Topics 12-14 Test timeline.

The Europeans made great use of both Africa and India during its expansion and wealth accumulation. Muslims traded with Europeans regularly, and many commodities were only available from the merchants of Northern Africa. The riches of Africa caught the eye of Europeans- gold in specific, and significant journeys were made along the African coast. The maximum ranges of Europeans were expanded due to compasses and the astrolabe, therefore allowing great expansion to take place.

Though the Renaissance did not contain many technological advancements, one outstanding one would be the printing press. With the implementation of print, literacy underwent a rise in popularity, and moved away from the tradition of scribes who hand-copied important text. A multitude of people were able to become readers due to this, and information was better and more accurately spread throughout the world, therefore creating a broader network of communication.

Christopher Columbus came across modern-day America in 1492 due to the European need for more wealth and resources. The Europeans were rather unaware of the standing of the rest of the world, as they knew nothing of the Americas, and confused India and Japan with Asia itself. The New World proved to be a great source of wealth due to its rich silver deposits and the ability to carry out extra agricultural benefits with the usage of slave labor.

With expanding technologies and methods of communication, trade flourished during the Renaissance. Venice itself became extremely wealthy due to its control of the spice trade- spices were considered a luxury as a result of their limited growing abilities that were restricted to subtropical regions of Asia. Furthering expansions allowed for rebirths of technologies and the spread of cultural impact across the world.

With the discovery of the New World, trade flourished between the Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Tomatoes and Potatoes were brought from the Americas to the Eastern Hemisphere, and eventually became a filling nutritional staple across the world. However human diseases were brought from the East to the West, which the Native Americans had no resistance to, alongside the introduction of livestock, therefore increasing ranching economical benefits.

Lines were divided within Christianity, and sprouted into a multitude of religions that can be recognized modernly. The Catholic Church still holds a dominance over most of the world, yet depends on the hostility of local rulers throughout Europe. The Eastern Orthadox Church and Protestant Churches also expanded and broke away from the Catholic Church, which resulted in a multitude of subcategories amongst Christian religious expansion.

Martin Luther decided to break away from the Catholic Church to reshape Christian ideals and explore his own spirituality. He eventually gained significant followers, and proved to be a role model for individualists and new religions. A multitude of competing movements rose from the legacy of Luther, and drove out of his control eventually.

The Church adopted the use of the press, which allowed priests and educated laypeople to become connected better with one another rather than in Latin. Nuns were also reformed, and the nuns' vow of poverty was redoubled, and hospitals and orphanages were opened up for both the sick and poor. The focus of the Church shifted from religious power to the connection amongst common people, and religious figures actually resembled their standards instead of power.

Approximately 90% of the Native American population died off very soon after the arrival of Columbus thanks to disease. With the expansion of European and Spanish people, the Natives stood no chance in comparison to the vast military power of such groups. Colonization took place of the New World, as resources were reaped from the Native land. Great benefits were also gathered from this, as new foods, cultures, and technologies were spread further throughout the world.

The Conquistadors were poor military soldiers from Spain whose primary goal was to claim American land and to convert the Natives who lived there. They did so with great violence, and brought plentiful wealth back to Spain to support the crown. In less than 50 years after the arrival of Columbus to the New World, the two most powerful empires of Central and South American had fallen to the Spanish.

Topics 12-14 Test

Africa and India

Printing Press

The New World

Flourishing Trade

Native Conversion

The Reformation

Lutheranism

Catholic Reform

The Great Dying

The Conquistadors