Age of Exploration: Key Explorers & Treaties

• Western legend stated the ocean boiled or formed at the equator
• Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese navigator who led the first European expedition to round the Cape of Good Hope
• Dias opened the sea route to Asia via the Atlantic and Indian oceans
• Cristobal Colon sought a new sea route to Asia, specifically India
• Colon wanted to bring back goods like spices, silk, and gems
• Isabella of Castile was not called King Isabella
• The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the world outside of Europe between Spain and Portugal
• The treaty was signed June 7, 1494, in Tordesillas, Spain
• Magellan finally accomplished what Columbus set out and failed to do
• Spain’s two most significant kingdoms were Castile and Aragon
• Portuguese nobility organized expeditions in search of plunder because they were economically weakened after the Black Death
• Ferdinand Magellan's crew were the first people to circumnavigate the globe
• Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed Brazil for Portugal
• The qualification for being viceroy or governor-general was loyalty to the crown and a distinguished record of public service
• The largest owner of property in the New World was King Charles III of England
• The Iberians imposed a new governance system based largely on the existing local power structures in the regions they conquered which included slave labor
• Catholic sacraments include: Baptism, Confirmation, and Penance
• Catholic doctrine stated a person who died before atoning for their sins was sent to purgatory

Catholic Church

• The Catholic Church developed a reputation for corruption in the Middle Ages
• This reputation was due to the selling of indulgences, pluralism, simony, and opulence of church officials
• The Lollards were a group of English Christians who questioned the Catholic Church
• They established religious beliefs in the late 14th and early 15th centuries
• The Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe, a theologian who translated the Bible into English
• Pope Alexander VI used Church money for his illegitimate children, including a daughter with whom he had been accused of having sexual relations
• Martin Luther's basic doctrine was justification by faith alone
• Salvation is achieved solely through faith in Jesus Christ, not by good works or adherence to Church traditions
• The 95 theses were a series of statements written by Martin Luther in 1517
• The statements questioned the practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, specifically indulgences and salvation
• King Henry VIII was labeled the “Defender of the Faith”
• John Calvin taught the concept of predestination
• The Council of Trent was a group of religious officials, including bishops and cardinals
• They met periodically in Trent, Italy to discuss Catholic teachings and determine what needed change
• Witch hunts were a series of investigations and persecutions of people accused of witchcraft that took place in Europe and the Americas from the 14th to 18th centuries
• The Columbian Exchange was the global exchange of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa

Explore the Age of Exploration with key figures like Dias, Columbus, and Magellan. Understand their motivations for seeking new routes to Asia and the impact of treaties like Tordesillas on dividing the world. Learn about the roles of Spain and Portugal in shaping global exploration.