AP World History Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (KBAT Terms)

Song Dynasty

(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.

Buddhism

the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

Filial Piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Neo-Confucianism

The Confucian response to Buddhism by taking Confucian and Buddhist beliefs and combining them into this. However, it is still very much Confucian in belief.

Champa Rice

Spread from Vietnam to China, helped the Song Dynasty feed and sustain a growing population.

Grand Canal

Was an inexpensive and efficient internal waterway transportation system that extended over 30,000 miles. Expanding the canal enabled China, under the Song Dynasty, to become the most populous trading area in the world.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Christianity

A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Abbasid Caliphate

Was led by Arabs and Persians, but the later Islamic states were shaped by Turkic peoples who descended from people in Central Asia.

Mamluk Sultanate

A political unit in Egypt was established by Mamluks (enslaved people). They prospered by facilitating trade in cotton and sugar between the Islamic world and Europe. However, when the Portuguese and other Europeans developed new trading routes, the Mamluks declined in power.

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.

Sufism

Started as a mystical reaction to the Umayyad Caliphate's love for luxury. Sufi preachers helped spread Islam by blending it with local beliefs, winning over many new followers.

Dar al-Islam

A term used by Muslims to refer to those countries where Muslims can practice their religion freely.

House of Wisdom

Under the Abbasid Empire, scholars traveled from far away to Baghdad to study at a renowned center of learning.

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms

Bhakti Movement

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

Monasticism

The practice of living the life of a monk. A religious path where a person gives up worldly pursuits to dedicate themselves entirely to spiritual endeavors is known as a devout way of life.

Vijayanagara Empire

Named for "the victorious city," it was founded by brothers Harihara and Bukka, who came from the Delhi Sultanate in North-central India to expand its rule southward. Initially Hindus, they briefly converted to Islam for political gain, but upon leaving Delhi Sultanate's control, they re-embraced Hinduism, establishing the Vijayanagar Empire. This empire flourished from the mid-1300s to the mid-1500s until it was overthrown by a coalition of Muslim kingdoms.

Srivijaya Empire

Was a Hindu kingdom based on Sumatra. It built up its navy and prospered by charging fees for ships traveling between India and China

Rajput Kingdoms

Gradually formed in northern India and present-day Pakistan. These were Hindu kingdoms led by leaders of numerous clans who were often at war with one another. Because of the competition among clans, no centralized government arose, once again demonstrating the diversity and the regionalism of South Asia. The lack of a centralized power left the kingdoms vulnerable to Muslim attacks.

Khmer Empire

Also known as the Angkor Kingdom (802-1431), located by the Mekong River, gained power without relying on maritime strength. Its advanced irrigation and drainage systems brought economic prosperity, making it a thriving Southeast Asian realm. The rulers adopted Buddhism in the 12th and 13th centuries, blending Buddhist art with preexisting Hindu works in temples.

Sinhala Dynasties

Kingdom on the island of Sri Lanka in 3rd century B.C.E. which became the center of Buddhist study.

Maya

Mayan civilization reached its height between 250 and 900 C.E. Mayans stretched over the southern part of Mexico and much of what is now Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. Mayan governance primarily comprised city-states, led by kings, encompassing cities and their surroundings. Male rulers were common, but when no eligible heir existed, women took charge. Conflicts and overthrows among city-states were frequent.

Aztecs

Also known as Mexica, they created a powerful empire in central Mexico (1325-1521 C.E.). They forced defeated peoples to provide goods and labor as a tax.

Inca

Largest and most powerful Andean empire. Controlled the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to Chile from its capital of Cuzco.

Chaco

The Chaco built large housing structures using stones and clay, some of which included hundreds of rooms. • The people of Mesa Verde built multi

Mesa Verde

The people of Mesa Verde built multi-story homes on the sides of cliffs using bricks made of sandstone.

Great Zimbabwe

City, now in ruins (in the modern African country of Zimbabwe), whose many stone structures were built between about 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a large state.

Ethiopia

A Christian kingdom that developed in the highlands of eastern Africa under the dynasty of King Lalaibela; retained Christianity in the face of Muslim expansion elsewhere in Africa

Hausa Kingdoms

West African people who lived in several city-states of what is now northern Nigeria

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Serfdom

Serfs were peasants granted land and noble protection in exchange for loyalty, but they had limited personal freedom. The transfer of land to a different noble also meant control over the serfs living in it.

Imperial Bureaucracy

Organizations where appointed officials carry out the empire's policies

Civil Service Exam

In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the nationwide administrative bureaucracy.

Scholar Gentry

Chinese class created by the marital linkage of the local land-holding aristocracy with the office-holding shi; superseded shi as governors of China.

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.

Baghdad

Capital of Islamic Empire under the Abbasid Dynasty.

Seljuk Turks

Nomadic Turks from Central Asia who were Muslims. In the 11th century they conquered parts of Middle East and as far as east of Western China. Their leader called himself a sultan.

Crusades

A series of European military campaigns in the Middle East between 1095 and the 1200s.

Majapahit Kingdom

Based on Java had 98 tributaries at its height. Like Srivijaya, Majapahit sustained its power by controlling sea routes. Unlike Srivijaya, Majapahit was Buddhist.

Matrilineal Society

Means that social standing was determined by the woman's side of the family.

Mexicas

Another name for the Aztecs

Mit'a System

Mandatory public service. Men between the ages of 15 and 50 provided agricultural and other forms of labor, including the construction of roads.

Manorial System

An economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors

Three-field system

A rotational system for agriculture in which one field grows grain, one grows legumes, and one lies fallow. It gradually replaced two-field system in medieval Europe.

Estates General

Was a body to advise the king that included representatives from each of the three legal classes, or estates, in France: the clergy, nobility, and commoners.

Magna Carta

A document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges which was signed by King John when forced by the nobles.

English Parliament

England's chief law-making body. It was a key institution in the development of representative democracy as it provided some voice and recognition of the rights and interests of various groups in society.

Theravada Buddhism

Focused on spiritual growth through silent meditation and self-discipline. Became strongest in Southeast Asia.

Mahayana Buddhism

Focused on spiritual growth for all beings and service. Became strongest in China and Korea.

Tibetan Buddhism

Focused on chanting. Became strongest in Tibet.

Qutub Minar

Stands in the southern part of the city. Rulers from the Delhi Sultanate built an elaborate mosque on top of a Hindu temple and used materials for the mosque from nearby Hindu and other religious shrines. Towering over the mosque is the Qutub Minar itself, a gigantic leaning tower, the tallest structure in India today.

Proselytizing

Convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another.

Cahokia

Were enormous earthen mounds that were located in southern

Illinois.

Investiture Controversy

Was a over whether a secular (non-religious) leader, rather than the pope, could invest bishops with the symbols of office. It was finally resolved in the Concordat of Worms of 1122, when the Church achieved autonomy from secular authorities.

Reconquista

Muslims had conquered Spain in the 8th century. From that time, Christians had wanted to reconquer it. It was finally completed in 1492.

Burghers/Bourgeoise

Economic success started to rival religious vocation or military service in winning status. This middle class, between the elite nobles and clergy and the mass of peasants, began to grow. It included shopkeepers, merchants, craftspeople, and small landholders.

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Chinampas

Floating garden made by the Aztec on Lake Texcoco to increase the amount of food production.

Indian Ocean Trade

A network of sea trading routes that connected d East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia.

Trans-Saharan Trade

A network of trading routes across the great desert.

Slave Trade

Was between East Africa and the Middle East. This trade started several centuries before the Atlantic Ocean slave trade between West Africa and the Americas. In some places, it lasted into the 20th century

Zanj Rebellion

Between 869 and 883, they and many Arab workers mounted a series of revolts. Around 15,000 enslaved individuals seized Basra, maintaining control for a decade, marking the Zanj Rebellion as one of history's most successful slave rebellion.