Tropical Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean Trade (1200-1500)

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time.

Equatorial region

Region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, generally warm with hot temperatures year-round.

Monsoon

Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean caused by the difference in temperature between the rapidly heating and cooling landmasses of Africa and Asia.

Delhi Sultanate

Centralized Indian empire of varying extent, created by Muslim invaders.

Mali

Empire created by Muslims in West Sudan/West Africa, famous for its role in trans-Saharan gold trade.

Mansa (Kankan) Musa

Ruler of Mali (1312-1337), his pilgrimage through Egypt to Mecca in 1324-1325 established the empire's reputation for wealth.

Raziya

Iltutmish's daughter, who was a Sultan, imprisoned and killed by bandits.

Gujarat

Region of western India famous for trade and manufacturing (Gujaratis).

Dhow

Characteristic cargo and passenger ships of the Arabian Sea.

Junks

The largest and most technologically advanced sea vessels at the time.

Swahili Coast

East African shores of the Indian Ocean between the Horn of Africa and the Zambezi River.

Great Zimbabwe

City, now in ruins, whose many stone structures were built between 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a larger state.

Malacca

Port city in modern Southeast Asia, founded about 1400 as a major trading center.

Timbuktu

City on the Niger River founded by the Tuareg as a seasonal camp and center of Islamic learning.

Latin West

Historians name for territories of Europe that adhered to Christianity and used the Latin language.

Three-field system

A system for agriculture where two fields grow food crops and one lies fallow.

Black Death

An outbreak of Bubonic Plague that spread across Asia, North Africa, and Europe in the mid-14th century.

Water wheel

A mechanism that harnesses the energy of flowing water to grind grain or power machinery.

Wind mills

Devices that convert wind energy into mechanical power.

Hanseatic League

An economic and defensive alliance of the free towns in North Germany, founded in 1241.

Guild

An association of mostly men who worked in a trade and promoted their interests.

Gothic cathedrals

Large churches from 12th century France featuring pointy arches, tall vaults, flying buttresses, and stained glass.

Renaissance (European)

A period of art and intellectual activity, a rebirth of culture.

Universities

Degree granting institutions of higher learning that became modern models in the Latin West by 1200.

Humanists (Renaissance)

European scholars, writers, and teachers associated with the studies of the humanities, influential in the 15th century.

Printing press

A mechanical device for transferring text or graphics from a wooden block to paper using ink.

Great Western Schism

A split within the Roman Catholic Church where two, later three, men claimed to be the true pope.

Magna Carta

Agreement King John was forced to sign, placing legal limits on royal power.

Hundred Years War

Conflict between England and France over territory and succession.

New monarchies

Rulers who unified their nations, centralized government authority, and reduced the power of the Church.

Reconquest of Iberia

Military campaign by Christian rulers to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule.