unit 2

• What is the time period covered in Unit 2: Maritime and Land Empires?

  1450-1750
• What caused Western European countries to become bitter rivals?

  Religious, economic, and political rivalries
• What does it mean for a group of people to be homogenous?


  • They are very similar to each other
  • Example: 97% of students at Yes Prep Southeast are Hispanic
• What is theology?


  • The study of religion from the perspective of a believer
  • A person who studies theology is called a theologian
• What is revenue?


  Money that the government receives
• What does it mean if something is diminished?


  It is reduced or made smaller
• What is authority?


  Power that is seen as legitimate
• What does it mean to be reliant on something?


  You need that thing to function
• What does it mean to fluctuate?


  To increase and decrease over time
• What does it mean to legitimize something?


  To make it seem appropriate
• What was the economic focus of Europe before 1450?


  • Relatively disconnected from global trade routes
  • Economy focused on self-sufficient manors
• How did Europe's role in trade change from 1300 to 1450?


  • Gradually became more connected as trade increased along the Silk Roads
  • Growth in trade accelerated greatly after 1450
• What did European countries create after 1450?

  • Vast maritime empires that spanned the globe
  • These empires transformed both the regions colonized and Europe itself
• What was the religious affiliation of Western Europe at the beginning of the 16th century?

  Predominantly Catholic
• What was the role of the Pope in Western Europe at the beginning of the 16th century?


  The Pope had a large amount of influence throughout Western Europe
• Who challenged Catholic dominance in 1517?

  Martin Luther
• What did Martin Luther criticize about the Catholic Church?


  He criticized practices like selling indulgences
• What was the outcome of Martin Luther's actions?


  People began to question the legitimacy of the Catholic Church
• What were the three branches of Christianity after the Protestant Reformation?


  • Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe
  • Catholicism
  • Protestantism
• What reforms occurred in the Catholic Church due to the Protestant Reformation?

  Priests were banned from selling indulgences
• How did religious disputes from the Reformation affect European states?


  They increased rivalries and conflict between states
• What was the Thirty Years War primarily about?

  Conflicts between Protestants and Catholics
• How did the political structure of European states change before 1450?


  • Individual states were highly decentralized
  • Nobles had great influence over monarchs
• What economic changes occurred due to New World colonies?

  They supplied immense wealth to their mother countries
• How did increased revenue affect European monarchs?


  They had more money to spend on armies and fortifications
• What did the increase in monarchs' power represent for the nobility?

  It represented a challenge to their power
• What was the Fronde?

  A rebellion by French nobles against the monarch's power
• What was the outcome of the Fronde?

  The king increased his control over the military
• What is absolutism?

  • The idea that a monarch should have absolute authority over the state
  • Diminishes the power of elected representatives and citizen liberties
• How did absolute monarchs claim legitimacy?

  Based on the religious idea of divine right
• Who is an example of an absolute monarch?

  King Louis XIV of France
• What did King Louis XIV use to legitimize his rule?

  Monumental architecture, specifically the palace of Versailles
• What is a current in the context of water?

  Water traveling in a particular direction
• How did European maritime technology change before 1450?


  • Considerably behind that of other regions like China
  • Gained knowledge and technology from other world regions
• Who was Zheng He?


  A Chinese leader whose ships reached East Africa before 1450
• What did Europeans learn from the Classical Era regarding navigation?


  Ptolemy developed sophisticated maps for maritime navigation
• Why did Ptolemy's maps gain more influence after 1450?


  They were translated into Latin, making them accessible
• What navigational tool did Europeans gain from the Asian world?

  The compass
• How did the lateen sail benefit European ships?


  It allowed ships to sail against the wind
• What was the astrolabe used for?


  Finding direction and for mathematics