Land-based Empires and Gunpowder Empires

Gunpowder Empires

Empires that consolidated power through taxation, military control, and control over religion, including Russia, Ottoman Empire, Safavid, Manchu, and Mughal.

Divine Right to Rule

The doctrine that kings derive their authority from God, asserting that they are answerable only to God.

Absolutism

A political system in which a single ruler has supreme authority and is not bound by any laws or constitution.

95 Theses

A document written by Martin Luther criticizing the Catholic Church's practices, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

Counter-Reformation

A period of Catholic revival in response to the Protestant Reformation, aimed at reforming the Church and reclaiming followers.

Ivan IV

Also known as Ivan the Terrible, he was the first Tsar of Russia and known for his expansion of territory in the 16th century.

Tokugawa Shogunate

The feudal regime of Japan that consolidated power under a single leader, centralizing authority and reducing the power of the daimyo.

Mehmet II

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire known for conquering Constantinople in 1453 and renaming it Istanbul.

Devshirme

A system where Christian boys were taken from their homes, converted to Islam, and trained for military or administrative roles in the Ottoman Empire.

Shah Abbas the Great

The ruler of the Safavid Empire in the late 16th to early 17th century known for modernizing the military and promoting economic prosperity.

Mughal Empire