Ap world trst review

Song China

East Asian dynasty known for its strong centralized bureaucracy, civil service examinations, Confucian values, and significant economic expansion.

Civil Service Exams

Standardized tests used in China to select government officials based primarily on knowledge of Confucian texts and classic literature.

Confucianism

Philosophical system originating in ancient China that emphasizes filial piety, societal hierarchy, respect for elders, and structured social order.

Neo-Confucianism

Revival and reconfiguration of traditional Confucian thought during the Song Dynasty that incorporated elements of Daoism and Buddhism.

Bureaucracy

A system of government in which specialized state officials and administrative departments carry out executive policies.

Filial Piety

The core Confucian virtue requiring deep respect, devotion, and obedience toward one's parents and ancestors.

Foot Binding

Patriarchal practice in Song China involving the physical restriction of young girls' feet to signify high social status and conform to gender expectations.

Abbasid Caliphate

Major Islamic empire centered in the Middle East that governed a sprawling cultural sphere during the Islamic Golden Age from its capital in Baghdad.

Baghdad

Capital of the Abbasid Caliphate that served as a global center of trade, scientific inquiry, philosophy, and cultural preservation.

Dar al-Islam

Arabic term meaning 'House of Islam', referring to world regions where Islamic rule, law, and cultural practices prevailed.

Delhi Sultanate

Islamic empire established in northern India where Muslim rulers governed over a predominantly Hindu population.

Mali Empire

Powerful West African kingdom that accumulated immense wealth through control of trans-Saharan trade routes, gold reserves, and salt trade.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of Mali renowned for his vast wealth in gold and his famous 14th-century pilgrimage to Mecca, which put West Africa on European maps.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Network of overland trade routes crossing North Africa's desert, facilitated by camels and focused on exchanging West African gold for Mediterranean salt and goods.

Great Zimbabwe

Powerful interior kingdom in Southern Africa known for its stone architecture and control of trade between local gold fields and the Swahili Coast.

Swahili Coast

String of East African port city-states that engaged heavily in Indian Ocean trade, blending Bantu language and culture with Islamic influences.

Aztec Empire

Mesoamerican state built on military conquest and a tribute system, centered around its capital of Tenochtitlan in the Valley of Mexico.

Tenochtitlan

Capital city of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco with advanced urban planning, causeways, and chinampas.

Tribute System

Arrangement in which subject states or conquered peoples were required to pay goods, labor, or luxury items to a dominant ruling power.

Inca Empire

Vast empire in the South American Andes that utilized centralized labor requirements and extensive road systems across rugged mountain terrain.

Mit'a System

Mandatory public labor service required of citizens in the Inca Empire to build infrastructure, farm state lands, and maintain roads.

Quipu

System of knotted cords used by Inca administrators to record demographic data, accounting numbers, and census information.

Feudal Japan

Decentralized political structure dominated by regional military commanders, warlords, and elite samurai warriors.

Shogun

Supreme military dictator in feudal Japan who held actual governing power, while the Emperor served primarily as a figurehead.

Daimyo

Powerful landowning warlords in feudal Japan who commanded private armies of samurai and controlled regional territories.

Samurai

Hereditary military nobility and warrior class of feudal Japan who adhered to a strict code of honor and service.

Feudalism

Decentralized political and social system where land ownership was granted in exchange for military service, loyalty, and labor obligations.

Latin West

Historians' term for Western Europe after the fall of Rome, characterized by Roman Catholic culture and Latin liturgical traditions.

Byzantine Empire

Eastern half of the former Roman Empire that survived the collapse of the West and preserved Roman law and Greek culture from Constantinople.

Constantinople

Capital of the Byzantine Empire, strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, serving as a hub for Mediterranean trade.

Justinian I

6th-century Byzantine emperor who codified Roman law, constructed the Hagia Sophia, and temporarily reconquered former Western territories.

Justinian Code

Comprehensive collection and modernization of ancient Roman laws compiled under Byzantine rule, which served as the foundation for modern legal systems.

Hagia Sophia

Monumental cathedral constructed in Constantinople under Emperor Justinian, showcasing Byzantine architectural innovation and imperial power.

Great Schism (1054)

Formal split of the Christian church into the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire.

Manorialism

Economic system of medieval Europe centered on self-sufficient agricultural estates worked by serfs who owed labor and crops to a lord.

Serfdom

Status of unfree peasants under medieval European feudalism who were legally bound to work on their lord's estate.

Silk Roads

Network of overland trade routes connecting East Asia to the Mediterranean, facilitating the exchange of luxury goods, technology, and culture.

Caravanserai

Roadside inns and trade posts located along long-distance trade routes where merchant caravans could rest, resupply, and exchange goods safely.

Indian Ocean Trade

Maritime network connecting East Africa, Arabia, India, Southeast Asia, and Southern China, relying on monsoon wind patterns to transport bulk luxury items.

Monsoon Winds

Seasonal wind patterns across the Indian Ocean that blew predictably in different directions depending on the time of year, facilitating maritime navigation.

Lateen Sail

Triangular sail design that allowed ships to sail against the wind, significantly improving maritime maneuverability across Indian Ocean trade routes.

Astrolabe

Navigational instrument perfected by Islamic astronomers that enabled sailors to calculate latitude by measuring the position of stars.

Trade Diaspora

Communities of foreign merchants who settled in key international trade ports, helping to facilitate commerce while introducing their culture to the local population.

Mongol Empire

Largest contiguous land empire in world history, created through nomadic conquest and spanning across northern and eastern Eurasia.

Genghis Khan

Nomadic leader who unified the Mongol tribes and launched military campaigns that established the vast Mongol Empire in the 13th century.

Pax Mongolica

Period of Eurasian stability under Mongol rule that re-established secure trade routes across the Silk Roads and accelerated cultural exchange.

Black Death

Devastating plague epidemic that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe during the 14th century along trade routes, causing massive population decline.

Crusades

Series of religious military expeditions launched by Western European Christians starting in the late 11th century to claim holy sites in the Levant.

Commercial Revolution

Late medieval European economic expansion characterized by the growth of urban centers, market trading, banking systems, and merchant guilds.

Pax Romana

Period of relative peace, stability, and infrastructure development across the Roman Empire lasting roughly two centuries.