AP World History (c. 1200 - c. 1450) Vocabulary Flashcards

A comprehensive vocabulary flashcard set covering key political, social, cultural, economic, and religious terms across AP World History regions from c. 1200 to c. 1450.

Dar al-Islam

"The House of Islam"; regions where Muslims are the majority and Islamic law and governance prevail.

Pax Mongolica

The period of relative peace and stability across Eurasia under Mongol rule that facilitated trade and communication.

Manorialism

An economic and social system where peasants/serfs depended on a lord's estate (manor) and land in exchange for labor and yield.

Feudalism

A decentralized political hierarchy where monarchs granted land and authority to local nobles and knights in exchange for military service and loyalty.

Bhakti Movement

A devotional Hindu movement emphasizing a personal love and devotion to a specific deity, downplaying rigid caste hierarchies.

Haudenosaunee

"People of the Longhouse"; the alliance/confederation of five (later six) Iroquois nations committed to peaceful governance.

Quipu

An intricate system of knotted strings used by the Inca for record-keeping and administrative communication.

Chasqui

Incan runners who traveled along the imperial road network to deliver messages rapidly across the empire.

Sodality

Non-kinship brotherhoods or sisterhoods, often organized by age group, that shared decision-making power in traditional societies.

Hangzhou

Capital of the Song state after 1132, located in the Yangzi River Delta, which became a massive commercial and cultural center with a population reaching up to 1 million.

Dadu (Beijing)

The capital established in northern China by the Mongol Yuan dynasty.

Yangzi River Delta

Fertile region in central/southern China critical for wet-field rice production.

Song Dynasty

Imperial dynasty centered in southern China; renowned for meritocratic civil service exams, rapid economic growth, and urbanization.

Jurchens

Non-Chinese nomadic group that conquered northern China during the 12th century, shrinking Song territorial control.

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol-led dynasty in China established by Kublai Khan.

Ming Dynasty

Native Chinese dynasty founded after defeating the Mongols.

Shogun

Military commander and top general who served as the de facto political ruler of Japan.

Samurai

Elite band of Japanese warriors who served landowning aristocrats.

Confucianism

Philosophical system based on the teachings of Confucius emphasizing social hierarchies (ruler/subject, husband/wife, father/son).

Civil Service Examinations

Examinations tested on Confucian texts that allowed educated men to gain government offices.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

Branch of Buddhism introduced to Japan from China that emphasized rigorous discipline and obedience to a master.

Pure Land Buddhism

Devotional branch of Buddhism popular among ordinary people, focused on the Buddha Amitabha.

Shinto

Traditional indigenous animistic religion of Japan.

Wet-Field Rice Culture

Intensive farming system where rice seedlings are transplanted into flooded paddies, yielding two harvests a year.

Zhu Xi

Outstanding scholar (1130–1200 CE) who compiled the official version of Confucian texts used in imperial examinations.

Taizu

Penniless orphan turned brilliant general who led armies against the Mongols and founded the Ming Dynasty.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim Turkic empire in northern India that protected the region from Mongol invasion.

Rajputs

Hereditary warrior clans in central and northern India claiming descent from warriors.

Dai Viet

Independent kingdom in Vietnam formed after repelling Chinese control.

Khmer Empire

Empire centered at Angkor famous for architectural monuments.

Theravada Buddhism

Branch of Buddhism originating in Sri Lanka; gained popularity in Southeast Asia due to its belief that small acts of devotion could lead to a better rebirth.

Purdah

Practice of isolating or secluding women, adopted by some strict Hindu and Islamic communities in South Asia.

Timur (Tamerlane)

Ruthless Turkic-Mongol military conqueror (1336–1405) who devastated parts of Persia, Russia, and northern India.

House of Wisdom

Intellectual center established in Baghdad for research, translation, and scientific synthesis.

Caliphate

Universal Islamic state led by a caliph, considered a political successor to Muhammad.

Seljuk Dynasty

Turkic pastoralists who converted to Islam, conquered Persia, and adopted Persian culture.

Mamluk Sultanate

Islamic state based in Egypt that successfully halted Mongol expansion.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Persian scholar who invented trigonometry and made breakthroughs in astronomy and biology.

Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

Author of The Canon of Medicine (1025), which remained a primary medical text in Europe for centuries.

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Islamic scholar and traveler who journeyed over 73,000 miles across Dar al-Islam, serving as an Islamic judge (qadi) in multiple regions.

Marco Polo

Venetian Christian merchant whose Asia travels stood in contrast to Ibn Battuta's, as Polo remained an outsider across eastern lands.

Eurasian Steppe

Vast belt of dry grassland stretching across Eurasia, home to nomadic pastoralists.

Karakorum

Imperial capital built by Ögedei Khan in Mongolia.

Tengri

Nomadic sky god worshiped in Mongol shamanism.

Jamal al-Din

Persian astronomer invited to Kublai Khan's court, exemplifying the cross-cultural exchange of science under the Khans.

Swahili City-States

Coastal trade ports (e.g., Kilwa, Mombasa, Lamu, Sofala) that facilitated Indian Ocean trade.

Great Zimbabwe

Monumental stone city and center of an inland empire supported by cattle herding and gold trade.

Nzimbu

Rare shells harvested on the West African coast that served as currency in the Kingdom of Kongo.

Lukeni lua Nimi

Military and political figure who unified smaller regions to establish the Kingdom of Kongo.

Serfs

Impoverished peasants legally bound to the land of a lord.

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Cusco

Capital city of the Inca Empire located in the Andes Mountains.

Mayapan

Post-Classic Maya center in the Yucatán Peninsula featuring Toltec artistic and architectural influences.

Wampum Belt

Beaded belts (such as the Hiawatha belt) used to record official political treaties and agreements.

Mexica

Indigenous name for the founders of the Aztec Empire.

Quetzalcoatl

Feathered serpent deity associated with creation and prophecies of return.

Tribute Empire

System in which conquered territories were compelled to pay food, textiles, and goods without full cultural assimilation.

Sapa Inca

Title for the divine emperor of the Inca, viewed as the earthly representative of the sun god Inti.

Huacas

Sacred objects or natural locations (rocks, streams, mountains) holding spiritual power.