Feudalism
a medieval European social system in which land was divided into hundreds of small holdings
Renaissance
the intellectual and artistic flowering in Europe during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries sparked by a revival of interest in classical antiquity
Reconquista
the long struggle (ending in 1492) during which Spanish Christians reconquered the Iberian peninsula from Muslim occupiers
Treaty of Tordesillas
treaty negotiated by the pope in 1494 to resolve the territorial claims of Spain and Portugal
Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther's challenge to the Catholic Church, initiated in 1517, calling for a return to what he understood to be the purer practices and beliefs of he early Church
Predestination
the belief that God decided at the moment of Creation which humans would achieve salvation
Protestants
All European supporters of religious reform under Charles V's Holy Roman Empire
*European Society
=-European states were hierarchical-Most Europeans were peasant farmers-Most Europeans were Christians United under the authority of the Roman Catholic church
*Portuguese Explorations
=-Prince Henry the Navigator played a key role in sponsoring exploration-technological innovations made longer sea voyages possible-the Portuguese explored the Atlantic coast of Africa seeking direct access to gold and slaves
*Cortes and the Aztecs
-Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico in 1519-Cortes exploited resentment toward the Aztecs to overthrow their empire-Smallpox outbreaks undermined the Aztecs' ability to resist the Spanish
*The Fur Trade
-Fur traders were critical to New France's success-Indians were active participants in the trade-In the early seventeenth century, the French made an effort to monopolize the trade
**The English colony at Roanoke:
mysteriously disappeared within a few years of being established
**The key to understanding the events that occurred during the generation after 1492 is:
recognizing the transformation Europe experienced in the centuries prior to Columbus's voyage
**One critical development in Europe that shaped overseas expansion was:
the close relationships between the merging national monarchs and the developing merchant class
**Portuguese interest in exploring Atlantic trade routes to the Indies was sparked by:
the Ottoman Turks' closing of the lucrative overland silk and spice trade in 1453
**The military tradition that influenced Spanish attitudes toward expansion was based on the:
reconquista
**Regarding expansion, Columbus and the Spanish:
were driven by the desire to create an empire
**According to the journal of Christopher Columbus, the natives he found:
could quickly become Christians because they had no religion of their own
**During the 1500s:
the Spanish empire in America created a society based on African, European, and Indian cultures
**Critical to the success of the Hernan Cortes expedition:
were Indian allies and European disease
**With the significant international exchange that occurred after 1492, the three important crops transplanted to the New World were:
coffee, rice, and sugar
**As a result of explorations of North America in the 1530s and 1540s, Spain:
reversed its policy of converting natives to Christianity
**When France first became interested in establishing colonies in the New World:
it concentrated on the Caribbean islands because of the valuable natural resources there
**The early French efforts in America were based on commerce, especially the trade in
animal furs
**An important element in encouraging the English interest in the New World was:
economic dislocations throughout England
**In the years from 1492 to 1590:
the Spanish, French, and English employed different approaches to establishing colonies in America