1. What role did Prince Henry the Navigator play in establishing Portugal as a leader in maritime exploration?

2. How did the voyages of Bartholomew Diaz and Vasco da Gama expand Portuguese reach and influence in Asia?

1. What military and technological advantages allowed Portugal to establish control over trade routes in Southeast Asia?

2. Why did Jesuit missionaries like Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall von Bell have limited success converting the Chinese elite?

1. What was the purpose of the forts Portugal constructed from Hormuz to Malacca, and how did they differ from territorial empires?

1. What factors weakened Portugal's control of the global trade empire in the 17th century?

2. How did the Dutch and English challenge Portuguese dominance in East Asia and South Asia?

1. What was the significance of Ferdinand Magellan's voyage, and how did Spain use it to claim the Philippines?

2. What were the long-term effects of Spanish and Portuguese occupation on Filipino society?

1. How did Spanish galleons facilitate the silver trade between the Americas and East Asia?

2. What role did silver from the Western Hemisphere play in the global economic system by the early 17th century?

1. What resources did French explorers find in North America, and how did this change their exploration goals?

2. How did the French approach to trade and settlement with Native Americans differ from the Spanish and English?

1. How did England's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 affect English colonial ambitions in the Americas?

2. What was the significance of Jamestown as England's first successful colony in North America?

1. What did Henry Hudson's explorations contribute to Dutch colonial claims in North America?

2. How did New Amsterdam's location and role in the Dutch transatlantic trade network contribute to its prosperity?