Exploration and Absolutism Test Vocab

Mughal

A significant empire in India known for its cultural and architectural achievements.

Babur

The founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Akbar

A notable Mughal emperor known for his policy of religious tolerance and administrative reforms.

Sikh

A religious group that emerged in the Punjab region of India during the Mughal era.

Shah Jahan

The Mughal emperor who commissioned the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal

A mausoleum in Agra, India, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Aurangzeb

The last effective Mughal emperor known for his expansionist policies and religious intolerance.

Shivaji

A Maratha warrior king who challenged Mughal authority in India.

Prince Henry

A Portuguese prince who sponsored early maritime exploration.

Bartolomeu Dias

The first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa.

Vasco da Gama

The first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia via the ocean.

Treaty of Tordesillas

An agreement between Spain and Portugal dividing newly discovered lands outside Europe.

Dutch East India Company

A trading company established by the Netherlands to protect its trade in the Indian Ocean.

Ming Dynasty

The ruling dynasty in China before the Qing Dynasty, known for its trade expansion and cultural achievements.

Hongwu

The founder of the Ming Dynasty in China.

Yonglo

The third emperor of the Ming Dynasty known for his voyages of exploration.

Zheng He

A Chinese explorer known for his voyages to Southeast Asia and beyond during the Ming Dynasty.

Manchus

The ethnic group that founded the Qing Dynasty in China.

Qing Dynasty

The last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912.

Kangxi

One of the longest-reigning emperors in Chinese history, known for his cultural and political achievements.

Daimyo

Feudal lords in Japan who ruled over large estates and had their own samurai.

Oda Nobunaga

A powerful daimyo who initiated the unification of Japan in the late 16th century.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

A daimyo who completed the unification of Japan after Oda Nobunaga.

Tokugawa Shogunate

The last feudal Japanese military government, which ruled from 1603 to 1868.

Haiku

A traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern.

Kabuki

A classical Japanese dance-drama known for its stylized performances and elaborate makeup.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer credited with discovering the Americas in 1492.

Colony

A territory governed by a foreign power.

Hernando Cortés

A Spanish conquistador known for his conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Conquistador

Spanish explorers and soldiers who conquered territories in the Americas.

Francisco Pizarro

A Spanish conquistador known for his conquest of the Inca Empire.

Atahualpa

The last emperor of the Inca Empire before its conquest by Pizarro.

Mestizo

A person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry.

Encomienda

A system that allowed Spanish colonists to demand labor from Indigenous people.

New France

The French colony in North America, primarily in Canada.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established in 1607.

Pilgrims

English settlers who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Puritans

A group of English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England.

New Netherland

A Dutch colony in North America that later became New York.

French and Indian War

A conflict between Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763.

Metacom

A Native American leader who led a rebellion against English colonists in New England.

Atlantic slave trade

The transatlantic trading system that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Indentured servitude

A labor system where individuals worked for a fixed term in exchange for passage to America.

Triangular trade

A trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving goods and enslaved people.

Middle Passage

The sea route taken by slave ships from West Africa to the Americas.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership and the investment of resources for profit.

Joint-stock company

A business entity where different stocks can be bought and owned by shareholders.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances.

Favorable balance of trade

An economic condition where a country exports more than it imports.

Philip II

The king of Spain known for his role in the Spanish Armada and his absolute monarchy.

Absolute Monarch

A ruler whose power is not limited by any laws or governing bodies.

Divine right

The doctrine that kings derive their authority from God.

Edict of Nantes

A French decree that granted religious freedom to Huguenots.

Cardinal Richelieu

A French clergyman and statesman who served as chief minister to Louis XIII.

Skepticism

A philosophical attitude of doubting the knowledge claims set forth in various areas.

Louis XIV

The French king known as the 'Sun King' who ruled for 72 years and centralized power.

Intendant

A royal official in France who collected taxes and administered justice.

Jean Baptiste Colbert

The finance minister to Louis XIV who promoted mercantilism.

War of Spanish Succession

A conflict over the succession to the Spanish throne that involved many European powers.

Thirty Years' War

A series of wars in Central Europe from 1618 to 1648 involving many of the great powers.

Maria Theresa

The only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg.

Frederick the Great

The King of Prussia known for his military victories and enlightened reforms.

Seven Years' War

A global conflict fought between 1756 and 1763 that involved most of the great powers.

Ivan the Terrible

The first Tsar of Russia known for his ruthless rule and the establishment of autocracy.

Boyar

A member of the Russian nobility.

Peter the Great

The Tsar of Russia known for his extensive reforms and westernization efforts.

Westernization

The adoption of Western ideas, technology, and culture.

Charles I

The king of England whose conflicts with Parliament led to the English Civil War.

English Civil War

A conflict from 1642 to 1651 between Parliamentarians and Royalists in England.

Oliver Cromwell

A military and political leader who led the Parliamentarians to victory in the English Civil War.

Restoration

The period in England when the monarchy was restored after the Commonwealth.

Habeas Corpus

A legal principle that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment.

Glorious Revolution

The overthrow of King James II of England in 1688, leading to a constitutional monarchy.

Constitutional monarchy

A system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government.

Cabinet

A group of advisors to the head of state, typically in a parliamentary system.