11° - Ana Luz | Knihovna

1

What was the immediate geopolitical consequence of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 for Western European powers?

It forced a shift from a bullionist economy to a free-market system.

It choked off overland trade routes, making Asian luxury goods like silk and spices astronomically expensive.

It led to the immediate signing of the Treaty of Alcáçovas.

It ended the Spanish Inquisition by diverting military resources to the East.

1

Under the economic framework of Mercantilism, how did European empires view global wealth?

As a cooperative system where open trade benefited all nations equally.

As a purely religious mandate dictated by the Papacy.

As a "zero-sum game" where one empire's gain inherently meant another's loss.

As an infinite resource that could be expanded without colonial expansion.

1

Why did Spain urgently need a western alternative to reach Asia prior to 1492?

The 1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas recognized Portugal’s monopoly over the African coast route.

The Atlantic Ocean was previously considered unnavigable due to a lack of lateen sails.

The Hidalgo class refused to sail east toward the Ottoman Empire.

The Pope had already granted the eastern routes exclusively to Italian merchants.

1

What was the primary motivation of the hidalgo class in supporting overseas exploration?

To establish democratic institutions in new territories.

To chart the Atlantic Ocean for the advancement of empirical science.

They possessed military training and a sense of honor, but lacked land and wealth after the Reconquista.

To escape the religious persecution of the Spanish Inquisition.

1

How did the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) alter the geopolitical landscape established by the 1493 Papal Bull (Inter Caetera)?

4

When the Reconquista ended in January 1492, the Spanish Crown's treasury was severely depleted, yet they possessed a highly militarized society. Briefly explain how Christopher Columbus’s "pitch" solved these two specific domestic issues for Isabella and Ferdinand.

4

The Geopolitical Crisis of 1493 brought Spain and Portugal to the brink of war. Explain why these two nations initially turned to Pope Alexander VI to draw the Line of Demarcation, and why Portugal eventually demanded the bilateral Treaty of Tordesillas a year later.

Source A: Excerpt from Christopher Columbus’s journal prologue (1492)

"In this present year 1492, after Your Highnesses had brought to an end the war with the Moors who ruled in Europe, and had terminated the war in the great city of Granada... based on the information I had given Your Highnesses about the lands of India and about a prince who is called the Grand Khan... Your Highnesses decided to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the said regions of India, to see the said princes and the peoples and the lands, and the proper method of converting them to our Holy Faith."

6

Compare and contrast the primary motivations for the 1492 voyage as presented in Source A and Source B. What does this discrepancy suggest about the Crown's post-Reconquista priorities?

Source A: Excerpt from Pope Alexander VI’s Papal Bull, Inter Caetera (1493)

"...this assuredly ranks highest, that in our times especially the Catholic faith and the Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread... and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself. We command you... to instruct the aforesaid inhabitants and residents in the Catholic faith."

6

Evaluate how the shift in tone and focus from Source A (1493) to Source B (1494) reflects the geopolitical reality and the threat of war between the Iberian powers.

Source A: Excerpt from English economist Thomas Mun explaining mercantilist thought.

"The ordinary means therefore to increase our wealth and treasure is by Foreign Trade, wherein we must ever observe this rule; to sell more to strangers yearly than we consume of theirs in value... For that part of our stock which is not returned to us in wares must necessarily be brought home in treasure [gold and silver]."

6

Using Source B, explain the colonial and human cost required to achieve the "favorable balance of trade" and the hoarding of "treasure" described in Source A's definition of mercantilism.

Source A: A modern historian’s synthesis of the post-1453 economy.

"The Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453 did not entirely close the trade routes to the East, but it centralized control of the Mediterranean chokepoints. For European merchants, the exorbitant tolls levied by the Ottomans turned the lucrative Asian spice trade into a financial hemorrhage, forcing Western monarchs to look toward the Atlantic."

6

By synthesizing the "financial hemorrhage" described in Source A with the four-word objective stated in Source B, explain how the Fall of Constantinople created a uniquely intertwined economic and religious mission for Iberian explorers.

Excerpt from the renowned 12th-century geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi, describing the Atlantic Ocean (often called the "Sea of Darkness" prior to the Age of Exploration).

"No one knows what is in that sea, nor can anyone verify its features, because of the profound darkness, the height of the waves, the frequency of storms, the multiplicity of its beasts, and the violence of its winds. There is no sailor who dares to penetrate its deep waters; they only sail along its coasts, without ever leaving sight of land."

6

Using your knowledge of the European transition in the 15th century, explain how the technological shifts and "Renaissance Mindset" demonstrated in Source B were required to overcome the geographical limitations described in Source A.

6

You are a newly recruited sailor boarding the Santa Maria in August 1492. The King and Queen promised glory, but right now, you are just staring at the terrifying, uncharted Atlantic Ocean. You were allowed to bring exactly one personal item from Spain to help you survive the voyage. However, in a moment of sheer panic before the ships left port, you grabbed something completely useless or highly inconvenient for a multi-month sea journey.
Draw the item you brought.