World History: Global Connections, Social Hierarchies, and the Foundations of Islam

Vocabulary flashcards covering the context and legacy of Christopher Columbus, the medieval Great Chain of Being social model, and the origins of Islam.

Post-Mongol World

The global state in the $15^{th}$ century where the collapse of Mongol trade routes drove European exploration for new pathways.

Reconquista

The unification of Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella, fueled by the fervor of expelling Muslims, which created a zeal for expansion.

Portuguese Precursors

Exploration figures like Dias and da Gama whose African voyages directly informed Columbus's plans.

Columbian Exchange

A term for the long-term impacts of transatlantic voyages, encompassing demographic shifts, new foods, diseases, and ecological change.

Discovery Myth

A challenge to Eurocentric narratives that emphasizes the Americas were already populated by diverse and complex societies.

Great Chain of Being

A hierarchical model of the universe popular in medieval Europe, originating from ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.

Medieval Synthesis

The integration of Greek hierarchical ideas with Christianity to create a divinely ordained order from God down to inanimate objects.

Scientific Revolution

The rise of empirical observation and discoveries that eventually challenged the static and hierarchical view of the Great Chain of Being.

Muhammad

The final prophet of Islam who began receiving revelations in $610\,CE$ in Mecca and founded the first Muslim community.

Hijra

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in $622\,CE$, which marks year one of the Islamic calendar.

Jahiliyyah

The "Age of Ignorance," referring to the tribalism, polytheism, and social inequities in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Kaaba

A religious and trade hub in Mecca housed within a site revered by local tribal polytheists before Islam.

Quran

The holy book consisting of Muhammad's revelations, which were received over a period of $23$ years.

Five Pillars of Islam

Foundational practices and comprehensive acts of worship rooted in the Quran and the Sunnah that shape Muslim life.

Sunnah

The teachings and exemplary life of the Prophet Muhammad used to provide guidelines for Muslims.

Surah Al-'Alaq

The first verses of the Quran revealed to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel in the Cave of Hira.

Sira

Later biographies of the Prophet Muhammad used by historians to study the origins of Islam.

Hadiths

Records of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad that supplement later biographies.

Quraysh

The tribe in Mecca to which Muhammad belonged before becoming the prophet of Islam.

Post-Mongol World

The global state in the $15^{th}$ century where the collapse of Mongol trade routes drove European exploration for new pathways.

Reconquista

The unification of Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella, fueled by the fervor of expelling Muslims, which created a zeal for expansion.

Portuguese Precursors

Exploration figures like Dias and da Gama whose African voyages directly informed Columbus's plans.

Columbian Exchange

A term for the long-term impacts of transatlantic voyages, encompassing demographic shifts, new foods, diseases, and ecological change.

Discovery Myth

A challenge to Eurocentric narratives that emphasizes the Americas were already populated by diverse and complex societies.

Great Chain of Being

A hierarchical model of the universe popular in medieval Europe, originating from ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.

Medieval Synthesis

The integration of Greek hierarchical ideas with Christianity to create a divinely ordained order from God down to inanimate objects.

Scientific Revolution

The rise of empirical observation and discoveries that eventually challenged the static and hierarchical view of the Great Chain of Being.

Muhammad

The final prophet of Islam who began receiving revelations in $610\,CE$ in Mecca and founded the first Muslim community.

Hijra

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina in $622\,CE$, which marks year one of the Islamic calendar.

Jahiliyyah

The "Age of Ignorance," referring to the tribalism, polytheism, and social inequities in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Kaaba

A religious and trade hub in Mecca housed within a site revered by local tribal polytheists before Islam.

Quran

The holy book consisting of Muhammad's revelations, which were received over a period of $23$ years.

Five Pillars of Islam

Foundational practices and comprehensive acts of worship rooted in the Quran and the Sunnah that shape Muslim life.

Sunnah

The teachings and exemplary life of the Prophet Muhammad used to provide guidelines for Muslims.

Surah Al-'Alaq

The first verses of the Quran revealed to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel in the Cave of Hira.

Sira

Later biographies of the Prophet Muhammad used by historians to study the origins of Islam.

Hadiths

Records of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad that supplement later biographies.

Quraysh

The tribe in Mecca to which Muhammad belonged before becoming the prophet of Islam.