Silk Road- Definition Essays - Americas, Western Hemisphere

Silk Road- Definition: Collective term for well-used trading routes connecting western Europe with India and China, running through the gateway city of Constantinople. Christopher Columbus Definition: 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 Definition: Portuguese sailor and navigator and the first known European to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa, in 1488. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Definition: Spanish monarchs who united Spain and funded Columbus's voyages to the New World beginning in 1492. Atlantic WorldDefinition : 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 vassalsDefinition : 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- stateDefinition : 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. Age of ExplorationDefinition : 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. MayaDefinition : 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. Aztecs Definition: Inhabitants of the Valley of Mexico who founded their capital, Tenochtitlan , 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 ConfederacyDefinition : Indian group located in central New York State. Five tribesthe Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas , and Senecas formed the Iroquois Confederacy. Matrilineal Definition: A system in which family membership and heredity pass from mother to children. SonghaiDefinition : 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) Definition: Henry "the Navigator" 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. caravelDefinition : 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. astrolabeDefinition : Navigation instrument for estimating latitude by measuring the distance of the sun and stars from the horizon. Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) Definition: Agreement between Spain and Portugalarbitrated by Pope Alexander VI in 1494, renegotiated later on Portugal's initiative, and sanctioned by Pope Julius II in 1506splitting all newly discovered lands of the New World between those two nations alone. Amerigo VespucciDefinition : Italian navigator and cartographer who first identified South America as a continent in 1502. Northwest PassageDefinition : Fabled water route sought by explorers as an alternative route to reach the Far East by going north of North America. Despite explorers' hopes for finding such a shortcut, the Northwest Passage did not in fact exist where they could find it; it was blocked by Arctic ice until 2007. Christopher Columbus (c. 1451-May 20, 1506) Definition: 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) Definition: Portuguese sailor and navigator and the first known European to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa, in 1488. Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454-February 22, 1512) Definition: Italian navigator and cartographer who first identified South America as a continent in 1502. Before crossing the Atlantic, many European ships stopped in Africa,