Studied by 39 people
Abbasid
A group of people that conquered Damascus in 750; founded a new city for their capital (Baghdad); became one of the most powerful and innovative empires of its time
Baghdad
Founded by the Abbasid; rivaled Constantinople in wealth and population; center of learning Invented thicker and more usable paper here
Viziers
A high official in some Muslim countries, especially in Turkey under Ottoman rule; prime ministers
Selijuk Turks
Muslims that originated from Central Asia and seized parts of the Middle East
Sultan
Leader of the Seljuk Turks
Mamluks
A Turkic group that had formerly been military slaves that originated from Egypt and took control of Egypt and established an empire across North Africa
Cordoba
capital of Muslim Spain, an economic center, hundreds of workshops, culture and learning flourished there
Battle of Tours
Islamic military vs Frankish military; The Islamic defeat marked the limit of rapid Islamic expansion into Western Europe
Muhammad
Arab prophet; founder of religion of Islam
Bedouins
Small groups of nomadic people in Arabia during the 6th century
Polygyny
A form of marriage in which men have more than one wife
Allah
Arabic word for God
Mecca
The holiest city of Islam; Muhammad's birthplace
Quran
The holy book of Islam
Medina
A city in western Saudi Arabia; a city where Muhammad preached and fled to
Hegira
Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina
Kaaba
A black stone building in Mecca that is shaped like a cube and that is the most sacred Muslim pilgrim shrine
People of the Book
What Muslims called Christians and Jews which means that they too only believe in one god
Five Pillars of Islam
Believing in only one God - Allah
Praying five times daily
Giving alms to the poor
Fasting during the month of Ramadan
Making a pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime
Jihad
"struggle in the way of God" and to improve both oneself and society
Ramadan
Month of fasting
Shari'ah
Islamic code of law that outlines behavioral requirements for daily life
Abu Bakr
First caliph of Islam after the death of Muhammad; Muhammad's father-in-law
Caliph
A supreme political and religious leader in a Muslim government
Ali
The fourth caliph of Islam who is considered to be the first caliph by Shias
Sunnis
Supporters of Abu Bakr; 85-90% of Muslims
Shias
Supporters of Ali; consider Ali the first true caliph
Dar al-Islam
A term used by Muslims to refer to those countries where Muslims can practice their religion freely
Female infanticide
The intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies
Dowries
These are payments made by a woman's family to the family of a potential groom in order for the woman to marry him
Hijab
A head covering worn in public by some Muslim women; can also mean the practice of modest dress in a general sense
Sufis
Muslim mystics who seek communion with God through meditation, fasting, and other rituals; abstained from earthly pleasures and emphasized introspection to grasp truths that the believed could not be understood through learning
Equal Field System
Chinese system during the Tang dynasty in which the goal was to ensure an equitable distribution of land
Champa Rice
Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Originally introduced into Champa from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)
Proto-industrialization
A phase that precedes and enables full industrialization; China went through this under the Song Dynasty and it was earlier than Western Europe
Flying cash
A type of credit system that allowed a merchant to deposit paper money under his name in one location and withdraw the same amount at another location
Paper money
Lighter money that allowed easier transportation and was used in the flying cash system
Magnetic compass
Chinese invention that aided navigation by showing which direction was north
Rudder
Steering device, usually a vertical blade attached to a post at, or near, the stern of the boat
Junk
A very large flatbottom sailing ship produced in the Tang and Song Empires, specially designed for long-distance commercial travel
Wood-block printing
A printing system developed by the ancient Chinese, in which wood blocks were carved with enough characters to print entire pages
Nuclear family
Mother, father and children living as a unit
Sinification
Extensive adoption of Chinese culture in other regions; typical of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam
Xuanzang
A famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period. He became famous for his 17 year trip to India and back
Hsuan Tsung
Tang Emperor who was more concerned with his favorite concubine than administrative control
An Lushan
Military adventurer who launched a rebellion in 755 and briefly seized the capital of Chang'an
Scholar gentry
The Chinese class of well-educated men from whom many bureaucrats were chosen; most influential social class in China
Daimyo
A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai
Sui Dynasty
(589-618 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was like the Qin Dynasty in imposing tight political discipline; this dynasty built the Grand Canal which helped transport the rice in the south to the north
Grand Canal
A canal linking northern and southern China; greatest accomplishment of the Sui Dynasty
Hangzhou
Capital of later Song dynasty; located near East China Sea; permitted overseas trading; population exceeded 1 million.
Tang Dynasty
(618-907 CE) The Chinese dynasty that was much like the Han, who used Confucianism. This dynasty had the equal-field system, a bureaucracy based on merit, and a Confucian education system.
Middle Kingdom (China)
Term that ancient China used to refer to themselves. The believed they were the center of the Earth, or the Middle Kingdom
Silla Kingdom
A kingdom in Korea that was not a part of the Chinese Empire but still had to pay a large tribute to the emperor
Tribituary system
An arrangement in which other states had to pay money or provide goods to honor an emperor
Song Dynasty
(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military
Southern Song Dynasty
This portion of the Song survived until 1279 when the Mongol Empire invaded. Mongols destroyed the gov't and created the Yuan Dynasty. Song dynasty paid tribute before
Tang Taizong
(627- 649) He reconquerored the northern and western land that China had since the decline of the Han Dynasty. He started the achievements of the Tang Dynasty; Education became more important because of the bureaucracy and this fostered economic growth
Song Taizu
First Song dynasty emperor who reigned from 960-976 CE. He focused his rule on civil administration, industry, education, and the arts rather than on military affairs. Inaugurated bureaucracy of merit
Chang'an
Capital of Tang dynasty
Kaifeng
Capital of Song Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
(1279-1368 CE) The dynasty with Mongol rule in China; centralized with bureaucracy but structure is different: Mongols on top->Persian bureaucrats->Chinese bureuacrats.
Ming Dynasty
A major dynasty that ruled China from 1368-1644. It was marked by a great expansion of Chinese commerce into East Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia
Minamoto Clan
This group took control after the Heian court. Installed a shogun and emphasized military power and control.
Shogun
Supreme military commander
Samurai
A member of the warrior class in premodern feudal Japan
Kumsong
The capital of Korea in the medieval era, modeled on the Chinese capital of Chang'an
Guerilla warefare
A hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war; fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes
Kowtow
Anyone meeting the emperor must bow their head until it reached the floor
Uighurs
An ethnic ground living in Central Asia on land controlled by China; they arrived from the west to restore power to the government and defeat the rebels
Foot binding
Practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household
Li Bo
Most famous poet of the Tang era; blended images of the mundane world with philosophical musings
Du Fu
One of the main Chinese poets during the Tang dynasty. He was the Confucian poet of Tang China.His writing dealt with the hardships of daily life as the Tang Dynasty began to crumble
Chan Buddhism
Known as Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular with members of elite Chinese society
Neo-Confucianism
A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.
Shotoku Taishi
A Japanese prince who used Chinese ideas to set up a more centralized system of government in China
Taika Reforms
Attempt to remake Japanese monarch into an absolute Chinese-style emperor; included attempts to create professional bureaucracy and peasant conscript army
Fujiwara Clan
Aristocratic family that dominated the Japanese imperial court between the ninth and twelfth centuries
Nara
Japan's first capital city, modeled on the Chinese capital of Chang'an
Heian
Japanese city later called Kyoto; built to escape influence of Buddhist monks
Murasaki Shikibu
Author of the Tale of Genji
The Tale of the Genji
Written by Lady Murasaki; first novel in any language; relates life history of prominent and amorous son of the Japanese emperor; evidence for mannered style of Japanese society
Bushido
The Feudal Japanese code of honor among the warrior class; stressed frugality, loyalty, the martial arts, and honor until death
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