East Asia, Islam, India, Mongols, and Africa Post-Classical Review

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering the political, social, and economic developments of the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, the rise and spread of Islam, post-classical Indian kingdoms, the Mongol Empire, and African regional states.

Grand Canal

Constructed during the Sui dynasty, it was the world's largest waterworks before modern times and served as the principal conduit for internal trade between North and South China.

Bureaucracy of Merit

A government system where officials were chosen based on competitive civil examinations measuring ability and knowledge of Confucian education rather than aristocratic birth.

Equal-field system

A Tang dynasty policy aimed at ensuring an equitable distribution of land to avoid the concentration of property, though it faced pressure as population grew.

Sui Yangdi

The Sui ruler whose dependence on high taxes and forced labor for projects like the Grand Canal generated hostility and eventually led to his assassination.

Tang Taizong

The second Tang emperor who murdered his brothers to take the throne but organized China into a powerful and prosperous society with a capital at Chang'an.

Fast-ripening rice

A strain of rice encountered by Sui and Tang armies in Vietnam that allowed for two crops per year, leading to an expanded food supply and population growth.

Foot binding

The practice of tightly wrapping young girls' feet to prevent natural bone growth, designed to enhance attractiveness and place women under tight male supervision.

Wu Zhao

Also known as Wu Zetian, she was the only woman in Chinese history to claim the imperial title and rule as emperor after serving as a concubine at the court of Tang Taizong.

Gunpowder

Discovered by Daoist alchemists, this substance was first used in weapons that caused more noise and smoke than actual damage before its technology diffused through Eurasia.

Flying cash

Letters of credit or 'letters of cash' developed by Chinese merchants that allowed them to deposit goods or cash at one location and draw the equivalent elsewhere.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy during the Song dynasty that reflected the influence of Buddhist thought while deep commitment to traditional Confucian values remained, represented prominently by Zhu Xi.

Five Pillars of Islam

The foundational practices of Islam consisting of Shahada (faith), Salat (prayer $5$ times a day), Sawm (fasting during Ramadan), Zakat (charity), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Umayyad Caliphate

An Arab dynasty that transformed the Islamic community into a stable, centralized empire stretching from Spain to India, ruling as conquerors with favoritism toward Arab military elites.

Abbasid Dynasty

The dynasty that overthrew the Umayyads, moved the capital to a cosmopolitan location, and was more focused on administration and legal scholarship than expansion.

Sufism

A mystical branch of Islam that emphasized devotion to Allah and personal spiritual awareness over strict religious doctrine and mastery of texts.

King Harsha

A ruler who temporarily restored unified rule in northern India during the $7th$ century, known for his piety, tolerance, and scholarship, but unable to establish permanent centralized rule.

Mahmud of Ghazni

A Turkic Muslim leader from Afghanistan who launched raids into India to plunder wealth, demolishing numerous Hindu and Buddhist sites.

Sultanate of Delhi

An Islamic state established in northern India in the early $13th$ century after the conquest of most Hindu kingdoms by the successors of Mahmud of Ghazni.

Chola Kingdom

A kingdom that ruled the Coromandel coast for over four centuries, focusing on trade profits and allowing local autonomy rather than building a tightly centralized state.

Vijayanagar Kingdom

Meaning 'City of Victory,' this dominant Hindu state in southern India was founded by the brothers Harihara and Bukka after they reverted from Islam.

Bhakti movement

A spiritual movement of love and devotion that sought to erase the distinction between Hinduism and Islam, teaching that all deities were manifestations of a single universal god.

Genghis Khan

Originally named Temujin, he united the Mongol tribes by promoting people based on merit and was declared the 'Great Khan' in $1206$, leading massive military conquests.

Steppe diplomacy

The political art of survival among nomadic groups involving the negotiation of alliances between clans and the ability to form or break loyalties.

Pax Mongolica

A period of 'Mongolian Peace' that encouraged trade, communication, and diplomatic missions across Eurasia within the divided Mongol khanates.

Mansa Musa

The grand-nephew of Sundiata who ruled Mali at its height and made a legendary pilgrimage to Mecca, famously distributing so much gold that its value decreased by $25$%.

Swahili

Derived from the Arabic word for 'coasters,' it refers to the people and society engaged in trade along the East African coast who traded gold, slaves, and ivory.

Age Grades

A foundational structure in many African communities where groups of individuals of similar age performed work, governed, or served as soldiers according to their life stage.

Jenne-Jeno

An early African city famous for its iron manufacturing and trade located in the sub-Saharan region.

Zanj Revolt

A major rebellion by African slaves ('Zanj') in the Abbasid Empire, specifically in Mesopotamia, illustrating the scale of the trans-regional slave trade.

Kharaj

A historical Islamic tax imposed on agricultural land and its produce in territories governed by Islamic rule.