HISTORY DBA: LESSON 4.

08
1. Which of the following explains why the plague spread so quickly from Asia to
Europe?
 Trade routes were connecting more people in both Europe and Asia.

2. How did the Great Famine result from climate change in Europe?
 The warming temperatures brought more rain that caused crops to rot in the
fields

3. A result of the Great Schism was that the Church was divided along national
lines

4. Which two city-states joined together to prevent the expansion of Venice? Milan and
Florence

5. Which of the following people was not considered a great Renaissance artist? Giovanni
Cimabue

Prince Henry

Who: Prince Henry was a prince of Portugal and an early explorer. Prince

Henry sailed along the coast of Africa where he "discovered" the island of
Madeira (1419), passed Cape Verde, and landed on the Azores (1427). In
1445, Prince Henry and his men reached Senegal, where they constructed
the first European fort on the African continent.

Significance: Prince Henry's journeys established Portuguese dominance in

early exploration. The contact with West Africa gave the Portuguese a
foothold on the continent and in the later African slave trade.

Bartolome Dias

Who: Bartolome Dias was a Portuguese explorer in the late 15th century. In

1488, he was the first European to sail around the base of Africa, the Cape of
Good Hope. This journey provided Europe with a sea route from Europe to
India.

Significance: This journey gave Portugal a distinct edge in the lucrative

spice trade. Dias's journey also brought knowledge of coastal Africa to
Europe, which led ultimately to the Portuguese slave trade.
Vasco da Gama

Who: Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who, in 1497, sailed

around Africa to the east coast of India. He then negotiated a good trade deal
between India and Portugal.

Significance: Da Gama's explorations brought Portugal increased wealth

and power and provided new sea routes to India.

Christopher Columbus

Who: Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for Spain. He

was the first European since the Vikings to visit the Americas. Columbus
made four voyages; his most famous was the first in 1492. The other three
took place in 1493, 1498, and 1502.

Significance: Columbus's "discovery" of the land between Europe and Asia

set off the conquest of those lands, particularly by Spain. It also began the
Columbian Exchange of animals, plants, and diseases. This exchange
changed the world and led to the destruction of many Native American people
who died from contact with European diseases.

Ferdinand Magellan

Who: Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer in the late 15th and

early 16th century. In 1519, sailing for Spain, Magellan set out to find a route
to Asia by sailing west. The expedition reached the Philippines in 1522 where
Magellan was killed. The remainder of his ships and crew returned to Spain
the same year becoming the first expedition in history to sail all the way
around the Earth.

Significance: Magellan's journey gave Spain enormous power and prestige.

It also gave Europeans a route around South America and introduced Europe
to the Pacific Ocean. The journey added to European knowledge of the Earth.

Hernan Cortes

Who: Hernan Cortés was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. From 1519

to 1521, he led the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire of Mexico.

Significance: Cortés' conquest of the Aztec earned him awards and enemies

in the Spanish empire. Ultimately, however, his conquest of the Aztecs gave
Spain control over Mexico.

Francisco Pizarro

Who: Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the

Incan people of Peru and Ecuador in 1533.
Significance: Pizarro's conquest gave Spain control over the west coast of
South America, much of the Andes mountain range, and all the Incan wealth.

What: The triangular trade is the name for the trade between Africa, the
Americas, and Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In the trade, slaves
were brought from Africa to the Americas. The slaves provided the labor to
grow the sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which were then sold to Europe. The
sugar and cotton were manufactured in Europe into textiles and rum, which
were then traded in Africa (along with other manufactured goods) for slaves.

Significance: The triangular trade provided for much of Europe's growth and

prosperity in this era. It was crucial to the development and prosperity of the
American colonies. It enslaved or killed millions of Africans.

Bartholome de las Casas

Who: Bartolome de las Casas was a Spanish missionary who traveled to the

New World in the early 16th century as a missionary. He was horrified by
what he saw: the brutal treatment, enslavement, and murder of native people.
He wrote several essays and a book. For this work, he became known as
"Apostle to the Indians."

Significance: By publicizing the condition of native people, de las Casas

helped to bring about some reforms. Today, his work also serves as a rare
and important history of the Spanish conquest.

Olaudah Equiano

Who: Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, was an African who

was kidnapped and forced into slavery in about 1756. As an adult, he was
able to purchase his own freedom. In 1789, he published his
autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. This
work describes the brutal conditions of slavery and the slave trade.

Significance: Equiano became an important abolitionist. His book influenced

many people to join the abolition movement. Its influence helped pass the law
that ended the British slave trade.