Portfolio Items First Quarter Ferdinand Isabella Spain entered

Portfolio Items— First Quarter

Ferdinand Isabella Spain entered what is called “The Golden Age” under the reign of Ferdinand Isabella. Spain had been a weaker nation until the 1600’s. The marriage of these two royal cousins unified the two strongest regions in Spain—Castille and Aragon.

Because of their great piety, the two are sometimes called “The Catholic Monarchs”. They were strong rulers who conquered the Muslim region of Granada and established Spain as a Christian nation.

“The greatest of her virtues was her magnanimity; there was not even a shadow of selfishness or pettiness in her thinking. What gave a special luster to the brilliance of her spirit was Piety—which overflowing from the depth of her soul enlightened her whole character. ”

Mariejol, J. H. (1961). The Spain of Ferdinand Isabella. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. http: //womenshistory. about. com/cs/ medrenqueens/p/p_isabella_i. htm Prescott, W. (1855). History of the Reign of Catholic Kings. New York: D. Appleton and Company.

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian born map maker who moved to Spain because of his interest in exploration. He owned a ship company. He admitted that he did not make the voyage to the “New World” in 1497 as he once claimed but he made later voyages. Map makers began to call the New World America after him (and not Columbus, the real discoverer).

“The sea will grant each man new hope, and sleep will bring dreams of home. ” http: //www. allposters. com

Hernan Cortes 1485 -1547 http: //www. umi ch. edu/~proflam e/texts/mirror/c ortes. html

Francisco Pizarro 1471 -1541. Pizarro explored with Balboa and then requested permission to go on his own expedition. He founded the city of Lima, Peru and conquered the Incan empire. His expedition proved both the ruthlessness of the conquistadors and the success of Spain in the New World.

Montezuma was a shy and scholarly individual who governed the powerful Aztec Empire. He had worshipped the war god, Huizlpocitli, abandoning the orginal Aztec god, Quetzcoatl.

Bartolome de Las Casas was so sympathetic to the plight of the Native Americans that he beseeched the throne of Spain to abolish slavery in the New World plantations. He urged them, instead, to use Africans as slaves. This decision he came to regret as he saw the disastrous results of African slavery.

Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 -1618) Founder of Roanoke and favorite of Queen Elizabeth. It is Raleigh who established the first colony in the New World for England though permanent colonies would not be established until after the war with Spain.

Captain John Smith 1580 -1631 It is difficult to know how much of his story is true because he was known to boast, but he did save Jamestown from certain destruction. http: //www. apva. org/history/jsmith. html

John Rolfe (1585 -1622) Introduced the tobacco plant that Europeans liked to smoke and grew it in Jamestown. It is Pocahontas, " he wrote, "to whom my hearty and best thoughts are, and have been a long time so entangled, and enthralled in so intricate a labyrinth that I (could not) unwind myself thereout. "

Pocahontas (1595 -1617) She was one of many children of Powhatan though probably his favorite and played a key role in making peace between the Natives and the Jamestown settlers.

What he commandeth they dare not disobey in the least thing. It is strange to see with what great feare and adoration all these people doe obay this Powhatan. For at his feet, they present whatsoever he commandeth, and at the least frowne of his browe, their greatest spirits will tremble with feare: and no marvell, for he is very terrible and tryannous in punishing such as offend him.