5. Constitutional Monarchy: A monarchy where the king rules with a system of checks and
balances.
6. English Bill of Rights: The first set of “civil rights” in England. Includes- 1) No
suspending of Parliaments laws. 2) No levying of taxes without a specific grant from
Parliament. 3) No interfering with freedom of speech in Parliament. 4) No penalty for
citizens who petition the King about grievances.
C) Big Concepts/Main Ideas
1. The English monarchy is put into debt after a series of costly wars
2. When Parliament does not loan the king money, the king dissolves parliament.
3. Parliament is restored, but they try to impose a bill of rights; the king ignores this and
there is a civil war over it.
4. The monarchy is restored to full power after the war
5. Later, after the Glorious Revolution, England goes from a pure monarchy to a
constitutional monarchy; establishes the English Bill of Rights, which can serve as a
series of checks and balances to the power of the crown.