AMSCO 2019 World History Modern: Unit 1 Vocabulary

Song Dynasty (East Asia)

Chinese Dynasty (replaced Tang Dynasty in 960 - 1279 CE) that could be considered their "golden age" when China saw many important inventions. There was a magnetic compass; had a navy; traded with India and Persia; paper money, gun powder

Confucianism (East Asia)

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct.

Filial Piety (East Asia)

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Neo-Confucianism (East Asia)

The Confucian response to Buddhism by taking Confucian and Buddhist beliefs and combining them into this. However, it is still very much Confucian in belief.

Theravada Buddhism

the oldest of the two major branches of Buddhism. Practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia, its beliefs are relatively conservative, holding close to the original teachings of the Buddha

Mahayana Buddhism

"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for Bodhisattva, enlightened persons who have postponed Nirvana to help others attain enlightenment. It was a more "user friendly" Buddhism that developed as Buddhism spread into East and Southeast Asia.

Tibetan Buddhism

a Buddhist doctrine that includes elements from India that are not Buddhist and elements of preexisting shamanism, a tradition of Buddhism that teaches that people can use special techniques to harness spiritual energy and can achieve nirvana in a single lifetime

Champa Rice (came from South Asia and into East Asia)

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season; led to increased populations in Song Dynasty China. Originally introduced into Vietnam from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)

Grand Canal (East Asia)

The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway in China linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Dynasty.

Flying Money

Chinese credit instrument that provided credit vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of the voyage; reduced danger of robbery; early form of currency

Seljuk Empire

Turkic empire ruled by sultans in Persia and modern-day

Iraq (11th and 12th centuries); Established Turks as major ethnic group carrying Islam across Eurasia, along with Arabs and Persians; Demonstrated weakness of Abbasid caliphate in its later

years; sultans held real power in the empire; Helped to spread the influence of Islam throughout the region

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.

Abbasid Caliphate

(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Muslim could be a part of.

House of Wisdom in Baghdad (Middle East)

Large Islamic-based Library and learning center. Focus of conversion of Greek and Roman classics and Indian learning into Arabic. Preserved knowledge.

Bhakti Movement

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

Sufism

An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the Shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin. Bonus: Sufism may have begun as a mystical response to the perceived love of luxury by the early Umayyad Caliphate.

Feudalism

Feudalism is a decentralized political and social system that emerged in medieval Europe (roughly 9th to 15th centuries), where land ownership and loyalty formed the basis of power. Under this system:

• Kings or monarchs granted land (called fiefs) to nobles or lords

• In return, nobles pledged military service, loyalty, and protection to the king

• Vassals (lesser nobles) managed portions of the land and owed allegiance to their lords

• Peasants or serfs

Vassal

a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance

Serfs

were peasant laborers who lived and worked on a lord’s estate under the feudal system in medieval Europe. Were not slaves, but they were bound to the land, meaning they couldn’t legally leave the manor without the lord’s permission.

Manorialism

Economic system during the Middle Ages that revolved around self-sufficient farming estates where lords and peasants shared the land; the economic side of feudalism

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful state in the African interior that apparently emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.

Cahokia

The dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri; flourished from about 900 to 1250 C.E.

Maya city-states

Classical culture in Southern Mexico and Central America; contemporary with Teotihuacan; extended over broad region; featured monumental architecture, written language, calendar system, mathematical system

Meritocracy

government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability; used in China via the Civil Service Exam

Syncretism

The unification or blending of opposing people, ideas, or practices, frequently in the realm of religion. For example, when Christianity or Buddhism was adopted by people in a new land, they often incorporate it into their existing culture and traditions.

Zen Buddhism

(also called Chen) a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition; illustrates the adaptations Buddhism made as it spread to new areas and interacted with different cultures

Greek Philosophy

the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics; distinguished by the ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; preserved by the Arabs after the Roman Empire collapsed

Mita System

economic system in Inca society where people paid taxes with their labor and what they produced; men and women were expected to contribute this labor to the state yearly

Chinampas

Floating gardens constructed along lake shores by the Mexica/Aztecs to increase agricultural yields.

Waru Waru Agriculture

A form of farming used in the Inca Empire; divided the hills into terraces or flat steps almost like steps; they could then control the amount of water being put into those places; led to vastly improved agriculture for the Incas

three-field system

A rotational system for agriculture in which one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow. Restores nutrients to the soil to improve crop yields. It gradually replaced two-field system in medieval Europe.

Crusades

A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule; ultimately spread culture and increased trade but were not successful

Renaissance

"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome; began in Florence, Italy and spread throughout Europe

Great Schism

in 1054, divided medieval Christianity into (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes.

Coercive Labor

Any labor system that involves force (slavery, chattel slavery, serfdom, and indentured labor)

Fief

land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

Buddhist Monks

religious communities where Buddha's followers stayed, studied, and meditated; both men and women could join monasteries as monks or nuns; often exempt from taxation which put strains on Chinese political systems

Proto-industrialization

Set of economic changes in which people in rural areas made more goods than they could sell. Proto-industrialization increased production of trade goods (porcelain and silk).

Scholar Gentry

The bureaucratic expansion created an entirely new social class called the _______. They were educated in Confucian philosophy and became the most influential social class in China.

Imperial bureaucracy

a vast organization in which appointed officials carried out the empire’s policies. It had been a feature of Chinese gov. since Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.E - 207 B.C.E.).

Woodblock printing

Chinese was the first culture to use this as a system of printing. Invented as early as 2nd century C.E and printing in 7th century.

Mamluks (Mamluk Sultanate) (Came from Central Asia and got ahold of Egypt, which was africa)

Ethnic Turks from Central Asia to serve as soldiers and later as bureaucrats. Had more opportunities for advancements than most enslaved people. They later seized control of gov. and established Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517). Facilitated trade in cotton and sugar between Islamic world and Europe. Declined in power since Portuguese and other Europeans developed new sea trades.

Seljuk Turks (Central Asia)

Came from Central Asian Seljuk Turks who were Muslims. 11th century, they began conquered parts of Middle East, extending power as far east as Western China. The leader called himself sultan, thereby reducing the role of the highest-ranking Abbasid from caliph to chief Sunni religious authority.

Sultan

A Sultan is a title used by Muslim rulers to denote sovereign authority, typically over a specific territory or empire. The term originates from the Arabic word sulṭān, meaning "power" or "authority." It has been used across various Islamic dynasties and regions to signify political, military, and sometimes religious leadership.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

(1201-1274) was one of the most celebrated Islamic scholars. He contributed to astronomy, law, logic, ethics, mathematics/geometry, philosophy, and medicine.

‘A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah

(1460-1507) Sufi poet and mystic (a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect) before the 20th century. Best known poem is called “Clear Inspiration, on Praise of the Trusted One”. Many of her works describe her journey toward mystical illumination.

Vijayanagra Empire (1336-1646)

Second kingdom after the Chola Dynasty (850-1267). Took its name from the word for “victorious city.” It began with the arrival of 2 brothers, Harihara and Bukka, from the Delhu Sultanate in north-central India. They were sent to the area because the Delhi Sultanate wished to extend its rule to southern India. These brothers had been born as Hindus and converted to Islam for the sake of upward mobility. When they left the region controlled by the Delhi Sultanate, they once again embraced the religion of their birth and established their own Hindu kingdom. It existed from mid-1300s until mid-1500s, when a group of Muslim kingdoms overthrew it.

Rajput Kingdoms

Located in Northern India, after the fall of the Gupta Empire, the Rajput kingdoms gradually formed in Northern India and present-day Pakistan. These were Hindu kingdoms led by leaders of numerous clans who were often at war with one another. Competition among clans decentralized gov. This led the kingdoms vulnerable to Muslim attacks.

Proselytize

Actively seek converts

Qutub Minar

Islamic minaret with Hindu design (S.Asia). A sultan built it in the southern part of Delhi.

Srivijaya Empire

(670-1025) was a sea-based Hindu kingdom based on Sumatra. It built up its navy and prospered by charging fees for ships traveling between India and China.

Majapahit Kingdom

(1293-1520) based on Java had 98 tributaries at its height. Like Srivijaya, Majapahit sustained its power by controlling sea routes. Unlike Srivijaya, Majapahit was Buddhist.

Sinhala Dynasties

Were land-based kingdoms in Sri Lanka that had their roots in the arrival of early immigrants, most likely merchants, from N. India. Buddhists arrived in the 3rd century B.C.E. and the island became a center of Buddhist study. Monasteries and nunneries flourished. Buddhist priests often served as advisors to the monarchs+built irrigations and stuff. However, attacks by invaders from India and conflicts between the monarchy and the priests ultimately weakened the kingdoms

Khmer Empire (Angkor Kingdom(

(802-1431), was situated near the Mekong River and also did not depend on maritime prowess for its power. Irrigation and drainage systems led to economic growth. Allowed farmers to harvest rice crops several times a year. Khmer capital was at Angkor Thom. Syncreted with Indian/Hindu influence w/Buddhism in 12th and 13th without destroying Hindu artwork.

Sukhothai Kingdom

the first independent Thai kingdom, established in 1238 after breaking away from the Khmer Empire. It is known for its cultural achievements, especially the creation of the Thai script and the promotion of Theravada Buddhism.

Mississippian culture

First large-scale civilization in North America that emerged in the 700s or 800s in now eastern U.S. Started in Mississippi River Valley. Mississippians built big earthen mounds.

Matrilineal society

Mississippians had this society which means that social standing was determined by women’s side of the family. Applied to leaders and the Great Sun/emperor.

City-state

Main from of Mayan gov. that was each ruled by a king and consisting of a city and its surrounding territory. Men were most of the time rulers.

Human Sacrifices

City-states fought to gain tribute- payments from the conquered to the conqueror- and captives to be used as human sacrifices during religious ceremonies.

Mexicas

Aka the Aztecs. Were hunter-gatherers who migrated to central Mexico from the North in the 1200s. In 1325, they founded their capital Tenochtitlán on the site of what is now Mexico City. Over the next 100 yrs, they conquered the surrounding peoples and created an empire that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

Theocracy

Rule by religious leaders.

Pachacuti

(1438: event) tribal leader that conquered tribes living in now Cuzco, Peru. Military victories, followed by those of his son, combined the small tribes into full-fledged state- Incan empire. Extended from present-day Ecuador in the N. to Chile in the S. 1493, Pachacuti’s grandson, Huayna Capac, ruled the empire. Pachacuti was the founder of the Inca Empire.

Inca Empire

Split into 4 provinces with own governor and bureaucracy. Ruled by Sapa Inca (king).

Mit’a System

Mandatory public service to conquered people between the ages of 15 and 50.

Temple of the Sun

A religious place to honor the sun and royal ancestor veneration—→ Meant to extend the rule of a leader even when was dead, they still kept what they rule.

Animism

Belief that elements of the physical world could have supernatural powers. Called Huaca, they could be large geographical features such as a river or a mountain peak. Or they could be very small objects such as a stone, a plant, or a built object.

Carpa Nan

Massive roadway system w/ some 25000 miles of road. Allowed for messages, armies, and goods to move quickly through the empire.

Hausa Kingdoms

Before 1000 in now Nigeria, people of the Hausa ethnic group formed seven states. The states were loosely connected through kinship ties, though they too had no central authority. People established prospering city-states, each with a speciality. For example, several were situated in plains where cotton grew well. They benefited from trade too.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Network of trading routes across the Saharan dessert. The Hausa benefited from this trading route.

Ghana

Between the Sahara and rain forests of West African coast, the kingdom of Ghana was not in the same location as the modern nation of Ghana. Believed to be founded during 5th century. It reached peak of influence from 8-11 centuries. Gold and ivory were traded for salt, copper, cloth and tools to Muslim traders in Ghana. Ghana’s capital city, Koumbi Saleh, had a king that ruled a centralized gov. aided by nobles and an army equipped w/ iron weapons.

Mali

Founding ruler was Sundiata and was a Muslim and used his faith to establish trade relationship with N. African and Arab merchants. Mali rose to replace Ghana in 13th C.- also became wealthy thru trade in gold and salt. His nephew, Mansa Musa, was the most powerful ruler and made a pilgrimage to Mecca where he distributed gold and left a lasting impression. This resulted in the value of gold to decrease becuz he had so much gold!

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe was a powerful trading kingdom in southeastern Africa, flourishing between the 12th and 15th centuries. It was known for its massive stone architecture, especially the Great Zimbabwe, which served as the political and religious center of the kingdom. The state grew wealthy from trade in gold and ivory, connecting to coastal Swahili city-states and broader Indian Ocean trade networks.

Indian Ocean Trade

vast maritime network that connected East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, facilitating the exchange of goods, cultures, and ideas from 1200 to 1450.

Swahili

A language and a culture that developed along the East African coast through interactions between Bantu-speaking Africans and Arab traders. Bantu-based language enriched with Arabic vocabulary, developed as a lingua franca. Independent coastal trading hubs like Kilwa, Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Malindi, which thrived from 1200 to 1500 CE. City-states were vital in the Indian Ocean Trade Network, exporting gold, ivory, and slaves and importing porcelain, spices, and textiles.

Ethiopia

A Christian kingdom in East Africa that maintained its independence and distinct religious identity despite the spread of Islam in surrounding regions. Descended from the Kingdom of Aksum, Ethiopia claimed lineage from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It resisted Islamic expansion and developed a unique blend of African and Christian culture. Prospered by trading goods obtained from India, Arabia, the Roman Empire, and the interior Africa. Spread of Islam made the region more diverse religiously. From the 12th through the 16th centuries, it was an island of Christianity on the continent of Africa. Separated from both the Roman Catholic Church of western Europe and Orthodox Church of eastern Europe, Ethiopian Christianity developed independently.

Indian Ocean slave trade

Was a trade resulted for a strong demand in the Middle East for enslaved workers between East Africa and the Middle East. This trade started several centuries before the Atlantic Ocean slave trade between West Africa and the Americas. In some places, it lasted into the 20th century. 

Zanj Rebellion

Between 869 and 883 CE, enslaved East Africans, known in Arabic as Zanj, as well as many Arab workers mounted a series of revolts as the Zanj Rebellion. About 15,000 enslaved people successfully captured the city of Basra and held it for ten years before being defeated. The large size and long length of time before it was defeated makes the Zanj Rebellion one of the most successful slave revolts in history.

Griots

Since literature was oral in Sub-Saharan Africa, there were storytellers. They possessed encyclopedic knowledge of family lineages and the lives of deeds of great leaders. Were also adept at music, singing their songs like how King Von sings “Crazy Story”. By telling and retelling their stories and histories, the ______ preserved a people’s history and passed that history on from generation to generation. When a griot died, it was as though a library had burned. Woman were ______, too. _______ women with a sense of empowerment in a patriarchal society.

Estates-General

A body to advise the king that included representatives from each of the three legal classes, or estates in France: the clergy, nobility, and commoners. Although the French kings consulted this Estates-General, when necessary, they did not exact regular taxes from the upper two estates, the clergy and nobility. Consequently, the Estates-General had little power. The clergy and nobility felt little responsibility to protect a government that they were not financing, a problem that only continued to increase in France up to the eve of the French Revolution of 1789.

Estates

The Estates were the three legally defined social classes in France before the French Revolution (1789):

1. First Estate – The clergy (church officials)

2. Second Estate – The nobility

3. Third Estate – Everyone else: commoners, including peasants, artisans, and the bourgeoisie (middle class)

Otto I

A German king who became Holy Roman Emperor in 962 CE and played a key role in reviving the idea of a unified Christian empire in Western Europe. The German king Otto I was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962, hearkening back to Charlemagne’s designation as Emperor of the Romans. Otto’s successors survived the power struggle with the papacy over the lay investiture controversy of the 11th and 12th centuries. This dispute was over whether a secular (non-religious) leader, rather than the pope, could invest bishops with the symbols of office. It was finally resolved in the Concordat of Worms of 1122, when the Church achieved autonomy from secular authorities.

The Holy Roman Empire remained vibrant until it was virtually destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648). It lingered on, but with little power. The Empire came to a formal end when the French leader Napoleon invaded central Europe in 1806.

Lay investiture controversy

This dispute was over whether a secular (non-religious) leader, rather than the pope, could invest bishops with the symbols of office. It was finally resolved in the Concordat of Worms of 1122, when the Church achieved autonomy from secular authorities.

Magna Carta

Many English nobles objected to the power of William and the succeeding Norman monarchs. These nobles forced limits on that power. In 1215, they forced King John to sign the ________, which required the king to respect certain rights, such as the right to a jury trial before a noble could be sentenced to prison. They also won the right to be consulted on the issue of scutage (a tax paid by a knight who wanted to pay money instead of providing military service).

English Parliament

Many English nobles objected to the power of William the Conqueror and the succeeding Norman monarchs. These nobles forced limits on that power, creating a legislative body formed in 1265 that marked a shift in political power from the monarchy to representative institutions, especially benefiting the English nobility. In the first full parliamentary meeting in 1265, the House of Lords represented the nobles and Church hierarchy, while the House of Commons was made up of elected representatives of wealthy townspeople. Eventually, the power of these two legislative bodies in England became stronger than that of similar bodies on the European continent. 

Hundred Years’ War

Between 1337 and 1453, the rival monarchies of England and France fought a series of battles known as the Hundred Years’ War. English archers armed with longbows (about six feet long) helped win early victories for England. By the end of the conflict, England retained only the port of Calais in France. Two other important results of the war were on how people saw themselves and how they fought.

• On each side, serving under a monarch fostered a sense of unity among soldiers who often spoke distinct languages or dialects. The war also demonstrated that a person identifying themselves as “English” or “French” rather than from a particular region.

• The war also demonstrated the strategic use of gunpowder weapons. Gunpowder had been introduced to Europe in the 8th century by Mongols.

Reconquista

In addition to conquering England, the Normans also conquered Sicily, taking control of that Mediterranean island from Muslims. Muslims had conquered Spain in the 8th century. From that time, Christians had wanted to reconquer it. This effort, called the ________, occurred over many centuries. It was finally completed in 1492.

Primogeniture

The eldest son in a family inherited the entire estate, left a generation of younger sons with little access to wealth. 

Marco Polo

The crusades were just part of the changes occurring in Europe in the late Middle Ages. Local economic self-sufficiency in Europe gradually gave way to an interest in goods from other European areas and from far-flung ports. In the late 13th century, an Italian native from Venice, visited the court of Kublai Khan in Dadu, modern-day Beijing. Polo’s captivating descriptions of the customs of the people he met intrigued Europeans. For example, he described how Mongols had multiple marriages, drank mare’s milk, burned black stones (coal) to heat their homes, and bathed frequently—often three times per week. Curiosity about Asia skyrocketed, stimulating interest in cartography, or mapmaking.

Bourgeoisie

Growth in long-distance commerce changed the social pyramid of Western Europe. Economic success started to rival religious vocation or military service in winning status. This middle class, between the elite nobles and clergy and the mass of peasants, began to grow. Known as the ________, or burghers, it included shopkeepers, merchants, craftspeople, and small landholders.

Little Ice Age

Urban growth was hampered after about 1300 by a five-century cooling of the climate known as the ________. Lower temperatures reduced agricultural productivity, so people had less to trade and cities grew more slowly. The ________ led to an increase in disease and an increase in unemployment. These, in turn, created social unrest. The crime rate increased, and Jews, and other groups that already faced discrimination, were the victims of scapegoating—being blamed for something over which they had no control.

Antisemitism

Was widespread among Christians. They thought of Jews as outsiders and untrustworthy. Jews were expelled from England in 1290, France in 1394, Spain in 1492, and Portugal in 1497, as well as from various independent kingdoms and cities in northern and central Europe. Jews expelled from western and central Europe often moved to eastern Europe. While Jews had lived in this region since the 1st century, their numbers increased greatly because of the expulsions.

Humanism

One characteristic of the Renaissance was the interest in ___________, the focus on individuals rather than God. Humanists sought education and reform. They began to write secular literature. Cultural changes in the Renaissance, such as the increased use of the vernacular language, propelled the rise of powerful monarchies, the centralization of governments, and the birth of nationalism.