Pearson EDEXCEL GCSE (9-1) History Option P1: Spain and the 'New World', c1490-c1555

Option P1: Spain and the 'New World', c1490-c1555

Key topic 1: Spain reaches the ‘New World’, c1490–1512

Key topic 2: The conquistadors, 1513–c1528

Key topic 3: The Spanish Empire c1528–c1555

Spanish exploration

Columbus reaches America

Spanish claims in the Caribbean

The start of an empire

The conquest of Mexico

Impact of Spain in the New World

Pizarro and the conquest of the Incas

Expansion of empire

Impact of the New World on Spain

Spain c1490: the crusading spirit and foreign ambitions.

Columbus’s attempts to gain sponsorship. The role of Queen Isabella: her desire to spread Christianity and sponsorship of Columbus.

Columbus’s first voyage of 1492 and the problems encountered

Columbus’s actions in America: exploration of the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The foundation of La Navidad.

The impact of contact with ‘Indians’: the discovery of gold, cotton and tobacco, relations with the Tainos and Caribs, including the first conflict at Samana.

The impact of rivalry with Portugal, and the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494).

Columbus’s later voyages and his role as governor in the Spanish settlement. The significance of the establishment of the Spanish colony at Santo Domingo (1496).

The effects of Spanish settlement: treatment of the native population, effects of smallpox.

Development of an imperial policy in relation to the Caribbean: the regulation of further exploration, the establishment of a monopoly on trade, the extension of Spanish authority and the use of slavery. The role of Catholic missionaries.

Balboa’s claim of Spanish authority over the Pacific (1513).

Conquest of Cuba, the founding and significance of Panama.

The voyage of Magellan and Spanish claim to the Philippines.

Cortes’s expedition to Mexico in 1519.

Key events of the Spanish conquest of Mexico; the role of Montezuma, the war between Aztecs and Tlaxcalans.

The capture of Tenochtitlan and the Aztec surrender

Cortes’s actions as Governor and Captain-General of New Spain (1523–28).

The consequences of the Spanish invasion for the Aztecs.

The role of Pizarro in Panama

Contact with the Incas (1528); the significance of the death of Huayna Capac.

The voyage of Pizarro (1530), and the significance of the war between Atahuallpa and Huascar.

Key events of the Spanish conquest of Peru: the Battle of Cajamarca and the capture of Atahuallpa, the revolt of the Incas, the siege of Cuzco (1536–37). The impact of the conquest.

The significance of the discovery of silver in Bolivia and in Mexico.

The role of the viceroys and encomiendas in the Spanish Empire. The role of Las Casas and the significance of the New Laws (1542).

The foundation of La Paz (1548).

The importance of gold and silver for the Spanish economy and to support Spain’s European empire. The attacks on Spanish treasure fleets (c1555).

The impact on Spain of the slave trade and goods from the New World.

The government of the New World: the role of the House of Trade and Council of the Indies.