Gunpowder empires vocab

Gunpowder Empires

Important land-based empires (Russia, Ming and Qing China, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire, and the Mughal Empire) that effectively used cannon/artillery to control and subjugate enemies.

Autocratic

Relating to a ruler who possesses absolute power.

Ottoman Empire

Islamic state founded by Osman in northwestern Anatolia, encompassing lands in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe.

Suleiman the Magnificent

The most illustrious sultan of the Ottoman Empire, known for significant territorial expansion in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean.

Mehmet

Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453.

Janissaries

Elite infantry of the Ottoman army, originally of slave origin, armed with firearms until the corps was abolished in 1826.

Devshirme

A system under the Ottoman Empire where Christian boys from the Balkans were collected and turned into slaves for the sultan.

Siege of Vienna

The 1529 Ottoman assault commanded by Suleiman, which laid siege to Vienna but retreated due to winter conditions.

Tulip Period

The last years of Sultan Ahmed III's reign, marked by the brief popularity of European styles and attitudes in Istanbul.

Safavid Empire

Iranian kingdom established by Ismail Safavi, declaring Iran a Shi'ite state.

Shi’ites

Muslims who believe leadership of the community is vested in descendants of Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali; the state religion of Iran.

Hidden Imam

The last of the 12 descendants of Ali, considered by Shi’ites as a divinely appointed leader expected to return as a messiah.

Ismail

Founder of the Safavid Empire who declared Twelver Shi’ism as the official religion.

Shah Abbas I

Renowned ruler of the Safavid dynasty known for military efficiency and moving the capital to Isfahan.

Mughal Empire

Muslim state that dominated most of India.

Akbar

Illustrious Mughal emperor known for expanding the empire and promoting tolerance towards Hindus.

Mansabs

Grants of land given in return for service by rulers of the Mughal Empire in India.

Rajputs

Hindu warrior caste from northwest India, from which many Mughal officials were drawn.

Achen Sultanate

Muslim kingdom in northern Sumatra, a center of Islamic expansion in Southeast Asia.

Oman

Arab state based in Muscat, succeeding Portugal as the power in the western Indian Ocean.

Nawab

A Muslim prince allied to British India, acting as a semi-autonomous deputy of the Mughal emperor.

Swahili

Bantu language with Arabic loanwords spoken in coastal regions of East Africa.

Batavia

Fort established as the headquarters of Dutch East India Company operations in Indonesia, now Jakarta.

Sikhism

Monotheistic religion founded in Punjab in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, facing oppression from the Mughal Empire.

Sati

Hindu practice of widow suicide by jumping into their husband's funeral pyre.

Taj Mahal

Monument built by Mughal Shah Jahan for his wife, exemplifying the influence of women.

Muscovy

Russian principality that emerged during Mongol domination, ruled by a dynasty from 1276-1598.

Tsar (Czar)

Title for a Russian monarch derived from the Latin "Caesar," first used by Ivan III.

Siberia

The extreme northeastern sector of Asia.

Cossacks

Peoples of the Russian Empire living outside farming villages, known for herding, mercenary work, and leading the conquest of Siberia.

Serf

Agricultural laborer in Russia legally bound to a lord's property, not abolished until 1861.

Peter the Great

Russian tsar (1689-1725) who modernized Russia by introducing Western languages and technologies and moving the capital to St. Petersburg.