Period 1, c. 1200 to c. 1450 Vocabulary

Key terms during Period 1. Both Unit 1 and 2.

Bhakti

A Hindu devotional tradition emphasizing love and personal devotion to a particular god.

Sufis

Islamic mystics who seek a direct experience of the divine through meditation, chanting, and other spiritual practices.

Baghdad

The capital of Iraq and a historically significant city in the Islamic world, known for its intellectual and cultural achievements.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A Persian polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy.

Mamluks

A medieval Islamic military caste, primarily of Turkic or Circassian origin, that ruled Egypt and other parts of the Islamic world.

Mongols

Nomadic tribes from Central Asia who created a vast empire under leaders like Genghis Khan and his successors.

Ottoman Turks

A Turkish state that emerged in the 14th century and eventually became a powerful empire, lasting until the early 20th century.

Middle Ages

The period in European history between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Renaissance, roughly from the 5th to the 15th century.

Feudalism

A social and economic system in medieval Europe, characterized by lords granting land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service.

nobles

Members of the aristocracy, typically holding land and having a privileged status in society.

vassals

In feudal society, a person who held land from a lord and pledged loyalty and service in return.

peasants

Agricultural workers or farmers who were often the lowest social class in medieval society.

fiefs

Land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

manors

Large estates or farms owned by nobles or lords, typically including a village and surrounding lands.

three-field system

A system of agriculture used in medieval Europe, where fields were divided into three parts, each planted with a different crop to improve fertility.

code of chivalry

A set of moral and social codes followed by knights in medieval Europe, emphasizing honor, bravery, and courtesy

primogeniture

The practice of passing land and titles to the eldest son, typical in medieval European inheritance customs.

serfs

Agricultural laborers who were bound to the land and under the control of a lord in medieval Europe

interregnum

A period of time between reigns when a country has no ruler or a temporary government.

William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror, also known as William I, was the Duke of Normandy who successfully invaded England in 1066, defeating King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. He became the first Norman King of England, initiating Norman rule and greatly influencing English culture and governance.

Magna Carta

A charter of rights agreed to by King John of England in 1215, which limited the power of the monarch and protected the rights of the nobility.

Joan of Arc

A French heroine and saint who played a key role in the Hundred Years' War and was later burned at the stake by the English.

Bourbons

A European royal house, originally from France, which has ruled in various countries, including Spain and Naples.

Hundred Years’ War

A series of conflicts between England and France from 1337 to 1453, over claims to the French throne.

Queen Isabella

Queen of Castile from 1474 to 1504, who, along with her husband Ferdinand of Aragon, unified Spain and sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyages.

Ferdinand

Ferdinand II of Aragon, who, along with his wife Isabella I of Castile, sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyages and unified Spain.

Spanish Inquisition

A series of investigations and trials in Spain aimed at identifying and punishing heretics and enforcing religious conformity.

Tatars

Turkic-speaking peoples from Central Asia who invaded Eastern Europe in the 13th century.

Czar (Tsar)

A title used for the emperors of Russia from the 16th century until the Russian Revolution in 1917.

Ivan the Terrible

The first Tsar of Russia, known for his brutal reign and the expansion of the Russian state.

Ming Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644, known for its cultural achievements and naval expeditions.

foot binding

A practice in China where girls' feet were tightly bound to prevent them from growing, resulting in a deformed foot considered attractive. Typically practiced by those of higher class.

shogun

A military dictator who ruled Japan from the 12th to the 19th century, serving as the de facto ruler in place of the emperor.

Code of Bushido

The ethical code of the samurai in Japan, emphasizing loyalty, honor, and self-discipline.

Delhi Sultanate

A Muslim kingdom based in Delhi that ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent from the 13th to the 16th century.

Rajput Kingdoms

Various Hindu kingdoms in medieval India, known for their warrior traditions and resistance to Muslim invasions.

Khmer Empire

A powerful empire in Southeast Asia that flourished from the 9th to the 15th century, known for Angkor Wat and other architectural marvels.

Angor Wat

A temple complex in Cambodia, built in the 12th century by the Khmer king Suryavarman II, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.

Hausa

A West African ethnic group and language, known for their historical states and trading networks.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco, where modern-day Mexico City is situated.

Temple of the Sun

A term used for various ancient temples dedicated to solar deities, such as the Inca temple in Cusco, Peru.

Machu Picchu

An ancient Inca city in Peru, located on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley, known for its well-preserved ruins.

burghers

In medieval Europe, inhabitants of a town or borough, typically merchants or craftsmen.

Hanseatic League

A medieval trade association of towns in northern Europe, focused on promoting trade and protecting mutual interests.

Crusades

A series of religious wars sanctioned by the Latin Church in the medieval period, with the goal of recapturing Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

Pope Innocent III

One of the most influential popes of the medieval period, known for his role in the Crusades and the Inquisition.

Inquisition

A series of institutions within the Catholic Church aimed at combating heresy through the use of inquisitorial tribunals.

Universal Church

A term used to describe the Catholic Church as the worldwide Christian church, encompassing all believers.

Church Militant

In Catholic theology, the members of the church on Earth, engaged in spiritual warfare against sin, as opposed to the Church Triumphant (saints in heaven) and the Church Suffering (souls in purgatory).

Thomas Aquinas

A medieval philosopher and theologian, known for his synthesis of Christian theology with the philosophy of Aristotle.

Genghis Khan

The founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, known for his military conquests and creation of the largest empire in history.

Mongol Empire

One of the largest empires in history, founded by Genghis Khan and his successors, which at its height stretched from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan.

Golden Horde

A Mongol khanate that ruled over parts of Eastern Europe, including Russia, from the 13th to the 15th century.

Kublai Khan

The fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire and the founder of the Yuan dynasty in China.

Timur Lang

Commonly known as Tamerlane, a 14th-century Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia.

Tamerlane

Another name for Timur Lang, a 14th-century conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire and was known for his military campaigns and brutality.

Mansa Musa

The 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire, known for his pilgrimage to Mecca and his lavish spending, which contributed to the legend of the wealth of Mali.

movable type

A printing technique in which individual characters are cast in metal or carved in wood and can be rearranged to create different texts, allowing for the mass production of books.

Bubonic Plague

A deadly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread by fleas on rodents and responsible for several major pandemics, including the Black Death.

Indian Ocean Trade

The network of trade routes and maritime trade between the countries bordering the Indian Ocean, dating back to ancient times.

Great Zimbabwe

A medieval city in the southeastern hills of Zimbabwe, known for its large stone structures, indicating a sophisticated society.

Kashgar

An ancient city in Xinjiang, China, located on the Silk Road and known for its role in the trade between East and West.

Samarkand

An ancient city in Uzbekistan, known for its role as a center of trade and culture on the Silk Road.

Xuanzang

A Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar who traveled to India in the 7th century to study Buddhism and collect scriptures.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled to China and Mongolia in the 13th century and wrote about his experiences in "The Travels of Marco Polo."

Ibn Battuta

A Moroccan scholar and traveler who journeyed throughout the Islamic world and beyond in the 14th century, documenting his travels in his work "The Rihla."

Margery Kempe

Margery Kempe was a 14th-century English mystic and author, known for writing one of the first autobiographies in English, "The Book of Margery Kempe," which details her mystical experiences and religious devotion.

King Hugh Capet

The first King of the Franks from the Capetian dynasty, ruling from 987 to 996.