Unit VI 1450 C.E. to 1750 C.E.

Empire in West Africa that drew its wealth from trans-Saharan trade and was ruled by an indigenous Muslim dynasty; Morroco destroyed Songhai which weakened the trans-Saharan trade in western Sudan

Became the ruler of Songhai while it was small, but turned it into the largest, most powerful empire in West Africa; led his army and ruled his empire on horseback traveling; capital- Timbuktu- became a major center of commerce and culture

His voyage eestablished the existence of a vast new world across the Atlantic even though Colombus refused to acknowledge this, believing he had found a shorter route to the Indian Ocean; indirectly caused the Columbian Exchange

Treaty of the Spanish and the Portuguese created to clear up confusion on claims to the New World; Spain received a much large piece of land (Portugal only getting Brazil)

Held 3 sessions to distinguish proper Catholic doctrine from Protestant "errors"; beginnings of the Catholic Reformation

Largest fleet; helped Spain's Empire to dominate the Americas from 1492 till the English invasions as well as Europe; defeated by smaller, swifter English ships during the war between England and Spain at the end of the 16th century- as a result Britain became the strongest naval power in the world

Recluse who paid little attention to government affairs which contributed to the abuses of power by provincial officials and other political figures (dominated this era of Chinese history); lef to dissatisfaction and unrest, preparing the way for the invasion from the north by the Manchu; some of the earliest Western inroads into China

Last of the three shogunates in Japan; fuedal military dictatorship/rigid social hierarchy with minimal mobility between classes; warrior samurai held the most power-> farmers-> artisans-> traders

Worst of the European international conflicts that caused long-lasting depopulation and economic decline in much of the Holy Roman Empire; benefits included improvements in European armed force skill and weaponry

English political philosopher claimed that rulers derived authority from the consent of the governed and like everyone else were subject to law; if rulers didn't obey citizens and the authority and duty to rebel

Empire established in China by Manchus who overthrew the Ming Empire; 1660-1800 period of great economic, military, and cultural achievement in China

Portuguese were first to arrive on the Gold Coast in search of gold in 1471, but in the 1500s with the growth in popularity of plantations which resulted in an increased demand for slaves, gold trade was overshadowed by slave trade to the Americas and east

Portuguese explorer who in 1488 led the first expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa from the Atlantic and sight the Indian Ocean; revolutionary for European's in gaining foothold in global commerce and expansion

Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519; his small crew of 500 stood little chance against the vast numbers of Aztecs, but with disease and military intellect on their side the little fleet conquered the great Aztecs

Europe used its power to put pressure on other nations to end their slave trade in the Atlantic Ocean; one of the most efficient "machines' of the 18th century, but in the 19th century it led the world in abolition

After England lost its American colonies, it needed another alternative for British colonization so Australia was chosen for settlement; needed a place to store overflow of minor offenders of the law who were usually farmers or artisans and might be pardoned in exchange for colonizing.