AP World History Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (c. 1200-1450)

Vocabulary flashcards covering trade networks, imperial expansions, and cultural/environmental transfers from AP World History Unit 2.

Kashgar

A major oasis city in China along the Silk Roads that offered abundant water and food to merchants heading toward destinations in Central Asia, India, Pakistan, and Persia.

Samarkand

A city located in present-day Uzbekistan that served as a major center for trading goods and cultural exchange along the Silk Roads.

Caravanserai

Inns set approximately $100\,\text{miles}$ apart along trade routes, matching the maximum distance camels could travel without needing water.

Flying Cash

A Chinese paper credit system developed as part of a money economy, which allowed merchants to deposit cash in one location and draw credit in another, inspiring modern banking systems.

Diasporic Communities

Settlements established by foreign merchants living away from their homelands—often formed when traders stayed in maritime port cities waiting for favorable monsoon winds and married local women.

Spice Islands

Islands in present-day Malaysia and Indonesia known for producing highly valued trade spices including nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.

Melaka

A powerful coastal city-state that used Indian Ocean trade to expand its navy and generate wealth by charging fees on passing trade ships.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail designed to easily catch wind from any direction, enabling safer and more versatile maritime navigation across the Indian Ocean.

Astrolabe

An astronomical navigation tool invented by Muslims that allowed sailors to calculate their location using the positions of celestial bodies.

Somali Saddle

A specialized camel saddle developed in East Africa designed to carry heavy trade loads up to $600\,\text{pounds}$ across desert environments.

Sundiata

The founder and ruler of the Mali Empire who established strong trade connections between West Africa and North Africa.

Mansa Musa

A ruler of the Mali Empire famous for his grand pilgrimage to Mecca, during which he gave away massive amounts of gold and established international trading relationships.

Timbuktu

A West African city in the Mali Empire that developed into a world-renowned center of trade and Islamic learning.

Genghis Khan

The title meaning 'ruler of all' given to Temujin after unifying the pastoral nomadic clans north of the Gobi Desert and starting large-scale conquest.

Pax Mongolica

A period of Mongol Peace that brought Eurasian stability, revitalized trade along the Silk Roads, and provided military protection for merchants.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol khanate established in China, which temporarily dissolved the traditional Chinese scholar gentry class.

Il Khanate

The Mongol khanate established over the regions of the Islamic Empire.

Golden Horde

The Mongol khanate that conquered and ruled over Russia, isolating it from developments in Western Europe.

White Lotus Society

A secret revolutionary organization in China that launched rebellions against Mongol rule, leading to the eventual collapse of the Mongol Empire.

Gunpowder States

The three distinct Islamic empires—the Safavid, Ottoman, and Mughal Empires—that emerged after the fractured Islamic Empire declined.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophical ideology blending Confucianism and Buddhism that spread from China to Japan and Korea, impacting education and political governance.

Angkor Thom

A capital city in Southeast Asia known for architectural monuments that display a synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist artistic influences.

Urdu

A language developed in South Asia that incorporated elements of Arabic and Persian through Islamic influence into local Indian languages.

Champa Rice

A fast-ripening, drought-resistant crop introduced to China that caused rapid population growth, urban migration, and expanded proto-industrial manufacturing of goods like silk and porcelain.

Marco Polo

An Italian traveler whose detailed writings about his travels to China ignited European interest in Asian urban wealth and technological innovation.

Ibn Battuta

A Muslim scholar and globe-traveler whose writings recorded his journeys throughout Afro-Eurasia from a distinctly Islamic perspective.

Margery Kempe

An English Christian mystic who authored a firsthand literary account detailing the everyday life and experiences of a middle-class medieval woman.

Bubonic Plague

A devastating pandemic spread across trade networks by fleas on animals, which killed $25\,\text{million}$ Chinese and Asians and contributed to the downfall of feudalism in Europe.