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Song Dynasty

The ruling dynasty in China from 960 to 1279, known for innovations and a strong state structure.

Confucianism

A philosophical system emphasizing hierarchical social relationships and moral integrity, guiding the bureaucratic structure of the Song Dynasty.

Meritocracy

A political system in which individuals are selected based on ability and talent rather than wealth or social status.

Mandate of Heaven

A Chinese political and religious doctrine used to justify the rule of the Emperor of China, based on moral legitimacy.

Civil Service Exam

A competitive examination designed to select the most capable candidates for government positions, revived during the Song Dynasty.

Filial Piety

A virtue of respect for one's parents and ancestors in Confucian thought.

Foot Binding

A painful custom in imperial China that involved tightly binding a woman's feet to alter their shape, becoming a status symbol.

Flying Cash

A form of paper money that was used as a currency in China due to a shortage of metal for coins.

Grand Canal

A major waterway in China that facilitated trade and transportation, connecting the north and south.

Gunpowder

An explosive material created from saltpeter and charcoal, first discovered by alchemists, significant for military applications.

Mahayana Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism that developed in China, emphasizing the worship of multiple deities and the idea of salvation.

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic caliphate that became a dominant power after the fall of the Umayyads, known for its cultural and intellectual flourishing.

House of Wisdom

An academic center in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age where scholars gathered to study and translate texts from various cultures.

Jizya

A tax levied on non-Muslims under Islamic rule, which often encouraged conversions to Islam.

Dhows

Arabian sailing vessels with lateen sails used in trade across the Indian Ocean during the medieval period.

Mansa Musa

The king of Mali known for his immense wealth, pilgrimage to Mecca, and promotion of Islamic education and architecture.

Chinampas

Floating gardens used by the Aztecs to increase agricultural productivity in lake areas.

Mita System

Mandatory public service system used by the Inca Empire for labor on public works.

Ethiopian Christianity

A distinct version of Christianity that developed in Ethiopia, integrating local traditions and beliefs.

Renaissance

A period of cultural revival beginning in the 14th century characterized by a renewed interest in classical art, philosophy, and the sciences in Europe.

Crusades

Religious wars initiated by European Christians in the medieval period aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem from Muslim rule.

Vijayanagara Empire

A powerful Hindu kingdom in South India established in the 14th century that promoted trade and cultural development.

Sufi Missionaries

Islamic mystics who traveled to spread Islam, often adapting their teachings to local cultures.

Seljuk Empire

A medieval Turko-Persian empire that controlled a large part of the Middle East, including the Holy Land.

Hausa Kingdom

A collection of city-states in northern Nigeria known for their trade networks and decentralized governance.

Great Zimbabwe

A medieval kingdom in southeastern Africa known for its impressive stone structures and wealth from trade.

Majapahit Empire

A Hindu-Buddhist maritime empire that thrived in Southeast Asia, controlling trade routes in the 14th century.

Khmer Empire

A powerful Southeast Asian empire known for its architectural achievements, including Angkor Wat.

Aztec Empire

A Mesoamerican civilization known for its polytheistic religion, high level of agriculture, and architectural feats.

Inca Empire

The largest empire in pre-Columbian America known for its rich political structure, extensive road system, and agricultural innovations.

Silk Roads

A network of trade routes that stretched from China to Europe and North Africa, facilitating not only trade but also cultural exchange between civilizations.

Mongols

A pastoral people who created the largest land empire in history from 1206-1368, known for unifying the Silk Roads and having a limited cultural impact despite their vast conquests.

Temujin

Also known as Genghis Khan, he was born into a fractured Mongolian tribe and became the leader who united the Mongolian tribes and founded the Mongol Empire.

Chinese Silk

A luxury good exclusive to China that became a significant status symbol in trade along the Silk Roads.

Mahayana Buddhism

A branch of Buddhism that emphasized the Buddha as a deity and the importance of compassion and merit, which developed as it spread along trade routes.

Syncretism

The combining of different beliefs and practices, exemplified by the adoption of Zoroastrian fire rituals into Buddhism in places like Samarkand.

Black Death

The bubonic plague that ravaged Europe from 1346 to 1351, killing nearly half of the population and profoundly impacting societies across the continent.

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Trade networks linking North Africa and the Mediterranean with the interior of Africa, facilitating the exchange of goods like salt, gold, and agricultural products.

Indian Ocean Trade

Maritime trade network that connected coastal regions from China to East Africa, notable for its exchange of bulk goods and facilitated by monsoon winds.

Swahili Civilization

A series of commercial city-states along the East African coast that emerged in the 8th century, noted for trade in gold and ivory and the influence of Islam.

Caravanserai

Travelers' inns along the Silk Roads where merchants could rest, contributing to the spread of ideas and diseases.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophical movement in China during the Song and Ming Dynasties that blended Confucianism with Daoism and Buddhism.

Ibn Battuta

A Muslim traveler whose journeys throughout the Islamic world in the 14th century provided important insights into the cultures and societies he encountered.

Magnetic Compass

An invention that improved navigation by allowing sailors to determine direction more accurately, significantly impacting maritime trade.

Terrace Farming

A method of agriculture that involves creating steps on hillsides for planting, which helps prevent soil erosion and allows for more effective cultivation on sloped land.

Gunpowder Empires

States in SE Asia, Asia, and SW Asia that relied on gunpowder to maintain power and expand territories.

Tamerlane

A military leader from Samarkand who created an empire across Persia and India, known for his brutal conquests.

Ottoman Empire

The largest Islamic empire during the time, which lasted from 1299 to 1922.

Mehmed II

Also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, he captured Constantinople in 1433.

Suleiman the Magnificent

The peak ruler of the Ottoman Empire known for his military expansions in the Mediterranean.

Safavid Empire

An Islamic empire founded in 1501, known for its Shia beliefs and conflicts with the Sunni Ottomans.

Mughal Empire

An empire in India founded by Babur in 1526, known for its cultural and architectural advancements.

Akbar

A significant Mughal ruler recognized for promoting religious tolerance and consolidating power.

Divine Right of Kings

The political doctrine that a monarch derives legitimacy from the will of God.

Devshirme System

The Ottoman practice of taking enslaved Christian boys from the Balkans, educating them, and making them serve in the military.

Janissaries

Elite military corps of the Ottoman Empire derived from the Devshirme system.

Absolutism

A political system in which a monarch holds absolute power over the state.

Bhakti Movement

A spiritual and social movement in India emphasizing personal relationships with deities.

Five Pillars of Islam

The five basic acts of worship that are considered the foundation of a Muslim's faith and practice.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement in the 16th century aimed at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.

Taj Mahal

A mausoleum commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, representing Mughal architecture.

Ming Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368-1644 known for its trade expansion and cultural achievements.

Confucianism

A philosophical system focused on societal harmony, tradition, and authority, dominant in China.

Songhai Empire

An empire that ruled over a large part of West Africa known for its advanced government and military.

Maritime Empires

Empires that grew due to maritime exploration and trade rather than just military conquest.

Silk Road

A historical trade route that connected the East and West, significant for commerce and cultural exchange.

Astrolabe

An ancient instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the angle between the horizon and a celestial body.

Mercantilism

An economic policy that aims to maximize exports and minimize imports to increase a nation's wealth.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of animals, plants, and diseases between the Americas and Europe following Columbus's voyages.

Encomienda System

A labor system where Spanish settlers were granted the right to demand tribute and forced labor from Indigenous people.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery where individuals are treated as personal property to be bought and sold.

Triangular Trade

A system of transatlantic trade involving three regions: Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Casta System

A hierarchical system of social classification in colonial Spanish America based on ancestry and race.

Joint-Stock Companies

Business entities where different stakes can be bought and owned by shareholders, significantly used in colonial ventures.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail that allowed ships to sail closer to the wind and improved sea travel versatility.

Fluyt

A Dutch-built ship designed for trade that was cheaper to build and operated with smaller crews.

Maritime Technologies

Innovations such as the magnetic compass and astrolabe which helped in navigation and exploration.

Fronde

A series of civil disturbances in France during the 17th century aimed at limiting the power of the monarchy.

Cape of Good Hope

A key point of navigation at the southern tip of Africa significant for sea trade routes.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement in the 18th century advocating the use of reason to reconsider accepted ideas and social institutions.

Empiricism

The idea that reality is discerned through the senses and the only way to know the nature of reality is through observation.

Social Contract

The theory that individuals consent, explicitly or implicitly, to form an organized society and government.

Natural Rights

The concept that individuals have inherent rights such as life, liberty, and property granted by virtue of being human.

Nationalism

A strong identification of a group of people who share an ethnic identity and language, often leading to loyalty to a nation over a ruler.

Laissez-Faire Economics

An economic philosophy advocating minimal government intervention in the economy and allowing supply and demand to dictate market conditions.

Deism

A belief that God created the world but does not intervene in its workings, advocating understanding God through natural laws.

Abolitionist Movement

A campaign to end slavery and the slave trade, gaining momentum in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Haitian Revolution

The successful revolt led by enslaved Africans in Haiti against French colonial rule, establishing the first independent black-led nation.

Industrial Revolution

The process of producing goods with machines to improve labor efficiency, beginning in the late 18th century.

Defensive Modernization

Japan's response to Western imperialist pressures through industrialization and modernization to protect its sovereignty.

Tanzimat

A series of reforms in the Ottoman Empire aimed at modernization and centralization, including legal equality and modernization of education.

Utilitarianism

An ethical theory that posits that actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Communism

A political and economic ideology advocating for collective ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes.

Factory System

A method of manufacturing that began in the industrial revolution, where production was centralized in one location using machinery.

Tenements

Overcrowded and often unsafe housing built to accommodate the influx of workers in urban areas during the industrial era.

Child Labor

The employment of children in industrial settings, often resulting in exploitation and hazardous working conditions.

Consumer Culture

A culture characterized by the purchasing of goods and services, prominently emerging during the industrial age.

Invisible Hand of the Market

Adam Smith's concept that the self-interested actions of individuals in a free market lead to positive societal outcomes.

White Collar Workers

Employees in office or management roles who are typically salaried, contrasting with manual laborers.

Mexican Revolution

A conflict in Mexico (1910-1920) sparked by Francisco Madero's opposition to dictator Porfirio Díaz, leading to political instability and land reforms.