World historyLesson 1 of 2 in the course Foundations of the Atlantic World

Atlantic Exploration, European Conquest, and the Columbian Exchange

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson explores how earlier voyages and new navigational knowledge helped prepare Europeans to cross the Atlantic. It also explains why European states sought new sea routes.

Christopher Columbus was not the first European to reach the Americas. In the early eleventh century, the Viking explorer Leif Erikson traveled west from Greenland and reached a place he called Vinland. His brother Thorvald later made contact with Indigenous people, and further Norse voyages included both conflict and trade.

All flashcards

What does L’Anse aux Meadows demonstrate?
It is an archaeological site in Newfoundland with Norse settlement remains, confirming that Vikings reached North America centuries before Columbus.
What was the lateen sail?
A triangular sail developed by Arab sailors that improved a ship’s ability to maneuver, including against the wind.
What was the purpose of a magnetic compass at sea?
It helped sailors determine direction, making navigation away from visible coastlines more practical.
What could sailors learn from an astrolabe?
By observing the stars, sailors could estimate their north–south position.
How did the commenda work?
Investors funded a merchant’s trading venture and gained commercial returns or expanded business connections from the enterprise.

Quiz questions

  1. What did the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas help Portugal claim?Answer: Territory that became Brazil
  2. What did the encomienda system grant to Spanish encomenderos?Answer: Rights to Indigenous labor or tribute from specified people
  3. Which Indigenous people allied with Cortés against the Aztec Empire?Answer: The Tlaxcalans
  4. Which islands did the 1529 Treaty of Zaragoza assign to Portugal?Answer: The Maluku Islands
  5. Why did epidemic diseases cause especially severe losses among Indigenous peoples of the Americas?Answer: Many had limited immunity to newly introduced diseases.

Based on World History Volume 2, from 1400 by Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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