AP World History Dec

Armed Trade

Trade backed by military force; states or merchants used armed ships and soldiers to control routes, protect commerce, and gain trading advantages.

Devshirme

The Ottoman practice of taking Christian boys from some conquered communities, converting them to Islam, and training them for government or elite military service, especially the Janissaries.

Russian Empire

A vast Eurasian empire ruled by Russian tsars from 1721 to 1917; it expanded across Siberia and into eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Eunuchs

Castrated men who often served in royal courts and imperial households. Some held influential roles as guards, administrators, or advisers.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese belief that a ruler received heaven's approval to govern; disasters, corruption, or rebellion could signal that the ruler had lost this mandate.

Twelver Shiism

The largest branch of Shia Islam, which teaches that a line of twelve divinely guided imams succeeded Muhammad; the Safavid Empire made it its official religion.

European Notion of Divine Right

The belief that a monarch's authority came directly from God, so subjects owed the ruler obedience and the ruler was accountable to God rather than the people.

Taj Mahal

A white-marble mausoleum in Agra, India, commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal; it represents Mughal wealth and architecture.

St. Basil's Cathedral

An ornate Orthodox Christian church in Moscow, commissioned by Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) in the 1500s; it became a symbol of Russian power and identity.

Forbidden City

The imperial palace complex in Beijing that served as the home and governing center of Chinese emperors, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Ottoman Tax Farming

A system in which the Ottoman government sold or leased the right to collect taxes in a region to private individuals, who kept a portion or profit from collections.

Mughal Zamindar Tax Collection

The Mughal use of local landholders or intermediaries called zamindars to assess and collect agricultural taxes from peasants for the imperial state.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century movement that challenged the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and led to the creation of Protestant churches. (Assumed correction of 'Protection Reformation.')

Sunni

The largest branch of Islam; Sunnis generally accepted the early caliphs as legitimate successors to Muhammad and emphasize the community's traditions.

Shia

A major branch of Islam whose followers believe leadership of the Muslim community should have continued through Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, and his descendants.

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region of South Asia by Guru Nanak in the 15th century; it teaches devotion to one God, equality, and service.

Janissary

An elite infantry soldier in the Ottoman military, traditionally recruited through the devshirme system and trained to serve the sultan.

Imperial Expansion

The growth of an empire through conquest, settlement, diplomacy, or control of territory and peoples.

Hemisphere

One half of the Earth, usually divided into Northern and Southern or Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Religious Disputes

Conflicts or disagreements between groups over religious beliefs, practices, leadership, or authority; these could cause political and social conflict.

Rivalry

Competition between states, rulers, or groups for territory, wealth, power, influence, or prestige.

Bureaucratic Elite

A privileged group of educated officials and administrators who help run a government and may hold significant political influence.

Bureaucracy

A system of government administration organized into departments and staffed by officials who carry out laws, collect taxes, and manage the state.

Monumental Architecture

Large, impressive buildings or structures—such as palaces, temples, mosques, and tombs—built to display wealth, power, religious devotion, or authority.

Legitimize

To make a ruler, government, or action appear lawful, rightful, or deserving of support.

Consolidate

To strengthen and bring together control over territory, power, or political authority.

Ming

A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644; it restored native Chinese rule after the Yuan dynasty and strengthened centralized government.

Manchurian / Manchu

Relating to the Manchu people of northeast Asia, who conquered China and founded the Qing dynasty in 1644. 'Manchu' is the more precise term for the people.

Qing Empire

China's last imperial dynasty (1644-1912), founded by the Manchus; it expanded China's territory and ruled a multiethnic empire.

Mughals

A Muslim dynasty that ruled much of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to 19th centuries, known for centralized rule, cultural blending, and monumental architecture.

Babur

The Central Asian founder of the Mughal Empire, who defeated the Delhi Sultanate at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

Akbar

A Mughal emperor (1556-1605) who expanded and strengthened the empire, improved administration, and pursued policies of religious tolerance toward many non-Muslims.

Ottoman

Relating to the Ottoman Empire, a powerful state centered in Anatolia that controlled parts of southeastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa from the late 1200s to the early 1900s.

Osman I

The founder of the Ottoman dynasty around the turn of the 14th century; his followers established the state that grew into the Ottoman Empire.

Safavids

A Persian dynasty that ruled from 1501 to 1736 and made Twelver Shia Islam the state religion, distinguishing the empire from its Sunni neighbors.