AP World History: Unit 3 - Land-Based Empires

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Unit 3 of AP World History, focusing on how land-based empires from 1450-1750 consolidated and legitimized their power.

Consolidating Power

The process by which land-based empires gained and maintained control over large empires from 1450-1750, often through centralized bureaucracy, military, and economic control.

Legitimizing Power

The process by which rulers communicated their authority and justified their rule to their subjects, often through religion, art, and monumental architecture.

Bureaucracy

A group of people employed by the government who carry out the will of the emperor.

Qin Dynasty

Established by the Manchu people in China in 1644, consolidated power by reintroducing the Civil Service Examination.

Civil Service Examination

A system reintroduced by the Qin Dynasty where anyone wanting to work in the bureaucracy had to pass an examination, ensuring leadership shared similar thoughts and beliefs.

Devshirme System

An Ottoman system where poor Christian boys from Southern Europe and the Balkans were enslaved, educated, and made to serve in the military and bureaucracy, ensuring fierce loyalty to the Sultan.

Janissaries

An elite force in the Ottoman army, comprised of enslaved boys from the Devshirme system, fiercely loyal to the Sultan.

Songhai Empire's Power Consolidation

Rulers consolidated power by controlling trade routes, forming alliances, military expansion, and displaying power through court rituals.

Tribute System (Aztec Empire)

A system where conquered peoples (tribute states) owed certain goods to the conquerors on a regular basis, allowing the Aztecs to rule a diverse empire without direct presence.

Zamindars

Bureaucrats appointed by the Mughal emperor to collect taxes based on land holdings or production.

Tax Farming

An Ottoman system where a group of folks called tax farmers collected taxes, often collecting more than the required amount to pad their own pockets.

Tribute Lists (Aztec Empire)

Outlined the kinds of goods (food, goods, or people for human sacrifice) that tribute states owed to the Aztecs.

Ghulams

Elite Safavid soldiers taken from minority enslaved populations (like Armenians and Circassians) who were fiercely loyal to the Shah.

Caliph

A title taken by Islamic emperors, indicating they were legitimate successors to Muhammad and legitimizing their power.

Divine Right of Kings

A doctrine in Europe stating that the king is God's man on earth and carries out God's will, used by rulers to legitimize their power.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement in Europe that challenged the corrupt practices of the Catholic Church, leading to a lasting split between Catholics and Protestants and influencing rulers' religious choices.

Ottoman-Safavid Conflict

A conflict between the Sunni Ottoman Empire and the Shia Safavid Empire, deeply religious as each considered the other heretics, in addition to disputes over border territory.

Monumental Architecture

Giant structures built by emperors (e.g., Taj Mahal, Palace of Versailles) whose features far outstrip their functionality, sending a message of the ruler's greatness and legitimizing their power.

Taj Mahal

A tomb commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, an example of monumental architecture that projected the emperor's power and legitimacy.

Palace of Versailles

A palace built by Louis XIV of France, an example of monumental architecture used to display the king's power and keep the nobility under his watchful eye, thus legitimizing his rule.