Unit 1 Key Terms

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960–1279); economic growth, tech innovation, population boom

Emperor Taizu

Founder of Song; strengthened central government

Grand Canal

Waterway linking the Huang He and Yangtze rivers (north and south), boosting internal trade.

Meritocracy

System where officials are selected based on skill and knowledge rather than birth

Civil Service Exam

Exam based on Confucian texts used to select government officials

Neo-Confucianism

Revival of Confucianism incorporating Buddhist and Daoist ideas, emphasizing morality and social order

Kowtow

Ritual bow performed by Korea, Vietnam, and Japan to acknowledge China’s superiority

Four Great Inventions

Paper, printing, gunpowder, and compass

Tributary System

System where neighboring states paid tribute to China in exchange for protection and trade benefits

Bushido

Code of ethics for samurai emphasizing loyalty, discipline, and honor, similar to European chivalry

Umayyad Caliphate

First major Islamic dynasty, later overthrown by the Abbasids

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic empire that promoted trade, learning, && cultural exchange during the Golden Age, centered in Baghdad

House of Wisdom

Intellectual center in Baghdad where scholars preserved & expanded knowledge

Cordoba

Major city in Al-Andalus & Capital of the Umayyad dynasty with advanced infrastructure, education, and architecture

Berbers

Muslims from North Africa that helped the Umayyads conquer the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus)

Sufism

Mystical branch of Islam focusing on personal spiritual connection with God

Abu Bakr

First caliph who stabilized the early Muslim state after Muhammad’s death; Sunnis believed he was the rightful heir

Sharia Law

Islamic religious law based on the Quran and Islamic traditions

Jizya

Tax paid by non-Muslims in Islamic states in exchange for protection

Seljuk Turks

Allied with the Abbasid empire, later assuming political and military control over the Abbasid Caliphate

Sack of Baghdad

Mongol destruction of Baghdad that ended the Abbasid Caliphate

Mamluks

Enslaved Seljik Turks who served Muslim caliphs that rose to power after the Sack of Baghdad

Caste System

Rigid social hierarchy in India based on birth

Bhakti Movement

Hindu religious movement emphasizing personal devotion to a deity

Gupta Empire

Golden Age of India known for advances in math, science, and culture

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim state in India that spread Islam and influenced culture

Vijayanagara Empire

Hindu Empire formed by brothers who left the Delhi Sultanate to resist northern Islamic expansion

Srivijaya Empire

Buddhist maritime trading empire that controlled the Strait of Malacca

Majapahit Empire

Hindu-Buddhist Southeast Asian empire that dominated trade routes & replaced Srivijaya’s influence

Khmer Empire

Empire in Cambodia known for Angkor Wat and irrigation based farming, shifted from Hinduism to Buddhism

Mali Empire

Wealthy West African empire known for gold trade and Islamic influence

Timbuktu

Major center of trade and Islamic scholarship in Mali

Swahili Coast

East African trading cities blending African and Islamic culture

Kilwa

The most prosperous city-state on the Swahili Coast, controlled gold trade from Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe

Southern African trading state famous for its stone buildings & gold–ivory trade

Ibn Khaldun

Muslim Tunisian scholar known for his early work in Social Science

Hernan Cortez

Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire

Francisco Pizzaro

Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Inca Empire

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after Columbus’s voyage

Smallpox

Disease brought by Europeans to the Americas that devastated Indigenous pop. due to lack of immunity

Edict of Milan

Law by Emperor Constantine granting religious tolerance to Christians in the Roman Empire

Charlemagne

First Holy Roman Emperor who united Western Europe

Divine Right

Belief in medieval Europe that monarchs rule with God’s authority and hold absolute power

Great Schism

Split of Christianity into Roman Catholic (West) and Eastern Orthodox (East) over authority and religious practices

The Crusades

Religious wars where Muslims and Christians fought over the Holy Land (Jerusalem)

Magna Carta

English document limiting the king’s power & establishing