Unit 1: Key Terms Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on Unit 1 key terms covering regional developments across East Asia, Dar al-Islam, South and Southeast Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe.

Imperial Bureaucracy

A system in which an emperor governs through appointed government officials who administer laws, collect taxes, and manage the empire. China used this system extensively.

House of Wisdom

A major center of scholarship in Abbasid Baghdad where scholars translated and studied works from Greek, Persian, Indian, and other traditions.

Hinduism

A diverse religion originating in South Asia that includes beliefs in karma, dharma, reincarnation, and moksha. Hinduism became closely connected to the caste system, a social hierarchy that organized people into different social groups.

Mississippian

A North American culture centered around large settlements and agriculture, especially maize cultivation; Cahokia was its largest known city.

Kin-based Networks

Social and political systems organized around extended families, clans, and other relationships based on kinship.

Middle Ages

The period of European history between roughly 500 and 1500 CE, characterized by feudalism, manorialism, Christianity, and decentralized political authority.

Meritocracy

A system in which people gain positions based on ability, education, or achievement rather than birth or social class.

Islam

A monotheistic religion founded by Muhammad in Arabia that teaches submission to Allah and follows the Quran and teachings of Muhammad.

Vijayanagara Empire

A powerful Hindu empire in southern India that flourished from the 14th to 16th centuries and competed with Muslim states.

Mayan Empire

A civilization in Mesoamerica known for city-states, writing, mathematics, astronomy, and monumental architecture.

Hausa Kingdoms

Independent city-states in West Africa that became important centers of trade, agriculture, and Islamic culture.

Feudalism

A political and social system based on relationships between lords and vassals involving land, loyalty, and military service.

Civil Service Exam

Exams used in China to select government officials based largely on knowledge of Confucian texts and principles.

Mamluk Sultanate

A Muslim state in Egypt and Syria ruled by military slaves who became powerful political leaders.

Rajput Kingdoms

Hindu warrior states in northern and western India that resisted and interacted with Muslim rulers.

City-states

Independent political units consisting of a city and the surrounding territory it controlled.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade across the Sahara Desert connecting West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean world.

Monarch

A king, queen, emperor, or other hereditary ruler.

Grand Canal

A major Chinese waterway connecting northern and southern China that helped move food, goods, and people and strengthened political unity.

Seljuk Turks

Turkic-speaking Muslims who established a powerful empire in the Middle East and supported Sunni Islam.

Delhi Sultanate

A series of Muslim dynasties that ruled much of northern India from the 13th to 16th centuries.

Chichen Itza

A major Maya city in the Yucatán Peninsula known for its monumental architecture, including the pyramid known as El Castillo. It was an important political, religious, and economic center.

Ghana

An early West African empire that became wealthy by controlling trade in gold and salt across the Sahara.

Feudal Obligations

Responsibilities exchanged between lords and vassals, such as military service in return for land and protection.

Champa Rice

A fast-growing, drought-resistant rice from Southeast Asia that increased agricultural production in China and contributed to population growth.

Sultan

A Muslim ruler or political leader, especially one who governs a state or empire.

Proselytize

To attempt to convert people to a particular religion.

Aztecs

A powerful Mesoamerican empire centered in the Valley of Mexico that expanded through conquest and tribute.

Mali

A powerful West African empire that became wealthy through gold and salt trade and became an important center of Islam.

Chivalry

A code of conduct associated with medieval European knights that emphasized loyalty, courage, honor, and military service, especially toward one's lord.

Proto-industrialization

Early forms of large-scale production, often involving rural households producing goods for merchants before the Industrial Revolution.

Crusades/Crusaders

Military campaigns launched by European Christians, especially between the 11th and 13th centuries, to capture or defend Christian holy sites in the Middle East.

Urdu

A language that developed in South Asia through interaction among Indian languages, Persian, and Arabic-speaking Muslim populations.

Tenochtitlan

The capital of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Zimbabwe

A powerful southern African kingdom whose wealth came partly from controlling regional trade.

Manor

A large agricultural estate controlled by a lord and worked largely by peasants or serfs.

Tribute System

A system in which neighboring states acknowledged China's superiority and sent tribute to the Chinese emperor in exchange for trade and diplomatic benefits.

Abbasid Caliphate

A major Islamic empire centered in Baghdad that promoted trade, scholarship, science, and cultural exchange.

Bhakti Movement

A Hindu devotional movement emphasizing personal devotion to a particular deity rather than religious ritual or social status.

Chinampas

Artificial agricultural islands created in shallow lakes; the Aztecs used them to produce large quantities of food.

Indian Ocean Trade

A maritime trading network connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.

Manorial System

An economic system centered on self-sufficient agricultural estates known as manors.

Sinification

The adoption of Chinese culture, language, political systems, and traditions by neighboring peoples.

Sufis

Muslim mystics who emphasized a personal and spiritual relationship with God; they played an important role in spreading Islam.

Srivijaya Empire

A Buddhist maritime empire based on the island of Sumatra that controlled important trade routes through Southeast Asia.

Theocracy

A government in which religious leaders or religious beliefs play a central role in political authority.

Swahili

Syncretic language and culture that developed along the East African coast through interaction among African, Arab, Persian, and Indian peoples. Bantu + Arabic= Swahili

Serf

A peasant legally tied to a lord's land who was required to provide labor or other obligations but was not considered a slave.

Kowtow

A formal act of kneeling and bowing deeply before the Chinese emperor as a sign of submission or respect.

Battle of Tours

An 732 battle in which Frankish forces defeated an Umayyad Muslim army in western Europe. Stopped expansion into Europe.

Majapahit Kingdom

A powerful Hindu-Buddhist kingdom based in Java that dominated parts of Southeast Asian maritime trade.

Incan Empire

A large empire in the Andes that controlled much of western South America and developed sophisticated roads, agriculture, and government systems.

Great Zimbabwe

A large stone-built urban and political center in southern Africa associated with the Kingdom of Zimbabwe.

Three-Field System

An agricultural system in which farmland was divided into three sections, with one left fallow each year to maintain soil fertility.

Scholar Gentry

The educated elite in imperial China who often served as government officials and held significant social and economic power.

Khmer Empire

A powerful Southeast Asian empire centered in present-day Cambodia, famous for Angkor Wat and sophisticated irrigation systems.

Mit’a System

A labor system used by the Inca in which subjects were required to provide labor for public projects, agriculture, or the military.

Ethiopia

A Christian kingdom in East Africa that maintained Christianity despite being surrounded by predominantly Muslim states.

Magna Carta

A 1215 English document that limited the power of the monarch and established principles that influenced later ideas about government and rights.

Foot binding

The practice of tightly binding girls' feet to produce a smaller, socially valued foot; it became associated with elite status and female beauty in China.

Animism

A belief system in which natural objects, animals, plants, and places may possess spiritual forces or spirits.

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

The transportation and sale of enslaved people across the Indian Ocean, particularly from East Africa to Arabia, Persia, and South Asia.

English Parliament

England's representative legislative body that developed into an institution capable of limiting royal authority.

Woodblock printing

A printing method in which text or images are carved into a wooden block and then transferred onto paper. It helped spread books and ideas in China.

Quipu

A system of knotted cords used by the Inca to record information, especially numerical and administrative data.

Griots

West African storytellers and oral historians who preserved and transmitted information about families, rulers, and historical events.

Hundred Years War

A long series of conflicts between England and France from 1337–1453 over territory and political control.

Buddhism

A religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) that teaches that suffering is caused by desire and can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path.

Waru Waru

Raised agricultural fields used in the Andes by the Inca to improve drainage, protect crops from frost, and increase agricultural productivity.

Reconquista

The centuries -long process in which Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula conquered territory from Muslim rulers.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious or cultural traditions into a new or combined practice.

Carpa Nan

The extensive road system of the Inca Empire that connected different parts of the empire and facilitated communication, trade, and military movement.

Great Schism

The 1054 division between the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Zen Buddhism

A form of Buddhism that emphasizes meditation, discipline, and direct personal experience. It became particularly influential in Japan.

Monasticism

A religious practice in which individuals withdraw from ordinary society to devote themselves to religious life, prayer, and service.

Filial Piety

The Confucian belief that children should respect, obey, and care for their parents and ancestors.

Primogeniture

The practice of having the eldest son inherit the family's land or property.

Neo-Confucianism

A revival and expansion of Confucian ideas that incorporated elements of Buddhism and Daoism and became influential in Song China.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant whose accounts of his travels in Asia contributed to European knowledge of Asian societies and trade.

Daimyo

Powerful Japanese landowners who controlled territories and warriors during Japan's feudal period.

Bourgeoisie

The urban middle class, including merchants, artisans, and professionals, whose economic influence grew during the later Middle Ages.

Centralized Government

A system of government in which political power is concentrated in a central authority, such as an emperor or king. The central government makes major decisions and uses officials to enforce laws, collect taxes, and administer the state. Example: Imperial China used a centralized bureaucracy and civil service system.

Decentralized Government

A system of government in which political power is spread among local rulers or regional leaders rather than controlled by one central authority. Local leaders often have significant control over their own territories. Example: Medieval Europe was largely decentralized because kings depended on nobles and lords to govern local areas.

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice, hostility, or discrimination against Jewish people.

Humanism

An intellectual movement that emphasized the study of classical texts and human potential and became particularly influential during the Renaissance.

Little Ice Age

A period of cooler temperatures, especially in Europe and the North Atlantic, that contributed to agricultural difficulties and social disruption.