AP World History unit 1-4 basics

Song Dynasty Economic Revolution

China (c. 960–1279) economic growth from better farming

Yuan Dynasty

China (c. 1271–1368) Mongol rule under Kublai Khan that increased trade but caused social tensions

Delhi Sultanate

South Asia (c. 1206–1526) Muslim rulers controlled parts of India and spread Islam

Mali Empire

West Africa (c. 1200–1450) wealthy empire from gold trade led by Mansa Musa and known for Islamic learning

Byzantine Empire & Great Schism

Eastern Europe (1054) split of Christianity into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic

Feudalism

Europe (c. 800–1400) system where lords gave land in exchange for loyalty and protection

Crusades

Europe & Middle East (1095–1291) religious wars that increased trade and cultural exchange

Indian Ocean Trade Expansion

Africa–Asia (c. 1200–1450) trade network using monsoon winds that spread goods and Islam

Inca Empire

South America (c. 1400–1530) large empire with strong roads and centralized control

Aztec Empire

Mexico (c. 1300–1521) powerful empire based on conquest

Columbian Exchange

Americas–Europe–Africa (after 1492) exchange of crops

Protestant Reformation

Europe (1517) movement started by Martin Luther that created new Christian churches

Atlantic Slave Trade

Africa to Americas (c. 1500–1800) forced migration of Africans for labor in colonies

Ottoman Empire Expansion

Middle East & SE Europe (c. 1300–1700) empire grew using gunpowder and controlled trade routes

Mughal Empire

India (c. 1526–1700) empire under Akbar known for religious tolerance and culture

Safavid Empire

Persia (c. 1501–1736) empire that promoted Shi’a Islam and rivaled the Ottomans

Qing Dynasty

China (c. 1644–1912) last dynasty that expanded territory and maintained Confucian rule

Tokugawa Shogunate

Japan (c. 1600–1868) stable government that isolated Japan from outside influence

Absolutism

Europe (c. 1600s) system where monarchs held total political power

Constitutionalism

England (1600s) system where the monarch’s power is limited by laws and Parliament

Mercantilism

Europe (c. 1500–1700) economic system focused on wealth through trade and colonies

Joint-Stock Companies

Europe (c. 1600s) businesses where investors shared risk and profit to fund trade

Commercial Revolution

Europe (c. 1300–1700) expansion of trade that led to banking and capitalism

Triangular Trade

Atlantic World (c. 1500–1800) trade network connecting Europe

Encomienda & Hacienda Systems

Spanish America (c. 1500s) systems that used Indigenous labor for agriculture and mining

Indentured Servitude

Colonies (c. 1600s) workers exchanged years of labor for passage to the Americas

Chattel Slavery

Americas (c. 1500–1800) system where enslaved people were treated as property

Casta System

Latin America (c. 1500s) social hierarchy based on race and ancestry

Role of Women

Global (c. 1600s) some women challenged roles but most had limited rights

Scientific Revolution

Europe (c. 1500–1700) new scientific ideas from thinkers like Newton and Galileo

Enlightenment

Europe (c. 1700s) movement promoting reason

Catholic Counter-Reformation

Europe (c. 1500s) Catholic response to regain followers and reform the Church

European Maritime Expansion

Global (c. 1400–1600) exploration that created new global trade routes

Legitimacy

Why did people accept this ruler or system as “rightful”? Was legitimacy based on religion, ancestry, military success, prosperity, law, or a mix?

Administration

How did rulers actually control territory—bureaucrats, local elites, tribute, military governors, roads, record-keeping?

Economy

Where did wealth come from—taxing land, trade tariffs, tribute, state monopolies, coerced labor?

Social order

How were people ranked—class, caste, ethnicity, religion, gender? How did those hierarchies reproduce themselves?