Name: _______________
Date: ________
Period: _________
From Monarchs to Exploration (1400-1700)
TOPIC:______________
After the Renaissance, trade and culture began to re-awaken and influence the
development of society in Western Europe. Due to alliances between feudal monarchs,
some kings and queens became immensely powerful and wealthy, ruling over large tracts
of land. This lead to the creation of Nation-States which are now the countries we know
today (e.g., France, England, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Russia). Although not
all, many of these ruling monarchs established the position of King or Queen as an
Absolute Monarch. These individuals held complete control over the direction of their
society. They ruled over all of their citizens and all aspects of the nation.
Besides the creation of present-day nations, this age held another important shift
in the balance of the world. During this time period, these monarchs became aware of the
vast wealth that was being traded along the trade routes through Asia, the Middle East
and Africa. For this reason, many of the powerful nations became fixated on finding new
trade routes and exploring untapped opportunities for wealth and power. This is what led
to the Age of Exploration. With new inventions from the Arab world like the Astrolabe
and the extraordinary interest in discovery and new scientific ideas provided by the
Renaissance, European travelers could now traverse the seas and inadvertently discover
“The New World.”
In this unit, you will select an influential person from the age of Absolute
Monarchs or the Age of Exploration and give a detailed biography of who the person was
and why that person is important in history. This essay should express both a more
objective understanding of this person’s role in history and a subjective interpretation of
whether this individual was a “good” or “bad” person. This biography should show
ample research to defend one’s claims. I am not looking for an essay that lists historical
facts. I am looking for an essay which makes a claim/argument about a historical figure
and his/her historical impact.
Requirements of the Essay
-
-
12-point font
Times New Roman
3-5 pages typed
Double-spaced
Outline
Reflection
Bibliography (1 offline source)
-
A thesis arguing your person’s significance
A chronology of the person’s life
An analysis of the person’s importance
Parenthetical References
Peer Edit
Title Page
Rough Draft
This essay should be divided into two distinct parts. The first part explains the overall
story of the person you are researching. The second part should analyze and explain the
person’s overall impact on the period of history studied (i.e., Absolutism/Exploration).
People/Topics You May Choose
1.
Henry VIII of England
14.
Prince Henry the Navigator
2.
Elizabeth I of England
15.
Bartolomeu Diaz
3.
Louis XI of France
16.
Christopher Columbus
4.
Louis XIV of France
17.
Amerigo Vespucci
5.
Henry the IV of France
18.
Vasco da Gama
6.
Charles V of Spain (Habsburg)
19.
Ibn Battuta
7.
Phillip II of Spain
20.
John Cabot
8.
Ivan IV “the Terrible” of Russia
21.
Juan Ponce de Leon
9.
Maria Theresa of Austria
22.
Ferdinand Magellan
10.
Joseph II of Austria
23.
Hernan Cortes
11.
Frederick the Great of Prussia
24.
Francisco Pizarro
12.
Peter the Great of Russia
25.
Sir Francis Drake
13.
Marco Polo