AP world History Vocab

Filial Piety

A Chinese hierarchal system in which every family member ahs his or her place, respecting elders.

Purdah

the Indian term for the practice among Muslims and some Hindus of isolating women and preventing them from associating with men outside the home

Champa Rice

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season.

House of Wisdom

a major Abbasid public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad or to a large private library belonging to the Abbasid Caliphs during the Islamic Golden Age

Sharia Law

the system of Islamic law, based on varying degrees of interpretation of the Qu'ran

Jizya

Poll tax that non-Muslims had to pay when living within a Muslim empire

Mandate of Heaven

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

Serfdom

Unfree peasant class bound to land and obliged to provide labor for Lords

Syncretism

when a belief system itself subtly changes or adapts by incorporating ideas of another belief system or culture

Tributary System

When neighboring states of a great power give tribute or respect for legitimacy.

blending (belief systems)

when you simultaneously as an individual adopt two belief systems or at least some of the ideas of those belief systems simultaneously

Bhakti Movement

movement for Hindu reform in 8th century to adapt method of devotion to achieve salvation.

Zamindars

a local official in Mugal India who received a plot of farmland for temporary use in return for collecting taxes for the central government

Devshirme

The tribute of boy children that the Ottoman Turks levied from their Christian subjects in the Balkans; the Ottomans raised the boys for service in the civil administration or in the elite Janissary infantry corps.

95 Theses

Arguments written by Martin Luther against the Catholic church. They were posted on Octobe 31, 1517.

Palace of Versailles

a palace built in the 17th century for Louis XIV southwest of Paris near the city of Versailles

Sikhism

a monotheistic religion founded in Punjab in the 15th century by Guru Nanak;syncretic religion mixing Hinduism and Islam

Ottoman Millet

In the Ottoman Empire, an independent court of law pertaining to "personal law" under which a confessional community was allowed to rule itself under its own laws.

Divine Right Theory

This is the belief that God chose the ruler and that the ruler must only answer to God

Ming Single Whip Reform

Aimed to simplify the complex fiscal code under Ming Law;streamlined and secured tax collection

Marco polo

Venetian merchant and traveler who traded along the Silk Road.

Banking House

These European banks developed during the Middle Ages to aid trade.

Caravansari

An inn in some Eastern countries that provides accommodation for caravans

Gengis Khan

Founder of the Mongol Empire 

Pax Mangolia

A period of relative peace withing the Mongol Empire

Diasporic Merchant Communities

Communities of traders from a common culture living together outside their native homeland.

Astrolabe

An instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars

Dhow Ships

A traditional Arab sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails.

Taghaza

A settlement in the western Sahara, the site of the main salt-mining center.

Black Death

The common name for a major outbreak of bubonic plague in the 14th century.

Zheng He 

Chinese naval explorer who sailed along most of the coast of Asia, Japan, and half way down the east coast of Africa before his death.

Ibn Sina 

A Persian doctor who showed how diseases spread from one person to another.