What allowed for European growth during the Sea-Based Empires period?
Ideas and technology from Classical, Islamic and Asian worlds spread, including new tools, ship innovations, and understanding of regional wind and current patterns, enabling transoceanic trade.
What were the three major ship design innovations?
- Caravel 2. Carrack 3. Fluyt
What were the three key technological developments for navigation?
- Lateen sail 2. Compass 3. Astronomical charts
Who was Prince Henry the Navigator and what did he accomplish?
A Portuguese prince whose developments in nautical tools led to increased Portuguese trade with Africa and Asia, resulting in a trading post empire.
What impact did Columbus’ voyages have?
Spanish-backed Columbian voyages drastically increased European interest in transoceanic travel and trade.
Why did England, France, and the Dutch undertake North-Atlantic crossings?
They were trying to find alternative routes to Asia.
Inevitably ended up establishing colonies.
Define Mercantilism.
An economic policy where states supported transoceanic exploration to increase national wealth through trade and accumulation of precious metals.
What is a Joint-Stock Company?
A business entity where multiple investors pool capital to fund voyages and trade, sharing profits and risks.
What is a Trading-Post Empire?
An empire built on establishing fortified trading stations along coasts rather than conquering large territories inland.
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres resulting from transoceanic trade and connections.
What diseases were spread from the Eastern Hemisphere to the Americas?
Smallpox, measles, and malaria - all endemic to the Eastern Hemisphere.
What was the impact of Old World diseases on Native American populations?
These diseases and carriers (like mosquitoes and rats) drastically dropped the number of living natives.
What American crops became staples in the Old World?
Cash crops including cotton, corn, and sugar, grown on plantations with coerced labor.
What did Europeans bring from Afro-Eurasia to the Americas?
Fruit trees, grains, sugar, and domestic animals.
Who benefited most nutritionally from the Columbian Exchange?
Afro-Eurasians benefited nutritionally largely from American food crops.
What was the Canton System?
Ming China’s strict 2-port limit for European traders, restricting European-dominated trade.
How did Tokugawa Japan respond to European trade?
They adopted incredibly restrictive isolationist policies.
Which European states established maritime empires?
The Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and British.
Which African states grew as a result of European expansion?
The Asante and Kongo kingdoms, who participated in the slave trade.
What was a major continuity in trade despite European arrival?
Swahili Arabs, Omanis, Gujaratis, and Javanese merchants continued to trade as per usual despite European disruption.
What existing labor system did Europeans utilize in the Americas?
The Incan Mit’a system.
What new labor systems were introduced in the Americas?
Chattel slavery, indentured servitude, encomienda, and hacienda systems.
How did perspectives on slavery change in the Americas?
Slavery shifted to a more ‘possession-based’ (chattel) perspective, creating significant demographic, social, and cultural changes compared to African slavery practices.
Caravel
A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century
