AP World Unit 3 Vocab

Gunpowder Empires

large multi-ethnic states (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal) in Southwest, Central, and South Asia that relied on firearms to conquer and control their territories

Devshirme

the Ottoman system of taking Christian boys from the Balkans, converting them to Islam, and training them for military or civil service

Janissaries

the elite infantry units of the Ottoman army formed through the Devshirme system, loyal directly to the Sultan

Ivan IV

known as "Ivan the Terrible," the first Tsar of Russia who expanded the empire eastward into Siberia and consolidated power by crushing the nobility

Daimyo

powerful landholding feudal lords in Japan who commanded private armies of samurai

Gutenberg printing press

a mid-15th-century invention that used movable type to mass-produce texts, increasing literacy and aiding the spread of the Protestant Reformation

The Tudors

the ruling dynasty of England (1485-1603) that centralized royal power and established the Anglican Church under monarchs like Henry VIII and Elizabeth I

Period of Great Peace

the era of stability and isolation in Japan (1603-1868) established by the Tokugawa Shogunate

The Valois

the ruling dynasty of France replaced by the Bourbons, who struggled to maintain control during the religious wars between Catholics and Huguenots

Tokugawa Shogunate

the military government that united Japan, centralized power in Edo, and enforced a policy of strict isolationism

Isabella and Ferdinand

the "Catholic Monarchs" of Spain whose marriage united the country, completed the Reconquista, and funded Columbus's voyages

Zamindars

local government officials and landowners in the Mughal Empire who collected taxes and exercised significant local power

Siberia

the vast eastern territory of Russia rich in furs and natural resources, colonized during the expansionist policies of the Romanovs

St. Petersburg

the new capital city built by Peter the Great on the Baltic Sea to serve as a modern, western-facing port for Russia

Ming Dynasty

the Chinese dynasty that overthrew the Mongols, restored the civil service exam, and sponsored the naval voyages of Zheng He before isolating China

Askia the Great

the ruler of the Songhai Empire who promoted Islam, supported education, and created an efficient bureaucracy in West Africa

Manchu

a semi-nomadic people from northeast of the Great Wall who conquered the Ming Dynasty and established the Qing Dynasty

Taj Mahal

a white marble mausoleum in India built by Shah Jahan, representing the pinnacle of Mughal architecture

Qing Dynasty

the final imperial dynasty of China (1644-1912), established by the Manchus, known for territorial expansion and restrictive trade policies like the Canton System

Topkapi Palace

the primary residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans in Istanbul

Emperor Kangxi

a scholarly and capable Qing emperor who expanded the empire into Taiwan and Central Asia and initially tolerated Jesuit missionaries

Suleymaniye Mosque

a grand mosque in Istanbul built for Suleiman I that symbolizes the height of Ottoman culture and architectural ability

Emperor Qianlong

a Qing ruler who oversaw the empire's peak in wealth and military power but whose later reign saw the beginning of corruption and decline

Beard tax

a tax imposed by Peter the Great to force Russian men to adopt Western European grooming standards

Guangzhou/ Canton

the only Chinese port city where European merchants were permitted to trade during the Qing Dynasty's restrictive era

Huguenots

French Calvinist Protestants who faced persecution until the Edict of Nantes and fled after its revocation

Tamerlane

a Turco-Mongol conqueror whose brief but violent empire in Persia and Central Asia set the stage for the rise of the Gunpowder Empires

Edict of Nantes

a 1598 decree by Henry IV granting religious toleration to French Protestants, ending the Wars of Religion

Ghazi ideal

a model for warrior life that blended the cooperative values of nomadic culture with the willingness to serve as a holy fighter for Islam

Edict of Fontainebleau

the 1685 decree by Louis XIV that revoked the Edict of Nantes, leading to the persecution and flight of Huguenots

Ottoman Empire

a Sunni Muslim Gunpowder Empire based in Turkey that dismantled the Byzantine Empire and dominated the Mediterranean and Middle East from the 14th to 20th centuries

Martin Luther

a German monk whose posting of the 95 Theses in 1517 challenged Catholic Church corruption and sparked the Protestant Reformation

Safavid Empire

a Shia Muslim Gunpowder Empire in Persia (modern Iran) that frequently conflicted with the neighboring Sunni Ottomans

Lutheranism

the first major Protestant denomination, founded on the principles of salvation by faith alone and the Bible as the sole religious authority

Mughal Empire

a Gunpowder Empire in India founded by Babur that oversaw a blend of Islamic and Hindu culture and great architectural achievements

Indulgences

papers sold by the Catholic Church that promised to reduce a soul's time in purgatory, a practice heavily criticized by Martin Luther

Mehmed II

the Ottoman sultan known as "The Conqueror" who captured Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire

Simony

the corrupt practice of selling church offices or roles, which contributed to the calls for reform during the Reformation

Suleiman I

known as "The Magnificent," the Ottoman sultan who expanded the empire into Europe and reformed its legal code during its golden age

95 Theses

a list of arguments against church abuses posted by Martin Luther in 1517, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation

Shah Abbas

the greatest ruler of the Safavid Empire who modernized the military with European technology and beautified the capital, Isfahan

Leo X

the Pope who excommunicated Martin Luther and oversaw the sale of indulgences to fund St. Peter's Basilica

Akbar

the Mughal emperor known for his religious tolerance, creation of the "Divine Faith," and efficient administrative reforms

John Calvin

a French theologian who developed Calvinism, a Protestant sect emphasizing the doctrine of predestination

Battle of Lepanto

a 1571 naval battle in which a European coalition defeated the Ottoman fleet, signaling the beginning of the end of Ottoman naval dominance

Predestination

the Calvinist belief that God has already determined who will be saved (the "elect") and who will be damned

Shah Jahan

the Mughal emperor who commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife

Protestant Reformation

a 16th-century religious movement that split the Western Christian Church and led to the establishment of new denominations

Aurangzeb

the Mughal emperor who expanded the empire to its greatest size but weakened it by ending religious tolerance and persecuting Hindus

Henry VIII

the King of England who broke from the Catholic Church to annul his marriage, establishing himself as the head of the Church of England

Divine Right Theory of Monarchy

the political doctrine that a monarch's authority comes directly from God and is therefore not subject to earthly accountability

Anne Boleyn

the second wife of Henry VIII whose marriage precipitated the English Reformation and birth of Elizabeth I

English Bill of Rights

a 1689 document accepted by William and Mary that limited the monarch's power and protected the rights of Parliament

Anglican Church

the Church of England established by Henry VIII, which retained some Catholic rituals but rejected papal authority

Absolutism

a political theory and practice where a monarch holds unlimited centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, epitomized by France's Louis XIV

Counter Reformation

the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation involving internal reforms, the Council of Trent, and the Jesuit order

Intendants

royal officials in France sent to the provinces to execute the king's orders and collect taxes, weakening the power of regional nobility

Inquisition

a Church court used to root out heresy, notably active in Spain and Italy to enforce Catholic orthodoxy

Henry IV (France)

the first Bourbon king who converted to Catholicism to unify France and issued the Edict of Nantes to protect Protestants

Jesuits

a Catholic religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola focused on education, missionary work, and halting the spread of Protestantism

Tax farmers

private individuals or groups who paid the government for the right to collect taxes, often keeping a portion of the revenue for profit

Council of Trent

a series of meetings (1545-1563) where Catholic leaders reaffirmed doctrine and reformed abuses to counter the Reformation

Versailles

the monumental palace built by Louis XIV to demonstrate his power and control the French nobility by requiring them to live there

Spanish Armada

the massive naval fleet sent by Philip II in 1588 to invade England, which was defeated by English forces and bad weather

Louis XIV

the "Sun King" of France who revoked the Edict of Nantes and served as the ultimate model of an absolute monarch in Europe

Peace of Augsburg

a 1555 agreement allowing German princes to choose whether their lands would be Catholic or Lutheran

Boyars

the landowning noble class in Russia who frequently opposed the centralizing efforts of the Tsars

Thirty Years' War

a devastating conflict (1618-1648) in the Holy Roman Empire involving most European powers, originally over religion but evolving into political rivalry

Serfdom

a feudal labor system where peasants were legally bound to the land and subject to the will of the landowner, which persisted in Russia until 1861

Peace of Westphalia

the 1648 treaty ending the Thirty Years' War that established the concept of state sovereignty and religious independence

Romanov Dynasty

the ruling family of Russia (1613-1917) that stabilized the state after the Time of Troubles and oversaw westernization and expansion

Sikhism

a syncretic monotheistic religion founded in Northern India that blends elements of Hinduism and Islam

Peter the Great

the Russian Tsar who forcibly westernized Russian culture, modernized the military, and built St. Petersburg as a window to the West

Empiricism

the theory that knowledge comes from sensory experience and observation, forming the basis of the scientific method

Eastern Orthodox Church

the branch of Christianity dominant in Russia, which Peter the Great brought under state control by abolishing the position of patriarch

Scientific Revolution

a shift in thinking in the 16th and 17th centuries where logic, reason, and observation replaced traditional authorities in understanding the natural world.