European exploration and empire-building

• Mercantilism


  The dominant economic system of Europe during this time period, where the controlling idea was that the world's wealth was a fixed pie and the goal was to get as much gold and silver into the national coffers as possible
• Favorable balance of trade

  A state needs to have more exports than imports to bring more gold into the state
• Colonies


  A sure means for European states to get more gold, as they provided raw materials that could be shipped back and made into goods to sell back to the colonial people
• European elite had a craving for eastern porcelain, spice, and tea, but the Muslim Ottoman Empire controlled the land routes, leading to inflated prices
• God


  A motivation for European exploration, as the Catholic and Protestant churches had a strong influence over European states, leading to a desire to spread Christianity
• Many Jesuits thought of indigenous people as lesser humans, suitable for forced labor, using Christianity as an instrument for control and subjugation
• Bartolome de las Casas, a Jesuit priest, mounted elaborate defenses on behalf of American Indians and worked to make their life under the imperial regime less harsh, though he did not hold the same sympathy for enslaved African people
• Glory


  A motivation for exploration, as European states were in competition with one another in terms of power, and the establishment of empires became a scoreboard for state power
• Maritime empires


  • Sea-based empires, a new kind of empire born out of European exploration
• Advancements in cartography


  • Maps became more detailed and accurate, enabling better navigation
• New ship technology


  • The development of the caravel, a fast and highly navigable ship designed for shipping and trade
• New navigational instruments


  • The adoption of the magnetic compass and the astrolabe, which helped sailors keep their direction true and accurately reckon latitude
• Jesuits

  
  
• The original or early inhabitants of a region or country, in this case, the people who lived in the Americas before European colonization.
• A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.