Early Modern World History: Africa, East Asia, and the Gunpowder Empires

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering African states and the Atlantic slave trade, Ming and Qing China, feudal Japan, and the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Gunpowder Empires.

Sunni Ali

Songhay ruler who conquered lands, consolidated power, instituted a new hierarchy, and utilized the trans-Saharan trade network to maintain imperial control.

Queen Nzinga

Ruler of the Kingdom of Ndongo who led a military resistance against Portuguese colonization forces, temporarily driving them from the land.

Kingdom of Kongo

An African kingdom that established commercial ties with Portugal, had its king convert to Christianity, and engaged in commodity trade for slaves before being defeated in a subsequent war with the Portuguese.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who engaged in armed conflicts with locals and forced rulers of the East African Swahili city-states to pay tribute, severely disrupting regional trade.

Early Period of Atlantic Slavery

An era dominated by Spain and Portugal focused on acquiring gold and silver for the crown, coinciding with the Baroque period.

Mercantile Period of Slavery

A phase of Atlantic slavery characterized by the entrance of the Dutch, French, and British alongside the Portuguese, the rise of large-scale plantation systems operating like modern factories, and the expansion of banking.

Industrial Period of Atlantic Slavery

A multi-billion-dollar phase of slavery driven by cotton and coffee production, during which many colonies abolished the slave trade while maintaining the institution of slavery itself.

Zong Massacre

An atrocity during a voyage from West Africa to Jamaica in which a ship captain murdered dying enslaved persons to collect insurance money, resulting in no financial gain for the enslavers after Olaudah Equiano alerted an abolitionist.

Bacon's Rebellion

An armed uprising seeking to drive Native Americans from Virginia that led to a decline in indentured servitude and the passage of Virginia slave codes dividing white colonists and Black enslaved persons.

Maroon Communities

Independent settlements formed by runaway enslaved people as a direct method of resistance against enslavement.

Hongwu (Ming Taizu)

The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty who toppled the Yuan dynasty and the Mongols, reduced peasant taxes, encouraged agriculture, protected peasant land, and restored the civil service exams.

Emperor Ming Chengzu (Yongle)

Hongwu's son who seized power by usurping the throne, commissioned the comprehensive Yongle Encyclopedia, moved the Ming capital to Beijing, and rebuilt the Great Wall for defense against mobile Mongol forces.

Zheng He

Ming dynasty admiral who commanded voyages of over 300 ships to promote trade and tribute before expeditions were discontinued due to high costs and an imperial turn toward isolationism.

Eunuchs (Ming Dynasty)

Castrated men who formed a powerful imperial bureaucracy during the Ming dynasty, though they were widely looked down upon by other social classes.

Emperor Kangxi

Qing emperor who consolidated rule by integrating Chinese and Manchu traditions, subdued the Mongols using a gunpowder army, and concluded the Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia.

Treaty of Nerchinsk

A diplomatic treaty signed after Qing forces defeated an invasion led by Peter the Great, formally securing Russian recognition of the Qing northern border.

Emperor Qianlong

Scholar-emperor under whom the Qing Empire reached its height, who conquered Tibet and Xinjiang, introduced the Canton system, and tolerated cultural diversity while stability was prioritized over innovation.

Banner System

A privileged military structure used by Qing rulers to maintain the loyalty of imperial soldiers above ordinary subjects.

Canton System

A restrictive Qing commercial policy that designated a single specific port for conducting trade with European merchants.

Heshen

A corrupt Grand Chancellor serving under Emperor Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty.

Oda Nobunaga

Japanese military leader who nearly unified Japan by enforcing authority through the use of firearms and physical force.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Military leader who completed the unification of Japan and launched foreign wars to keep the samurai class occupied.

Daimyo

Regional feudal lords in Japan who controlled territory and held authority below the Shogun.

Osman Bey

Founder of the Ottoman Empire who led semi-nomadic Turks from northwest Anatolia alongside his warrior followers.

Ghazi

Muslim religious warriors, a title assumed by Osman Bey and his followers during early Ottoman conquests.

Mehmed II

Ottoman 'warrior-sultan' who expanded the empire by capturing Constantinople, establishing a centralized absolute monarchy backed by gunpowder armies and the Devshirme system.

Devshirme System

An Ottoman practice that coerced Christian boys into conversion to Islam and subjected them to rigorous mental and physical training to become soldiers or bureaucrats.

Janissaries

Enslaved, elite infantry soldiers of the Ottoman Empire trained under the Devshirme system who later assassinated Sultan Selim III to resist military reforms.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ottoman sultan known as 'The Lawgiver' who gained control of parts of Southwest Asia and Europe, standardized imperial law codes, and constructed schools, libraries, and inns.

Treaty of Karlowitz

Peace accord ending the Great Turkish War that resulted in substantial Ottoman territorial losses, liberating Hungary and parts of Transylvania.

Millet System

An Ottoman administrative framework that granted non-Muslim religious communities autonomy to govern their internal community affairs.

Shah Ismail

The founding leader of the Safavid Empire who established a centralized government, traced lineage from Muhammad through Ali, and claimed to be the 'haaq' (divine truth).

Shah Abbas the Great

Safavid ruler who ushered in a golden age by modernizing military technology, opening foreign trade, and relocating the imperial capital to Isfahan.

Babur

Poet, writer, and founder of the Mughal Empire who first introduced gunpowder weapons to the Indian subcontinent.

Mansabdari System

A merit-based military and administrative ranking system institutionalized by Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great.

Ibadat Khana

A discussion hall created by Akbar the Great to host theological debates between scholars of different religious traditions.

Jizya

A special tax levied on non-Muslim subjects that was abolished by Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great and later reimposed by Emperor Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb

Mughal emperor who expanded imperial borders but severely strained treasury resources and provoked rebellions through ceaseless warfare and strict religious policies.