AP WORLD: Unit 3

Ottoman Empire Expansion

The adoption of gunpowder weapons led the Ottomans to control much of Southwestern Europe and Anatolia, including Constantinople which they took in 1453 and renamed Istanbul.

Janissaries

The best elite fighting force created by the Ottomans by enslaving Christians from the Balkans and converting them to Islam.

Devshirme System

The enslavement of Christian boys by the Ottomans as part of their military recruitment.

Safavid Empire Expansion

The Safavid Empire expanded starting in the 16th century by raiding and conquering neighboring territories using gunpowder weapons.

Shah Abbas

The ruler who built up the Safavid military with gunpowder weapons and created an enslaved army composed of Christians from the Caucasus region.

Sunni Muslims

The branch of Islam that the Ottomans belonged to.

Shi'a Muslims

The branch of Islam that the Safavids belonged to.

Political Divide

The difference between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims began as a political divide over who should rule after the death of Muhammad.

Mughal Empire Expansion

The Mughal Empire expanded starting in the 16th century when Babur defeated the Delhi Sultanate using gunpowder weapons.

Emperor Akbar

The Mughal ruler who helped to legitimize Mughal rule by showing tolerance to the Hindu majority.

Religious Tolerance

A religious idea used by rulers to legitimize their rule, exemplified by Emperor Akbar's policies.

Safavid-Mughal Conflict

A series of wars fought over lands in modern Afghanistan originally controlled by the Mughals, with a religious aspect due to the Sunni and Shi'a divide.

Political and Religious Disputes

The rivalry between the Ottomans and Safavids intensified the split between Sunni & Shi'a Islam.

Gunpowder Weapons

Weapons that played a crucial role in the imperial expansion of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals.

Military Professionals

Rulers consolidated their power with the development of military professionals, such as the Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire.

Caucasus Region

The area from which the Safavid Empire recruited Christians to form their enslaved army.

Delhi Sultanate

The regime defeated by Babur, marking the beginning of Mughal expansion.

Conflict Over Land

The Safavid-Mughal conflict was primarily about land but also had a significant religious aspect.

Ottoman Control

The Ottomans controlled much of the Middle East and North Africa through military expansion.

Shi'a-Sunni Rivalry

The rivalry between the Ottomans and Safavids was rooted in the historical conflict between Shi'a and Sunni Islam.

Mughal Rule Legitimization

The use of religious ideas, such as tolerance towards Hindus, to legitimize the rule of the Mughal Empire.

Ottoman Military Strategy

The Ottomans used gunpowder and cannons to expand their empire effectively.

Safavid Military Strategy

The Safavid Empire relied on gunpowder and cannons for their military expansion.

Legitimizing power

The methods rulers use to establish their authority.

Consolidating power

The method rulers use to transfer power from other groups to themselves.

Bureaucracies

Thousands of government officials who ensure laws are kept throughout the empire.

Devshirme system

A system used by the Ottomans to staff their bureaucracy, beginning with the enslavement and conversion of Christian boys from the Balkans.

Janissaries

Elite military professionals created from the Devshirme system, known for their extensive education and loyalty.

Divine Right of Kings

The idea that kings were God's representatives on Earth, which helped to legitimize their rule.

Qing Dynasty's use of art

The portrayal of themselves in portraits with books to suggest Confucian wisdom, appealing to the Han Chinese population.

Sun Temple of Cuzco

A monumental architecture built by the Inca, covered in gold and filled with golden statues to associate rulers with the gods.

Palace of Versailles

A palace built by Louis XIV in France to show his power and to keep an eye on the French nobility.

Zamindar System

The Mughal Empire used the Zamindar System. Zamindars were elite landowners who were given the authority to tax peasants living on their land on behalf of the imperial government.

Tax-farming

The Ottomans used tax-farming. They sold the right to collect taxes from their subjects.

Tribute lists

The Aztec Empire used tribute lists. They forced conquered regions to send them goods that they listed out for them.

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation marked a break with existing Christian traditions and both the Protestant and Catholic reformations contributed to the growth of Christianity.

Simony

The practice of simony involves the buying of Church offices.

Indulgences

The widespread practice of selling indulgences began, meaning that people were told they could pay money for their sins to be forgiven.

95 Theses

A reformer named Martin Luther created a list of grievances called the 95 Theses, which criticized corrupt practices in the Catholic Church.

Catholic Reformation

The Catholic Church initiated a Catholic Reformation with the Council of Trent to clean up corruption while keeping their major beliefs.

Shah Ismail

Safavid leader Shah Ismail declared that the Safavid Empire would be a Shi'a Islamic state.

Sunni and Shi'a Islam

The Safavid military cursed the first three caliphs to follow Muhammad as illegitimate rulers of the Muslim people, intensifying the split between Sunni and Shi'a Islam.

Sikhism

Sikhism was a syncretic blend of Hindu and Islamic doctrines, adopting the belief in a single God from Islam and the cycle of reincarnation after death from Hinduism.

Radical equality in Sikhism

Sikhism got rid of gender hierarchies and the caste system, opting for radical equality.

Religious differences in warfare

Religious differences were often used as an excuse to go to war with Sunni or Shi'a neighbors in this era.