AP World Unit 3.2

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts regarding administration, society, and the political structures of Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

Serfdom

A system where peasants were tied to the land and could be sold, traded, and were born into this status.

Tsar

The title of a Russian emperor, who used serfdom to control the boyars.

Devshirme

The Ottoman practice of recruiting young Christian boys from the Balkans for military and administration roles.

Janissaries

Elite guards in the Ottoman Empire composed of Christian boys converted to Islam.

Pasha

Local government officials in the Ottoman Empire who controlled conquered peoples.

Tax Farming/Iltizam

A system where the government auctioned off the rights to collect taxes to wealthy individuals. The highest bidder collected slightly smaller sums over than the regulation which allowed the taxer to gain large sums of money over time.

Ulema

Religious advisors in the Ottoman Empire who administered the legal system.

Shah Abbas

A ruler of the Safavid Empire known for glorifying Isfahan and promoting trade with India, China, and Europe.

Taj Mahal

A monumental mausoleum built by Shah Jahan in memory of his deceased wife, Nur Jahan.

Absolutism

A political system where a monarch rules by divine right, centralizing power in their hands.

Versailles

A palace built by Louis XIV to demonstrate power and control over the nobility.

Habsburg Family

A royal, inbreeding family that held a diverse empire in Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia (Czechia). They were characterized by their protruding jaws and short lifespans.

Parliament

A governing body that shares power with the monarchy in England.

Monetary and Work Obligations

The type of obligations that Russian serfs owed to landlords.

Russian Society

The society where a merchant class never emerged, few agricultural innovations, and and increased peasant rebellion.

Yemelyan Pugachev

Cossack man who had radical ideas that gave influence to Russia.

Sultan

The title given to the head of the Ottoman Empire.

Grand Vizier

The chief minister who helped administer the divided kingdom of the Ottomans.

Societal Order of Ottomans

Ruling class, merchants, artisans, peasants, and then pastoral peoples.

Commodities by Ottomans

Rugs, textiles, jewelry, pottery, and some silk.

Sinan

Ottoman architect who built 81 mosques in his lifetime.

Ottoman Empire

The empire where more tolerance for women occurred but still considered subordinate to men and was tolerant to non-Muslims.

Safavid’s Pyramid Social Structure

Shah at the top, bureaucracy and landowners in the middle, and common people at the bottom.

Ministers

People who began to exert influence on Safavid Dynasty after Shah Abbas’ death.

Fall of the Safavid Dynasty

The outcome of when Isfahan was under attack by a variety of invaders leading to an area that was a constant battleground.

Europeans

People who continued to travel to Mughal Empire to trade because of fine cloths and cotton textiles.

Nur Jahan

A strong queen and ruler of the Mughals.

Shah Jahan

Ruler of the Mughals that expanded the empire, but failed to deal with internal problems.

Mughal Zamindar System

Tax collection system that consisted of petty landowners who collected taxes from peasants and payed a fixed tax to the government and kept the difference for a salary.

Richelieu

French cardinal who took away rights from Hugenots & nobles and also used spies on them.

Mazarin

French cardinal who ruled for King Louis XIV for 18 years and put down rebellion.

King Louis XIV (“The Sun King”)

Ruler of France who used absolutism to create tight central policy making over nobles and dominated all of political and cultural life in France.

Edict of Nantes

A decree signed in 1589 by Henry the Navarre that granted religious and civil liberties to Hugenots in France. King Louis XIV ended up revoking this.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

The minister of finance who made sound economic decisions under King Louis XIV.

Prussia

The main state of Germany.

Frederick William Hohenzollern

The elector of Prussia who made a small standing (permanent) army.

Frederick I

The first King of Prussia.

England and Netherlands

States that emphasized the role of a central state, but created a parliament that shared power with their kings.