History Test 1 Study Guide

1. Marco Polo- Set off from the city of Venice on a trek across Asia to China when he was 17. He wrote an account of his trip describing Asia known as Travels.

2. Christopher Columbus- inspired by Marco Polos book but sailed in the opposite direction to reach the same destination. Thought he could reach Asia by sailing west. Spotted a small island (Bahamas) and claimed the land for Spain

3. Bartholomeu Dias- explored the southernmost part of Africa; a terrible storm carried him off course and around the southern tip of Africa; this southern tip became known as Cape of Good Hope

4. Vasco da Gama- sailed from Portugal down the coast of West Africa around the Cape of Good Hope and visited cities along East Africa; with help, sailed to India

5. Pedro Alvares Cabral- sailed so wide around Africa that he reached Brazil; claimed the land for his king and gave Portugal a part in the Americas

6. Vasco Nunez de Balboa- the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas

7. Ferdinand Magellan- Sailed from Spain and head west across the Atlantic Ocean and then south along the eastern coast of South America; found and sailed through the narrow, twisting sea passage to the Pacific

8. Hernan Cortes- landed on the east coast of Mexico looking for gold and glory; formed alliances with cities against Aztec; Cortes attacked and destroyed the Aztec capital

9. Francisco Pizarro- sailed down the Pacific coast of South America and captured the Inca ruler and destroyed much of the Incan army

10. Juan Ponce de Leon- made the first Spanish landing on the mainland of North America arriving in Florida; established a fort at St. Augustine, Florida

11. John Cabot- sent by England to look for a northern route to Asia, England used his voyage as the basis for its claims to North America

12. Giovanni de Verranzo- sent by France to find the northern sea route; explored the coast of North America from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas

13. Jacques Cartier- sailed up the St. Lawrence River hoping it would lead to the Pacific Ocean; named the peak of a mountain Mont-Royal which is now the city of Montreal

14. Henry Hudson- sent by the Netherlands and explored the New York area; has a river and bay named after himself

15. Samuel de Champlain- sent to establish a settlement in Quebec; built trading posts to collect furs gathered by Native Americans and French trappers

16. Crusades- nine expeditions launched by the Europeans to regain control of their holy sites from Muslims

17. Renaissance- a period of intellectual and artistic creativity; means rebirth. refers to the renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman learning; encouraged them to pursue new ideas and set new goals; paved the way for an age of exploration and discovery

18. Astrolabe- an instrument that measured the position of stars 19. caravel- a three-masted ship that sailed faster and carried more cargo and food supplies than earlier ships; it could also float in shallow water

20. Line of demarcation- an imaginary line running down the middle of the Atlantic from the North Pole to the South Pole

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circumnavigate- to sail around

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mercantilism- a nations power is based on its wealth

23. Many Europeans wanted many goods from China to help them make a fortune. What were some of the items they wanted? Cinnamon, pepper, cloves, spices, perfumes, silks, and precious stones 24. Why were maps a problem for early navigators? Maps were inaccurate because they were drawn from mistaken impressions of traders and travelers. 25. Early maps used by Christopher Columbus only included these three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa (it did not include America)

26. What two reasons did Portugal begin exploring? 1. They wanted to find a new route to China and India 2. Hope to find a more direct way to get West African gold

27. Spains King and Queen offered to support Columbus voyage for two reasons: 1. Columbus promised to bring Christianity to any lands he found 2. If he found a way to Asia, Spain would become very wealthy

28.

Why was the line of demarcation drawn?

Spain and Portugal wanted to protect their claims 29. The line of demarcation allowed Spain to control what land? Portugal? Spain- control all lands to the west of the line Portugal- control all lands to the east of the line 30. Why did Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas? Portugal thought the division from the line of demarcation was in favor of Spain so they signed the treaty to move the line farther west

31. Why did Spain succeed in conquering the Aztec and Incan empires? 1. The Spanish arrived with strange weapons- guns, cannons, and fearsome animals and rode horses 2. Many Native Americans did not like their Aztec rulers and assisted the Spanish in overthrowing them 3. Diseases that Spanish brought with them because Native Americans had no immunity to them

32. What three kinds of settlements did Spain set up in America? Pueblos, missions, and presidios

33. What was the social class system developed in Spains empire from top to bottom? Peninusulares (upper class, born in Spain, owned land, served in the Catholic Church, and ran the local government), creoles (people born in America to Spanish parents), mestizos (people with Spanish and Native American parents), Native Americans, enslaved Africans

34. France was not interested settling in America. Instead, they wanted to use it for what? An opportunity for profits from fishing and fur trading 35. What is the mission of Preclarus? To fully equip our students with the academic, social, leadership, and character qualities needed to enter into and graduate from top universities.