Vocabulary 1450-1750 Ce

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Absolutism-the acceptance of or belief in absolute principles in political, philosophical, ethical, or theological matters.

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Astrolabe-an instrument formerly used to make astronomical measurements, typically of the altitudes of celestial bodies, and in navigation for calculating latitude, before the development of the sextant. In its basic form (known from classical times), it consists of a disk with the edge marked in degrees and a pivoted pointer.

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Atlantic slave trade-the biggest deportation in history and a determining factor in the world economy of the 18th century. Millions of Africans were torn from their homes, deported to the American continent and sold as slaves. Triangular Trade.

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Balance of power-

a situation in which nations of the world have roughly equal power.

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the power held by a small group when larger groups are of equal strength

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Biological diffusion-

the movement of biological factors from one region to another

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Boyars-Land owning aristocracy in early Russia

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Codices-Maya texts, long strips of paper, many meters in length when unfolded, made of the pounded inner bark of certain trees; these texts helped analysts interpret Maya hieroglyphics on stelae.

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Colonization-a group of people who leave their native country to form in a new land a settlement subject to, or connected with, the parent nation.

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Columbian Exchange-

An exchange of goods, ideas and skills from the Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa) to the New World (North and South America) and vice versa

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Conduits-

a pipe, channel, for conveying fluids

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Conquistadors-

Early-sixteenth-century Spanish adventurers who conquered Mexico, Central America, and Peru. (Examples Cortez, Pizarro, Francisco.)

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Creoles-In colonial Spanish America, term used to describe someone of European descent born in the New World. Elsewhere in the Americas, the term is used to describe all nonnative peoples.

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Debt Peonage-A system that bound laborers into slavery in order to work off a debt to the employer

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Devshirme-Ottoman policy of taking boys from Christian peoples to be trained as Muslim soldiers

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Divine right-

Belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god

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Encomienda-

A grant of authority over a population of Amerindians in the Spanish colonies. It provided the grant holder with a supply of cheap labor and periodic payments of goods by the Amerindians. It obliged the grant holder to Christianize the Amerindians

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Dhimmi-

Literally "people of the book"; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastrians and even Hindus & Buddhists

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Enlightenment-

A philosophical movement in eighteenth century Europe that fostered the belief that one could reform society by discovering rational laws that governed social behavior and were just as scientific as the laws of physics.

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Hacienda-A large Spanish-owned estate in the Americas, often run as a farm or a cattle ranch

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Harem-separate women's quarters in a traditional Muslim home

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Indentured servitude-

A migrant to British colonies in the Americas who paid for the passage by agreeing to work for a set term ranging from four to seven years.

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Janissaries-Infantry, originally of slave origin, armed with firearms and constituting the elite of the Ottoman army from the fifteenth century until the corps was abolished in 1826.

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Joint-stock companies-A business, often backed by a government charter, that sold shares to individuals to raise money for its trading enterprises and to spread the risks (and profits) among many investors

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Literacy-the ability to read and write

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Local Resistance- Violence fighting back on ones beliefs. the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument.

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Manila galleons-

Heavily armed, fast ships that brought luxury goods from China to Mexico and carried silver from Mexico to China

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Maroon-

A slave who ran away from his or her master. Often a member of a community of runaway slaves in the West Indies and South America.

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Mercantilism-European government policies of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries designed to promote overseas trade between a accumulate precious metals by requiring colonies to trade only with their motherland country. The British system was defined by the Navigation Acts, the French system by laws known as the Exclusif.

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Mestizo-The term used by Spanish authorities to describe someone of mixed Amerindian and European descent.

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Mulattoes-

The term used in Spanish and Portuguese colonies to describe someone of mixed African and European descent

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Middle Passage-The part of the Atlantic Circuit involving the transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.

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Peninsulares-

in Spanish colonial society, colonists who were born in Spain

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Plantations-

large farms that produce one major crop

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Predominance-

the state or quality of having the greatest authority or influence

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Reformation-

A religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.

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Royal Charted Monopoly Companies-

an association formed by investors or shareholders for the purpose of trade, exploration, and colonization. Sponsored by the monarchs. Companies formed by European investors to underwrite and profit from the exploration of Africa, India, Caribbean, and North America.

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Scientific Revolution-

an era between 16th and 18th centuries when scientists began doing research in a new way using the scientific method

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Sikhism-

the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

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Social contract-

the agreement by which people define and limit their individual rights, thus creating an organized society or government

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Triangular Trade-

A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Aferica sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent Guns and Rum to Africa

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Viceroys-

Representatives of the Spanish monarch in Spain's colonial empire

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Vodun-

African religious ideas and practices among descendants of African slaves in Haiti.

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Westernization-

adoption of western ideas, technology, and culture

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Zen-

The Japanese word for a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on highly disciplined meditation.

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Repartimiento system:

-replaced the encomienda with the New Laws which mandated the repartimiento system
-the Spaniards were forbidden to require labor or tribute from individual Indians, but were allowed to demand group services of entire Indian villages whose leaders determined individual work assignments

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syncretism-

the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.