How had the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon been brought together before 1490?

By the marriage of Isabella of Castile to Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, which joined the two crowns in a single royal partnership.

Name two ambitions abroad that Spanish rulers held around 1490 apart from reaching Asia.

Seizing ports and territory in North Africa, and winning control in Italy, especially the kingdom of Naples, in competition with France.

Which ruler did Columbus ask for backing first, and why was he turned down?

He asked King John II of Portugal in 1485, whose advisers rejected the plan because they judged he had badly underestimated the distance west to Asia.

Why was Queen Isabella willing to pay for a westward voyage in 1492?

She wanted to carry Christianity to peoples who had never heard it, and to win wealth and prestige for Castile before Portugal could.

Edexcel GCSE History 1HI0

Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88British depth

Topic overview Anglo-Saxon government, economy and society The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis The rival claimants for the throne The Norman invasion, 1060–66 Establishing control, 1066–87 Anglo-Saxon resistance, 1068–71 The legacy of resistance to 1087 Revolt of the Earls, 1075 The feudal system and the Church Norman government, 1066–88 The Norman aristocracy, 1066–88 William I and the succession

British America, 1713–83: Empire and RevolutionPeriod study

Topic overview Developments in colonial society Slavery in North America Problems within the colonies The impact of cultural developments War in the colonies The aftermath of the French and Indian war American colonist relations with Britain: growing opposition, 1765-75 The War of Independence 1775-83 Consequences of the war in America

Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95Period study

Topic overview The British withdrawal and the creation of Israel Aftermath of the 1948–49 war Increased tension, 1955–63 The Six Day War, 1967 Aftermath of the 1967 war Israel and Egypt, 1967–73 Diplomatic negotiations, 1974–95 The Palestinian issue, 1974–95 Attempts at a solution

Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000–presentPaper 1 option

Topic overview Factors driving change in crime and punishment, c1000–present Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1000–c1500 The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1000–c1500 Case study: the Church, sanctuary and trial by ordeal Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1500–c1700 The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1500–c1700 Case studies: the Gunpowder Plot and Matthew Hopkins Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1700–c1900 The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1700–c1900 Case studies: Pentonville prison and Robert Peel Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1900–present The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1900–present Case studies: conscientious objectors and Derek Bentley

Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88British depth

Topic overview The situation on Elizabeth’s accession The ‘settlement’ of religion Challenge to the religious settlement The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots Plots and revolts at home Relations with Spain, 1569–88 Outbreak of war with Spain, 1585–88 The Armada, 1588 Education and leisure, 1558–88 The ‘problem’ of the poor Exploration and voyages of discovery Attempted colonisation of Virginia

Henry VIII and His Ministers, 1509–40British depth

Topic overview Henry VIII, Renaissance Prince The rise of Wolsey and his policies Wolsey’s foreign policy, 1509–29 Wolsey, Catherine, the succession and annulment Cromwell’s rise to power, 1529–34 The king’s marriages, 1529–40 Cromwell and government, 1534–40 The fall of Cromwell The break with Rome Opposition to, and impact of, Reformation, 1534–40 The dissolution of the monasteries The Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536

London and the Second World War, 1939–45Paper 1 option

Topic overview London at the outbreak of the Second World War The nature of attacks on London The impact of the Blitz on civilian life London’s response to the war Britain and the Second World War: the wider context Sources for a London Blitz enquiry

Mao’s China, 1945–76Modern depth

Topic overview The Civil War, 1945–49 Communist rule, 1945–59 Consolidating the CCP’s hold on power, 1951–52 The Hundred Flowers campaign, 1956–57 Early changes in agriculture, 1949–57 Industry and the Five-Year Plan, 1953–57 The Great Leap Forward Economic reform, 1962–65 Reasons for the Cultural Revolution The Red Guards and the Red Terror The effects of the Cultural Revolution The end of the Cultural Revolution, 1968–76 Communist control, 1949–76 Family life and the role of women Education and health, 1949–76 Cultural change, 1949–76

Medicine in Britain, c1250–presentPaper 1 option

Topic overview Factors driving change in medicine, c1250–present Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1250–c1500 Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1250–c1500 Case study: the Black Death, 1348–49 Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1500–c1700 Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1500–c1700 Case studies: William Harvey and the Great Plague of 1665 Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1700–c1900 Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1700–c1900 Case studies: Jenner’s vaccination and the 1854 cholera outbreak Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1900–present Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1900–present Case studies: penicillin and the fight against lung cancer

Migrants in Britain, c800–presentPaper 1 option

Topic overview Factors driving change in migration to Britain, c800–present The context for migration, c800–c1500 The experience and impact of migrants, c800–c1500 Case study: York under the Vikings The context for migration, c1500–c1700 The experience and impact of migrants, c1500–c1700 Case studies: Flemish and Walloon migrants, and the Huguenots The context for migration, c1700–c1900 The experience and impact of migrants, c1700–c1900 Case studies: Liverpool, and Jewish migrants in the East End The context for migration, c1900–present The experience and impact of migrants, c1900–present Case studies: Bristol, and Asian migrants in Leicester

Notting Hill, c1948–c1970Paper 1 option

Topic overview The local context of Notting Hill The influence of Caribbean cultures on the area Racism and policing Black activism in the Notting Hill area Migration, race relations and the national context Sources for a Notting Hill enquiry

Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41Modern depth

Topic overview The growth of opposition to the tsar in early 1917 The February Revolution The Provisional Government The Bolshevik Revolution Early consolidation of power, 1917–18 The Civil War, 1918–21 Moves towards totalitarianism, 1917–24 Economic and social change, 1918–24 The struggle for power, 1924–28 The use of terror in the 1930s Propaganda and censorship, 1924–41 The Cult of Stalin Agriculture and collectivisation, 1924–41 Changes in industry, 1924–41 Life in the Soviet Union The position of women and ethnic minorities

Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555Period study

Topic overview Spanish exploration, c1490–1512 Columbus reaches the Americas Spanish claims in the Caribbean The start of an empire The conquest of Mexico Impact of Spain in the Americas Pizarro and the conquest of the Incas Expansion of empire, c1528–c1555 Impact of the 'New World' on Spain

Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941–91Period study

Topic overview Early tension between East and West The development of the Cold War The Cold War intensifies Increased tension between East and West Cold War crises, 1958–70 Reaction to crisis, 1958–70 Attempts to reduce superpower tensions in the 1970s The end of détente and the ‘Second Cold War’The collapse of Soviet control of Eastern Europe, 1985-91

The American West, c1835–c1895Period study

Topic overview Indigenous peoples of the Plains: their beliefs and ways of life Migration and early settlement Conflict and tension, c1835–c1862 The development of settlement in the West Ranching and the cattle industry Changes in the ways of life of Indigenous peoples of the Plains Changes in farming, the cattle industry and settlement Conflict and tension, c1876–c1895 Indigenous peoples of the Plains: the destruction of their ways of life

The British Sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: Injuries, Treatment and the TrenchesPaper 1 option

Topic overview The British sector of the Western Front and the trench system Conditions requiring medical treatment on the Western Front Medical treatment on the Western Front Experiments in surgery and medicine on the Western Front Medicine in the early twentieth century Sources for a Western Front enquiry

The Reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216British depth

Topic overview The feudal system, 1189–1216 Kingship and succession, 1189–1216 Royal government and finances English society, 1189–1216 The nature of crusading Richard and the Third Crusade Aftermath of the crusade Richard, John and the loss of Normandy The dispute with the Papacy Worsening relations with the barons Magna Carta and the First Barons’ War England in 1216

The USA, 1954–75: Conflict at Home and AbroadModern depth

Topic overview The position of Black Americans in the early 1950s Developments in education, 1954–60 The Montgomery Bus Boycott and its impact, 1955–60 Opposition to the civil rights movement Developments, 1960–62 Peaceful protests and their impact, 1963–65 Malcolm X and Black Power, 1963–70 The civil rights movement, 1965–75 Reasons for US involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, 1954–63 Escalation of the conflict under Johnson The nature of the conflict in Vietnam, 1964–68 Changes under Nixon, 1969–73 Opposition to the war Support for the war The peace process and end of the war Reasons for the failure of the USA in Vietnam

Warfare and British Society, c1250–presentPaper 1 option

Topic overview Factors driving change in warfare, c1250–present The nature of warfare, c1250–c1500 The experience of war, c1250–c1500 Case studies: the battles of Falkirk and Agincourt The nature of warfare, c1500–c1700 The experience of war, c1500–c1700 Case study: the Battle of Naseby, 1645 The nature of warfare, c1700–c1900 The experience of war, c1700–c1900 Case studies: the battles of Waterloo and Balaclava The nature of warfare, c1900–present The experience of war, c1900–present Case studies: the Somme and the Iraq War

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39Modern depth

Topic overview The origins of the Republic, 1918–19 The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919–23 The ‘Golden Years’: recovery of the Republic, 1924–29 Changes in society, 1924–29 Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920–22 The Munich Putsch and the Nazi Party, 1923–28 The growth in support for the Nazis, 1929–32 How Hitler became Chancellor, 1932–33 The creation of a dictatorship, 1933–34 The police state, 1933–39 Controlling and influencing attitudes Opposition, resistance and conformity Nazi policies towards women Nazi policies towards the young Employment and living standards The persecution of minorities

Whitechapel, c1870–c1900: Crime, Policing and the Inner CityPaper 1 option

Topic overview The local context of Whitechapel The inhabitants of Whitechapel The organisation of policing in Whitechapel Investigative policing in Whitechapel The Metropolitan Police and the national context Sources for a Whitechapel enquiry

Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555

9 subtopics
27 things to know
Paper 2 booklet P
Paper 2, one period study of five

What Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555 covers

Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555 is examined in Paper 2, Period study and British depth study. It covers Spanish exploration, c1490–1512, Columbus reaches the Americas, Spanish claims in the Caribbean, the start of an empire, the conquest of Mexico, impact of Spain in the Americas, Pizarro and the conquest of the Incas, expansion of empire, c1528–c1555 and impact of the 'New World' on Spain.

Where it is assessed

Paper 2 booklet P

Period study, 20% of the GCSE, one option of five.

Take Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555 further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

New Spain vs Peru
New Spain: the viceroyalty governed from Mexico City from 1535. Peru: the viceroyalty governed from Lima from 1542.
La Navidad vs La Isabela
La Navidad: the fort built at Christmas 1492 from the wrecked flagship, whose garrison was killed. La Isabela: the settlement founded in 1494 on marshy ground that was soon abandoned.
Encomienda vs Tribute system
Encomienda: a settler's grant of the labour and dues of a set number of Indigenous people. Tribute system: the 1495 demand that every Taino man bring gold dust or cotton every three months.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Which long struggle against Muslim rule in Spain came to an end in January 1492?
Model answer
The Reconquista, which ended when the armies of Ferdinand and Isabella took Granada, the last Muslim kingdom in the peninsula.
2
What is meant by the crusading spirit in Spain around 1490?
Model answer
A conviction that Spain had a God-given duty to fight non-Christians and to carry the Catholic faith into new lands.
3
How had the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon been brought together before 1490?
Model answer
By the marriage of Isabella of Castile to Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, which joined the two crowns in a single royal partnership.
4
Name two ambitions abroad that Spanish rulers held around 1490 apart from reaching Asia.
Model answer
Seizing ports and territory in North Africa, and winning control in Italy, especially the kingdom of Naples, in competition with France.
5
Which ruler did Columbus ask for backing first, and why was he turned down?
Model answer
He asked King John II of Portugal in 1485, whose advisers rejected the plan because they judged he had badly underestimated the distance west to Asia.
6
Why was Queen Isabella willing to pay for a westward voyage in 1492?
Model answer
She wanted to carry Christianity to peoples who had never heard it, and to win wealth and prestige for Castile before Portugal could.

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Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88

British America, 1713–83: Empire and Revolution

Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95

Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000–present

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Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555 revision questions

What does Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555 cover in Edexcel GCSE History?: 9 subtopics: spanish exploration, c1490–1512, columbus reaches the americas, spanish claims in the caribbean, the start of an empire, the conquest of mexico, impact of spain in the americas, pizarro and the conquest of the incas, expansion of empire, c1528–c1555 and impact of the 'new world' on spain. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555 organised?: By the Edexcel 1HI0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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