AP World History: Unit 1

Governance, 1200-1450

nation-states

countries as formally defined political entities (ex. United States, China)

cultural spheres

defined less by political boundaries and more by ethnic similarities, shared traditions, or government by a larger imperial power

latin

the common language of Europe’s educated classes for centuries

feudalism

the system in which monarchs awarded fiefs to vassals who in exchange, guaranteed that their fiefs of land would be governed and protected, law and justice would be dispensed, and crops would be grown

chivalry

meant to ensure that knights acted as virtuous Christian warriors, dealing fairly with the lower classes and treating women with delicacy and respect; though it was often broken in practice.

manorial system

system of manorial estates where serfs, peasants, and other free laborers worked, and lords lived, usually included a church in the common area

serfs

peasants who were not technically slaves but were tied to a feudal lord’s land without the right to change profession or residence without permission

magna carta

document signed by the king (forcefully) to limit the power of the king and give the people some power

parliament

made laws in conjunction with the king and gradually became more representative.

hundred years’ war (1337-1453)

struggle of several combats between the English and the French as both regions saw each other as rivals, led to social unrest and the Black Death

renaissance

the ‘cultural rebirth’ of increased exposure to wiser cultural influences around the mediterranean including significant advancements in art, literature, architecture, and science. humanism is important.

humanism

the conviction that to be human is something to rejoice in; ran counter to the prevailing medieval view that to be human was to be tainted with sin and that worldly life was less important than the heavenly afterlife.

reconquista

a long war between Spain and Portugal vs Moorish (muslim) armies. was the result of intense religious hostility shown toward Muslims and Jews by Spanish and Portuguese catholics, before and after the war

byzantium

the strongest and most advanced advanced state in medieval Europe: capital was Constantinople, sat at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, was home to a million people at its peak, played a role in Mediterranean trade, Silk Road commerce, Indian Ocean trade network, used Eastern Orthodoxy to maintain bureaucracy.

caesaropapism

held the Byzantine emperor up as the supreme authority over worldly and spiritual affairs alike, leaving the Orthodox Church in a weak position when it quarreled with the emperor.

ideal of christendom

the concept of Europe as a single civilization, joined by a common allegiance to the Christian church, arguing that the pope’s political authority should be higher than that of any monarch

the reasons for fighting the crusades

to convert nonbelievers, to crush Christian sects the pope considered heretical, and to combat non-Christian foreigners

the first crusade

sparked by Byzantine requests for military aid against the Seljuk Turks who had captured Jerusalem, religious fervor and racial prejudice the knights drove south to Jerusalem, was the most successful of the crusades.

hinduism

both polytheistic and monotheistic, believed in reincarnation as well as karma; there was a strict social caste system with little to no mobility

judaism

monotheistic, teachings of Abraham, covenant of Yahweh

buddhism

monotheistic, 4 noble truths (sought to eliminate desire and suffering by following the eightfold path), meditation, achieve enlightenment and reach nirvana

confucianism

human society is hierchical by nature, and society is composed of unequal relationships, filial piety, helped maintain the imperial bureaucracy

foot binding

the process of breaking one’s toes and curling them under the heel to form 3 inch, ‘lotus flower’ feet, exclusive to women of ‘elite’ status

imperial bureaucracy

government entity that carries out the will of the emperor

civil service examination

an exam based on confucian ideals and beliefs, led to the bureaucracy being staffed with only the most qualified men, based on merit rather than connections

mahayana buddhism

emphasized that Buddhist teachings were available to all, and not just a select few; emphasized compassion and made the Buddha into an object of devotion

tibetan buddhism

same basic doctrines as the others, but with a few additions; emphasized more mystical practices: lying prostate, elaborate imaging of deities

champa rice

drought-resistant, harvestable twice a year, and resulted in efficient agricultural output