ch4 vocab APWH

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)

Smallpox

The overall deadliest known disease in the history of the world. In the 20th century alone there were approximately 500,000,000 people who died of this disease.

Great Dying

Term used to describe the devastating demographic impact of European-borne epidemic diseases on the Americas.

Little Ice Age

A century-long period of cool climate that began in the 1590s. Its ill effects on agriculture in northern Europe were notable.

General Crisis

The effects of the Little Ice Age across the world, which led to the growth of the Sahara, difficulty in growing food, and epidemics. Caribbean region caused additional rain, which led to more mosquito breeding and malaria increases.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

Encomienda System

It gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to make them work. In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity

Creoles

Descendents of Spanish-born but born in Latin America; resented inferior social, political, economic status.

Peninsulares

People living in the New World Spanish colonies but born in Spain.

Mestizo

A person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry.

Castas

middle-level status between Europeans and pure minorities (made up of mezitos and mulattoes)

Mulattoes

Term commonly used for people of mixed African and European blood.

Yasak

Tribute that Russian rulers demanded from the native peoples of Siberia, most often in the form of furs.

Peter the Great

(1672-1725) Russian tsar (r. 1689-1725). He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg.

Catherine the Great

Empress of Russia who greatly increased the territory of the empire (1729-1796)

Ming Empire

Empire based in China that Zhu Yuanzhang established after the overthrow of the Yuan Empire. The Ming emperor Yongle sponsored the building of the Forbidden City and the voyages of Zheng He. The later years of the Ming saw a slowdown in technological development and economic decline.

Emperor Yongle

The Chinese emperor during the Ming dynasty who created an encyclopedia and funded mariner voyages

Qing Dynasty

the last imperial dynasty of China (from 1644 to 1912) which was overthrown by revolutionaries. Also known for its extreme isolationism.

Devshirme

'Selection' in Turkish. The system by which boys from Christian communities were taken by the Ottoman state to serve as Janissaries.

Janissaries

Christian boys taken from families, converted to Islam, and then rigorously trained to serve the sultan

Timar System

land in exchange for military service, the value of land would be based upon rank and the amount of soldiers provided, not passed on to children

Safavid Empire

Turkish-ruled Iranian kingdom (1502-1722) established by Ismail who declared Iran a Shi'ite state.

Mughal Empire

Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Zamindars

Archaic tax system of the Mughal empire where decentralized lords collected tribute for the emperor.

Akbar

Most illustrious sultan of the Mughal Empire in India (r. 1556-1605). He expanded the empire and pursued a policy of conciliation with Hindus. Extremely tolerant.

Aurangzeb

Mughal emperor in India and great-grandson of Akbar 'the Great', under whom the empire reached its greatest extent, only to collapse after his death. Very religously intolerant of anything other than Islam

Songhay Empire

A Islamic state located in western Africa from the early 15th to the late 16th centuries following the decline of the Mali Empire.