HIUS221 Exam 1 Questions and Answers| New Update with 100% Correct Answers
Atlantic World Term used to describe both the geographic region encompassing the Atlantic
Ocean and the four continents of Europe, Africa, North America, and South America, as well as
the interactions and relationships among the peoples of this region.
feudal vassals Land-owning nobility tied to their lords through mutual bonds of service; a
vassal defended his lord, and the lord protected and rewarded his vassals with riches and land.
The lord might in turn be a vassal to another lord, and the vassal might have vassals of his own.
nation-state A political entity with well-defined borders recognized as sovereign, stable, and
indivisible. Historically, the European nation-state began to emerge during the Age of
Exploration, providing a stable foundation for the actions of exploration.
Silk Road Collective term for well-used trading routes connecting western Europe with India
and China, running through the gateway city of Constantinople.
Age of Exploration Popular term (also Age of Discovery) for the period from c. 1450 to 1600
when European navigators discovered and charted new lands to the West and East.
Maya Inhabitants of the Yucatan Peninsula whose civilization was at its height from 300 to
900 AD. Their civilization included a unique system of writing, mathematics, architecture,
sculpture, and astronomy.
Aztec Inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico who founded their capital, Tenochtitlán, in the
early fourteenth century. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the Aztecs built a large empire in
which they dominated many neighboring peoples. Their civilization included engineering,
mathematics, art, and music.
Iroquois Confederacy Indian group located in central New York State. Five tribes—the
Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas—formed the Iroquois Confederacy.
, matrilineal A system in which family membership and heredity pass from mother to
children.
Songhai Dominant West African state in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Askia
Mohammed (ruled 1493-1528) expanded the empire; reformed government, banking, and
education; and adopted Islamic law.
Prince Henry "the Navigator" (1394-1460) Of Portugal, who established a school for
navigators and geographers. He sought to increase the power of Portugal by promoting
exploration of trade routes to the East by way of Africa.
caravel Type of ship developed around 1450 employing technology that would let it travel
farther into uncharted waters and withstand the rough seas of the open Atlantic.
astrolabe Navigation instrument for estimating latitude by measuring the distance of the
sun and stars from the horizon.
Christopher Columbus (c. 1451-May 20, 1506) Italian mariner who sailed for Spain in 1492 in
search of a western route to Asia. He located San Salvador in the West Indies, opening the
Americas to European exploration and colonization.
Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1451-May 29, 1500) Portuguese sailor and navigator and the first known
European to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa, in 1488.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Spanish monarchs who united Spain and funded
Columbus's voyages to the New World beginning in 1492.
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) Agreement between Spain and Portugal—arbitrated by Pope
Alexander VI in 1494, renegotiated later on Portugal's initiative, and sanctioned by Pope Julius II
in 1506—splitting all newly discovered lands of the New World between those two nations
alone.
Atlantic World Term used to describe both the geographic region encompassing the Atlantic
Ocean and the four continents of Europe, Africa, North America, and South America, as well as
the interactions and relationships among the peoples of this region.
feudal vassals Land-owning nobility tied to their lords through mutual bonds of service; a
vassal defended his lord, and the lord protected and rewarded his vassals with riches and land.
The lord might in turn be a vassal to another lord, and the vassal might have vassals of his own.
nation-state A political entity with well-defined borders recognized as sovereign, stable, and
indivisible. Historically, the European nation-state began to emerge during the Age of
Exploration, providing a stable foundation for the actions of exploration.
Silk Road Collective term for well-used trading routes connecting western Europe with India
and China, running through the gateway city of Constantinople.
Age of Exploration Popular term (also Age of Discovery) for the period from c. 1450 to 1600
when European navigators discovered and charted new lands to the West and East.
Maya Inhabitants of the Yucatan Peninsula whose civilization was at its height from 300 to
900 AD. Their civilization included a unique system of writing, mathematics, architecture,
sculpture, and astronomy.
Aztec Inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico who founded their capital, Tenochtitlán, in the
early fourteenth century. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the Aztecs built a large empire in
which they dominated many neighboring peoples. Their civilization included engineering,
mathematics, art, and music.
Iroquois Confederacy Indian group located in central New York State. Five tribes—the
Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas—formed the Iroquois Confederacy.
, matrilineal A system in which family membership and heredity pass from mother to
children.
Songhai Dominant West African state in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Askia
Mohammed (ruled 1493-1528) expanded the empire; reformed government, banking, and
education; and adopted Islamic law.
Prince Henry "the Navigator" (1394-1460) Of Portugal, who established a school for
navigators and geographers. He sought to increase the power of Portugal by promoting
exploration of trade routes to the East by way of Africa.
caravel Type of ship developed around 1450 employing technology that would let it travel
farther into uncharted waters and withstand the rough seas of the open Atlantic.
astrolabe Navigation instrument for estimating latitude by measuring the distance of the
sun and stars from the horizon.
Christopher Columbus (c. 1451-May 20, 1506) Italian mariner who sailed for Spain in 1492 in
search of a western route to Asia. He located San Salvador in the West Indies, opening the
Americas to European exploration and colonization.
Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1451-May 29, 1500) Portuguese sailor and navigator and the first known
European to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa, in 1488.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Spanish monarchs who united Spain and funded
Columbus's voyages to the New World beginning in 1492.
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) Agreement between Spain and Portugal—arbitrated by Pope
Alexander VI in 1494, renegotiated later on Portugal's initiative, and sanctioned by Pope Julius II
in 1506—splitting all newly discovered lands of the New World between those two nations
alone.
