AP Review #2: Exploration (Ch. 14) & 17th c. Statebuilding (Ch.

15)

Exploration
Motives
 Gold: bypass Arab monopolies; hope to find precious metals abroad
 God: spread Christianity to indigenous cultures
 Glory: read fantasy literature about the New World; eager for political dominance; rivalry in Europe
develops (more conquered land = more glory for the state)
 Improvements in navigation/ship design: began to look to for all-water routes to Asia; aided by
better maps, compass, lateen sail, caravel, astrolabe

Geography of Empires
 Spain – Westward: Mexico, Caribbean, most of South America
o Columbus, Cortez, Pizarro, Magellan,
16th c.  Portugal – Eastward (and Brazil); 1st to reach India (Malacca) & Spice Islands; signs Treaty of
Tordesillas (1494) with Spain to split South America
o Dias, da Gama, Prince Henry the Navigator
17th c.  Netherlands – dominated East in 17th c.; some Caribbean islands
 England – eventually took over India; North America, some Caribbean islands; dominant power by
turn of 19th c!
18th c. o Sir Francis Drake
 France – Canada; some Caribbean islands; loss of land after Seven Years War (1763)
o Cartier

New World Politics & Economy

 Politics: legal link b/t European crown & their colonial landholdings
o Encomienda – in return for their labor, Spanish settlers were to care for their subjects (not
reality!!)
o Viceroy - governors with administrative sovereignty over New Spain (Mexico City + Lima)
o Audiencias - advisory board to the viceroy; also served as judicial body ‘
 Economy: based on mining, agriculture (haciendas) & shipping
o Eventual end of encomienda and the beginning of forced labor servitude from the natives
o When native population is decimated, rely on slave labor from Africa (particularly in mines
and on sugar plantations)

The Atlantic System

 Columbian Exchange
o Massive exchange of plants, animals and diseases from Old World to New (and vice versa)
 Old World exports: cattle/livestock, fruits/veggies, wheat, smallpox
 New World exports: potatoes, sugar, coffee, corn, tobacco, silver/gold, rum, furs,
syphilis
 Goods imported on both sides drastically change lifestyles!!
 Triangular Trade
o 1st leg: European sent manufactured goods to markets, particularly in Africa
o 2nd leg: trade goods for slaves, ship slaves to New World (middle passage)
o 3rd leg: resources/raw materials sent from colonies so they can manufacture goods

Trans-Atlantic Slavery
  Portuguese first to develop foothold in Africa
 Exported slaves began in 1518; 10 million sold into slavery from 15th-19th c (GB= ½ of them)
 Middle passage- voyage to New World (high death toll); conditions miserable on plantations
 Extremely disrupted the African economy as their goods were replaced with European ones
 Finally abolished in 1807

Commercial Revolution
 Commercial Capitalism: family-owned baking firms could no longer keep up with the demand
for capital to finance overseas expansion; large commercial banks emerged (Bank of Amsterdam)
 Mercantilism: state-controlled strengthening of the economy (and power) of a country by
having a favorable balance of trade; practice dependent on the success of their colonies
 New forms of investment were created (joint-stock companies) were the rich would pool their
wealth (Dutch East India Company)
 More wealth felt than ever before, but wealth concentrated in hands of few (so much wealth that
Spain endures inflation crisis from influx of silver)
 Creation of a truly global (world wide) market

17th c. Statebuilding
Thirty Years’ War (1618-48)
 Erupted when the Peace of Augsburg failed to recognize Calvinism and stemmed from remaining
conflicts b/t Protestants and Catholics primarily fought in the HRE
 Four phases:
o Bohemian – princes rejected AD Ferdinand as their king & threw his advisors out of window
(defenestration of Prague); Ferdinand became HRE, declared war on Protestant rebels
o Danish – Denmark and England form alliance and sweep in to help the warring Protestants; lost
to the HRE
o Swedish – Sweden’s attempt to help the Protestants; he died/efforts failed
o Franco-Swedish – FR sees ability to weaken the Hapsburgs; enter to defend the Protestants (in
hopes to forces an HRE loss); when fighting stopped, FR emerges as dominate state
 Peace of Westphalia: religion of each realm determined by its ruler (same as Peace of Augsburg)
 All 300 states achieve autonomous rule; economically devastating to HRE and they will never recover
full power again; religion moved closer to being a personal choice

Rise of Absolutism
 In response to religious wars and internal rebellions, divine right monarchs attempted to gain broader
control over the social/political/economic policies of their realms (searching for
order/stability)…essentially ONE monarch in control of ALL affairs of the state!
o FRANCE – Louis XIV (“The Sun King”)
 Battle for power with nobles (The Fronde); built Palace of Versailles to showcase French
power/wealth; nobles lived at Versailles (keep watch over them); “one king, one law, one
faith” (revoked the Edict of Nantes); fought costly wars & taxed the peasants heavily;
extreme tax burden on the national treasury; relied heavily (early on) on the advisors
Cardinal Mazarin and Cardinal Richelieu
o PRUSSIA – Frederick William (Hohenzollerns)
 Consolidated power through the military (General War Commissariat); Junkers had
complete control over their peasants (most were serfs); used taxes to build the military;
noble status could be achieved by moving up in ranks
o AUSTRIA – Leopold I & Charles VI (Hapsburgs)
 Bulk of HRE power concentrated in Austria (after defeat in 1648)
 Have to look elsewhere for power so it shifts eastward; threat of Ottoman influence in the
region
  Charles VI – succession crisis and the Pragmatic Sanction (Maria Theresa) which Prussia
violates immediately after his death
 Difficulty forming a tightly administered empire (like Prussia)
o RUSSIA – Peter the Great
 Inspirational trip throughout Western Europe forced the “Westernization” of Russia; beard
law/tax; moved capital to St. Petersburg (“window to the west”); built up military (ruthless
conscription) and started exerting influence in the Baltic & North seas (Great Northern
War); battles boyars for centralization of power; built palace (Peterhof)

English Civil War

 England as model of shift from absolutism to limited monarchies (checked by constitution); beginning of
liberal trend and the rise of democracy
 Charles I
o refused to follow the English Petition of Rights (attempting to rule as an absolute monarch and
refused to call Parliament into session); war with Scotland forced him to call Parliament to raise
funds; war erupted between Parliament and the crown shortly after
 Cromwell
o raised the New Model Army that captured and put Charles I on trial for treason; ruled over
England as Lord Protector until his death
 Charles II (son of Charles I)
o Parliament restored the Stuart dynasty after Cromwell’s death (The Restoration); good reputation
in England as he worked to expand prisoner’s rights and other improvements
 James II
o Whigs/Tories debate about allowing Catholic James II (brother of Charles II) take the throne; old
with only daughters so Tories win out; when he has son Parliament starts to plot against him so he
abdicated to France
 William & Mary
o William of Orange (married to James II Protestant daughter Mary) invited by Parliament (in an
effort planned by both Whigs/Tories)
o Bloodless shift of power resulted in the Glorious Revolution (1688)
o Forced to sign the English Bill of Rights (1689) which forever limited the power of monarchy

Dutch Golden Age

 Gained great power as they succeeded in Trans-Atlantic commerce & took on role as the bankers for
Europe (Bank of Amsterdam)
 Allowed the country to develop and flourish (built canals/housing, encouraged business expansion,
won land from the T.Y.W.
 Leaders who favored republican government clashed with the house of Orange (William II r. 1672)

Witchcraft
 Trials and executions of suspected witches skyrocketed in the 16th c.
 Why?
o Religious concerns – often in areas where Protestant/Catholic tensions were high
o Communal values were disintegrating (growing numbers of poor)
o Older women targeted when they sold herbs to survive