APWH Period 2 - Unit 3: Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)

terms and historical importance

Qing Dynasty

Manchu rulers who expanded China’s borders and used a traditional bureaucracy to maintain long-term stability.

Samurai

Elite warrior class in Japan who provided military service in exchange for land and social status.

Sunni/Shiite split intensifies

Conflict between the Ottoman (Sunni) and Safavid (Shiite) empires that defined political and religious borders in the Middle East.

Henry VIII

King who broke from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England, increasing monarchical power over religion.

Protestant Reformation & Counter Reformation

A split in Christianity that led to religious wars and the Catholic Church’s attempt to fix corruption and regain followers.

Devshirme

Ottoman system of taking Christian boys, converting them to Islam, and training them as elite soldiers or bureaucrats.

European Divine Right

The belief that a king’s power comes directly from God, making them unaccountable to any earthly authority.

Taj Mahal

A massive Mughal tomb that served as a symbol of the empire’s immense wealth and Islamic architectural achievement.

Mughal Empire

A gunpowder empire in India known for religious tolerance under Akbar and beautiful architecture like the Taj Mahal.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman infantry units made of former Christian boys; they were fiercely loyal and highly skilled in gunpowder warfare.

Versailles

King Louis XIV’s massive palace used to display his absolute power and keep his nobles under close watch.

Suleymaniye Mosque

A grand Ottoman mosque that displayed the Sultan’s religious authority and cultural greatness.

Ottoman Empire

A massive gunpowder empire that controlled key trade routes and acted as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

Sikhism

A new religion in India that blended Hindu and Muslim ideas; it eventually became a military force against Mughal rule.

Daimyo

Powerful Japanese land-holding nobles who often competed for power before being brought under control by the Shogunate.

Absolutism

A system of government where a single ruler has total power, often justified by the "Divine Right of Kings."

Safavid Empire

A Shiite gunpowder empire in Persia that frequently fought with the Ottomans over territory and religion.

Akbar the Great

Mughal leader famous for his policy of religious tolerance and creating a strong, centralized government in India.

Zamindars

Local tax collectors in the Mughal Empire who became very powerful and influential in their regions.

Louis XIV

The "Sun King" of France; he was the ultimate absolute monarch who centralized all government power in himself.

Tokugawa Japan

A period of peace and stability where the Shogunate isolated Japan and strictly controlled the Daimyo.

Tax Farming

A system where the government sells the right to collect taxes to private individuals, often leading to corruption.

Martin Luther

Monk who started the Protestant Reformation by challenging Catholic Church corruption and the power of the Pope.

Shogunate

A military government in Japan led by a Shogun, who held the real power while the Emperor was just a figurehead.