Defining Moments and Personalities in World History

Bartolomeu Dias

Portuguese explorer who, in 1488, led the first expedition to sail around the southern tip of Africa from the Atlantic Ocean and sight the Indian Ocean.

Prince Henry

Portuguese prince who started a school for sailors and sponsored early voyages of exploration.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer. In 1497-1498, he led the first naval expedition from Europe to sail to India, opening an important commercial sea route.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain, and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.

Dutch East India Company

A company founded by the Dutch in the early 17th century to establish and direct trade throughout Asia. Richer and more powerful than England's company, they drove out the English and established dominance over the region.

Hongwu

A peasant's son, he commanded the rebel army that drove out the Mongols and became the first Ming Emperor. He began reforms designed to restore agriculture and promote China's power and prosperity.

Yonglo

Hongwu's son, who came into power after his father's death. He continued many of Hongwu's policies, moved the capital to Beijing, and launched the first seven voyages of exploration, hoping to impress the world and expand China's tribute system.

Zheng He

Muslim admiral who led seven voyages of exploration during the Ming Dynasty.

Manchus

Northeast Asian peoples who defeated the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty in 1644, which was the last of China's imperial dynasties.

Kangxi

The third emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who reigned for 61 years (1661–1722). He oversaw a period of great stability, prosperity, and territorial expansion in China.

Daimyo

Warrior chieftains who became lords in the new Japanese feudalism. The term means "Great Name."

Oda Nobunaga

A brutal and ambitious daimyo whose motto was "Rule the empire by force." He defeated his rivals and seized the capital, Kyoto, in 1568.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

General under Nobunaga; he succeeded as the leading military power in Japan and set out to destroy the daimyo who remained hostile. He invaded Korea in 1592.

Tokugawa Shogunate

A dynasty of shoguns that ruled a unified Japan from 1603 to 1867. Ieyasu left his son with this advice: "Take care of the people. Strive to be virtuous. Never neglect to protect the country."

Kabuki

A type of Japanese theater that showcases dramas of urban life, using music, dance, and mime to present stories. Actors wear elaborate costumes and perform skits about modern life.

Haiku

A Japanese form of poetry, consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables.