hwc spring exam review

Abbasid Caliphate

After overthrowing the Umayyad Caliphate in 750 CE, the Abbasid Caliphate of the Muslim empire reigned until it was destroyed by the mongol invasion in 1258. The caliphate began to focus on the east and moved the capital to Baghdad. Also, the Abbasids raised the prestige and promoted commerce, arts, and science during the reigns of al-Mansūr, Harūn al-Rashīd, and al-Ma’mūn.

Aztec

During the 12th century, the Aztecs  began a long migration and ended in the Valley of Mexico where they saw a sign from the gods and established a capital at Tenochtitlán.  They created an empire and conducted human sacrifices before being conquered by Hernán Cortés.  

Bushido

Bushido, or the “way of the warrior”, was an ethical code that existed in ancient Japan during the 8th century. It was used by the samurai, a group of warriors that fought on horseback. It emphasizes values such as loyalty, responsibility, and honesty. 

Byzantine Empire

In the first millennium CE, The Byzantine Empire was created in the eastern Mediterranean sea after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and Emperor Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium later called Constantinople. The Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire. They were a sea based trading empire that expanded its territory through the conquest of old Roman lands.

Chagatai Khanate

A part of the Mongol Empire (1206 - 1368 CE)  found on the Eurasian Steppe and the leaders of which tied political power to a lasting genealogy. But, actual administration was done at the hand of their servants. The significant rulers of which were Timur, Genghis Khan, and Temur Khan.

Chan Chan

Chan Chan was the largest city in Pre-Columbian South America which is now an archaeological site located in the Moche Valley in Peru and the city was the capital of the Empire of the Chimor who were conquered by the Inca. It was located in the arid coastal deserts of Peru and it flourished from 900-1470 CE.

Charlemagne

Son of Pepin the Short, Charlemagne became king of the Franks through his lineage and expanded the Frankish Kingdom in Europe establishing the Carolingian Empire. A distinguishing part of Charlemagne's rule was his desire to promote learning within his kingdom stemming from the need to educate the clergy and government officials as well as his own curiosity.

Chavin

The Chavin rose around 2500 BC in Mesoamerica, building the city of Caral with temples built with stones from quarries while growing and trading squash, beans, and tomatoes. They built the foundation for the rise of the Inca Empire.

Chimu

The Chimú people existed before the Inca in Peru and are known for their large political system, their distinctive pottery, and the complexity of their cities, which includes irrigation and road engineering.

Constantinople

Constantinople was the center of commerce in Europe during the Middle Ages, originally called Byzantion, featuring the exchange of goods from the West and East like silk, spices, jewelry, ivory, wheat, furs and honey. Constantinople’s architecture featured an extensive palace complex, hundreds of churches, and the Hippodrome, a huge amphitheater that could hold up to 60,000 viewers. Emperor Justinian implemented a program that constructed many new public services such as roads, bridges, walls, public baths, law court, and schools. The new construction of Constantanople by Justinian was to rebuild the city after riots in 532.

Daimyo

From the 11th and 12th century this term became used in Japan and describes a person as a powerful landholding feudal lord. The Daimyos controlled peasants, collected taxes, and even ruled over small armies of samurai..

First Crusade

The First Crusade was a series of battles and attacks carried out by the Church in Western Europe to recapture the Holy Land that was under Muslim control in the late 11th century.

Flying Buttresses

In the 12th to 13th century people in Europe began to create gothic architecture such as the flying buttresses to support the new cathedrals witch were tall because people believe that the higher you are the closer you are to God, and these flying buttresses would connect to the outside wall to relieve weight allowing people to build windows since the wall doesn’t have to carry as much weight.

Gothic Architecture

During the Age of Faith in Europe in the 1100s AD, tall and huge churches called Gothic Cathedrals were built with colorful stained glass windows.

Hagia Sophia

Built by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian I, as the Christian cathedral of Constantinople between 532 and 537, the Hagia Sophia is one of the world’s greatest architectural accomplishments. It is located in modern-day Istanbul, Turkey and is used as a mosque.

Heian Court

From 794 to 1185 CE, Japan’s noble family ruled the country from the capital at Heian, this is known as the Heian Court and Japan’s first attempt at central authority. This era represented the peak of Japanese culture, when the people of the court led lives of complex rituals, careful manners, and artistic good taste. 

Ilkhanate

The Ilkhanate, which ruled from 1256 to 1335 CE, was a Mongolian khanate that was located in the southwestern part of the Mongol Empire. It represented a period of foreign rule over Persia and helped pave the way for the later Safavid state. Their campaigns brought Chinese influence to the east.

Inca

In the late 1300s, the Inca were a small civilization in Cuzco, and under the rule of Pachacuti in the 1440s, they began a conquest campaign of the entire region. The Inca were a highly centralized state built on war and military conquest. They had advanced architecture and stonework, and they created an extensive road system stretching all throughout the territory of the Inca Empire.

Justinian Code

The Justinian Code was a collection of laws created under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (529 - 565 CE). However, this code of law wasn’t a strict law; rather it served as a reference point of the jurist committee.

Khanate of the Golden Horde

The Khanate of the Golden Horde, the Russian designation for the Ulus Juchi, was located in the western part of the Mongol empire, and was made up of a mixture of Turks and Mongols, with their decline beginning in 1346 when the Black Death struck.      

Khanate of the Great Khan

After the death of Ghengis Khan, the Mongol Empire was split into four khanates, the khanate in China being the Khanate of the Great Khan, or the Yuan Dynasty. The Mongol rulers, headed most notably by Kublai Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan, reestablished the Han bureaucracy and political subdivisions.

Kiev

Kiev was a Russian city founded by the Rus after they came from the north in the 800s AD. Vladimir and his son Yoroslav increased the wealth of Kiev under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. It gained its wealth through trade and alliances with western nations. Kiev’s wealth was cut off after the sons of Yaroslav fought each other for power. It was then invaded by the Mongols and the Russian capital was then moved from Kiev to Moscow.

Knight

A knight is a soldier who served their lord, God, and chosen lady during the Middle Ages in Europe to fulfill the duties they possess as defined by the Church.  They were expected to follow the Code of Chivalry.  Dominated Europe for almost 500 years as heavily armed cavalry.  

Magyars

 The Magyars are an ethnic group native to Hungary. They originated from a blend between Ugric and Turkic peoples in west Siberia who later migrated to central Europe and by the 9th century they had conquered the Slavs and Huns living there. They were influenced by many surrounding groups including the Slavs, Germans, Romanians, Turks, and Austrians, and they developed their own culture.

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was an Italian Merchant from Venice. He was very impressed by the Chinese cities and wrote about them, especially about their urbanization. He wrote about them for European readers and describes the Chinese city of Hangzhou as one of the largest and wealthiest cities on Earth.

Maya Calendar

The Mayan calendar was created by the Mayan people and based it on the Aztec calendar. It has a base of 365 days and a ritual cycle of 260 days. It has 18 named months with 20 days and one month called Uayeb with 5 nameless days.

Mita

Mita was a colonial Andean system of rotating forced labor assigned by the state. This system was used by Spanish conquerors in the 15th century. 

Moche

The Moche was an Andean civilization that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century in modern day Peru who are known for their incredible architecture such as the Temple of the Sun which held ritual activities and was the center of their culture.

Monte Alban

As a site of ruins of Zaptoec culture, Monte Alban was constructed in the 8th century BCE in Oaxaca, Mexico. It contains great pyramids, plazas, a court for playing the ball game tlachtli, underground passageways, and about 170 tombs. 

Muhammad

Born in Makkah (Mecca), in the Arabian Peninsula, Muhammud was a caravan manager who was aggravated by the growing gap between the generosity of the majority of Makkans and the gluttony of the wealthy elite. It was said that on one of his trips to meditate he received revelations from God from the angel Gabriel to recite these messages. These revelations were written down through time in the Quran, the holy book of Islam which believes that Muhammad is the prophet. Through time he was accepted as the political and religious leader of the Islamic community which led to the creation of the Arab Empire.

Nazca

The Nazca culture, which lasted from 200 BCE to 600 CE, was located on the coast of the Pacific ocean in the Tsouth of Peru. They were known for the Nazca lines, large pictographs that were carved on the surface of rocky plains, and for the large and complex systems that were used to bring water to their civilizations.

Olmec

 The Olmec civilization flourished in southern Mexico from 1200-400 BCE. They lived along the Gulf of Mexico in rainforests which allowed them access to useful resources such as wood, clay, rubber, water, and rich soil. They traded with other civilizations to the north and south where they traded their goods for iron and stone, along with spreading their culture and ideas to others. The Olmecs built large monuments like courtyards and pyramids which were believed to have been built for religious purposes to honor their many gods along with the most important one which was the half jaguar half man spirit.

Page

A page is a rank marking a youth of noble birth who served as an apprentice under a squire to practice the duties of chivalry in Europe. This marked the age of feudalism in medieval Europe, by ages twelve to thirteen pages advanced to the rank of squire and gained a new page apprentice.

Ribbed Vaults

Ribbed vaults were used in Europe during the Middle Ages as a support for the roofs of medieval buildings such as Gothic cathedrals, using a skeleton structure with intersecting ribs.

Richard I

King Richard I of England is known for his prowess in the Third Crusade. WHile unable to recapture Jerusalem, he was able to secure a temporary truce with Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, to allow Christian Pilgrims access to the Holy Land and permit a sliver of Acre to exist.

Rightly Guided Caliphs

The Rightly Guided Caliphs were the first 4 caliphs after Muhammed who set the example for how future caliphs should rule, starting with Abu Bakr, Mohammed’s father-in-law.

Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture was prominent in Europe from the mid-11th  century to the advent of Gothic architecture in the mid-12th century, and it used a blend of Roman, Carolingian, Ottonian, and Byzantine architecture characterized by semicircular arches and few windows.

Rurik

Rurik, a viking prince, was the founder of the Rurik Dynasty of Kievan Rus. He arrived in the Lagoda region in modern-day Russia in 862. He then became leader of the city and region of Novgorod. His story is told in *The Russian Primary Chronicle*, which some believe is not a credible source. As he was dying, Rurik entrusted his realm and heir, Igor, to his kinsman named Oleg. Igor became Oleg’s successor and took control after his death.

Samurai

Samurai were military servants who were employed during the Heian period in Japan when the central power declined. The role of Samurai was to protect the security and property of their employers. Samurai fought on horseback, clad in helmet and armor, and carried a sword and bow. Samurai, like the knights in Europe, were expected to live by a strict warrior code, Bushido.

Seljuk Turks

The Seljuk Turks were Muslims who established the Great Seljuk Empire in central Asia and the Middle East from the eleventh to fourteenth century, to restore order and unity. The Seljuk were originally part of the military force of the Sassanids, but later broke off and became their own empire conquering other civilizations such as the Byzantine, and later they captured Anatolia. They adopted and spread Persian culture throughout the region after their reign. Mongols invaded the Seljuk empire which resulted in the Seljuks migrating to Anatolia which later became modern day Turkey.

Shia

It is one of the two major branches of Islam and split from the Sunnis after Muhammad’s death. They believed that God always provides a guide, and that Ali and his descendants are part of a divine order.

Song Achievements

 The Song Dynasty, which began in 960 and lasted until 1279, prospered economically and culturally. Song China produced more nonagricultural goods for commercial use than any other early civilizations and due to the Song, China went through proto-industrialization, a phase that enabled full industrialization later. The Song learned to use gunpowder to produce both entertaining firework displays and weapons, which spread through use of the Silk Roads. During this time, paper was also created.

Squire

During the Middle Ages, an English squire was a young nobleman who assisted a knight before becoming one himself. After graduating from the status of page at the age of 14, they became a squire and learned how to handle weapons properly, how to fight, hunt, joust, and ride a horse.

Sunni

The Sunni, or the largest of the two branches of Islam which split from the Shia in 632, believe that Muhammad, the prophet, was the final prophet and that the first four caliphs were Muhammad’s rightful successors. 

Three-field System

 The three-field system was an agricultural method used in Medieval Europe. The old two field system only planted half of the field at a time, but now they planted two thirds of the land at a time only leaving one third fallow. During each season of the year, one third of the land is planted with different types of crops to be harvested later in the year which increased food production and variety of food which strengthened the diets of the people.

Triple Alliance

Itzcóatl ruled the Aztec Empire (1428 - 1440 CE) under his rule the triple alliance was created between Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan during a war against Azcapotzalco and ended in the formation of the Aztec Empire creating a new dominant power in Central Mexico.

Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad Caliphate, which existed from 661-750 CE, was established by Mu’awiyah and made many conquests establishing a new capital at Damascus. If the conquered peoples were polytheistic they either converted to Islam or were slaughtered.

Vikings

The Vikings, also known as Norseman or Scandinavians, were very prominent during the Middle Ages, raided and colonized areas of Europe from the 9th century to the 11th century. 

Zapotec

The Zapotec were a Mesoamerican civilization in modern central Mexico that rose up around 500 BC. There people were ruled by an elite class of nobles and priests, devising a yet to be deciphered written language. They built their capital of Monte Alban, containing many temples and pyramids.