AP World Vocab

Meritocracy

Political system where political power/positions are earned not given

Filial Piety

Confucian ideal with an emphasis on respect for parents, elders, and ancestors

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese political policy used to legitimize the rule of the emperor by saying he was allowed to rule by heaven

Grand Canal

Man-made water way connecting the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers in China

Neo - Confucianism

New more rational and philosophical version of Confucianism that rejected the superstitious beliefs of Daoism and Buddhism but did include aspects of both. Women lost status

Heian Japan

Period of decreased influence from China. Peak of the Japanese imperial court

Champa rice

Quick maturing rice from Vietnam that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Increased China's population

Dar al-Islam

"House of Peace" refers to wherever the Muslim world is found

Timbuktu

Important west African city for trade and learning in the Mali Empire

Samarkand

Important city on the Silk Road in modern day Uzbekistan known for its mosques and the tomb of Tamerlane

Kashgar

Important Silk Road trading city located in the Uyghur region of China

Tamerlane/Timur

Mongol-Turkic warrior that started the Timurid Empire. Considered one the greatest military commanders

Urdu

Official language of Pakistan that combines Persian (Farsi), Hindi, and Arabic

Cyrillic

Writing system developed for Slavic people in the Eastern Orthodox religion

Centralized vs decentralized governments

Governments where most, if not all, of the control resides in one place and under one strong leader or group vs a government where control is split up amongst strong local leaders (think feudalism)

Sufism

Mystical Islamic practice where followers seek truth through a direct relationship with Allah. Important in spreading the Islamic faith

Seljuk Empire

Turkic tribes that created a Sunni Islamic empire in the ME

Delhi Sultanate

Sunni Muslim Empire founded in S Asia from 1206-1526

Vijayanagara

Hindu Empire that ruled the Deccan Plateau in S India (1336-1646)

House of Wisdom (Abbasid)

Considered one of the greatest places of learning in the world located in Baghdad. Destroyed by the Mongols

Srivijaya Empire

Hindu-Buddhist maritime empire that controlled the strait of Malacca during the 7th-13th centuries

Khmer Empire

Hindu-Buddhist Empire in modern day Cambodia (802-1203)

Maya

Meso-American Pre-Columbian Empire found mostly in the Yucatan Peninsula built Chichen Itza

Mexica (Aztec)

Meso-American empire that settled in C Mexico. Built Tenochtitlan. Conquered by Cortes

Inca

Largest Pre-Columbian empire located in the Andes. Conquered by Pizarro

Mali

W African Empire heavily involved in Trans-Saharan trade, especially with gold, ivory, and slaves. Important empire in the Muslim world. Mansa Musa ruled at its height

Caste System

Hereditary social class system. Mostly found in India

Axum (Ethiopia)

Capital of a converted Christian kingdom in modern day Ethiopia

Feudalism

Political organization popular in Europe and Japan during the Middle Ages dealing with the relationship between lords and vassals

Serfdom

Status of many peasants during feudalism where they are tied to the land

Stern rudder

A flat plane of material attached to the tail end of a ship to aid in steering

Angkor Wat

Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. The largest religious complex. Was originally Hindu

Cahokia

Pre-Columbian city across from St. Louis. Part of the Mississippian mound builders

Caravanserai

Way stations on trade routes (particularly the Silk Road) used by travelers and traders to rest and replenish supplies

Waru waru

Andean agricultural technique using raised beds in elevated areas to deal with water storage during floods and droughts

Civil service exams (jinshi)

Confucian ideal of meritocracy. People take tests to determine their place in society

Guild

Association of artisans and merchants who oversee their particular trade in an area

Swahili City-States

Collection of Muslim cities in E Africa that traded slaves and ivory in the ME and the Indian Ocean

Sultanate of Malacca

Maritime Empire near the Malay Peninsula. Ruled trade in the 1400's and 1500's

Ilkhanate of Persia

Part of the Mongol Empire located mostly in modern day Iran. Estab by Halegu

Astrolabe

Mariners instrument to help determine a ship's latitude for navigation

Chinese Junk

Ships used E Asian traders. Several large versions were used by Zheng He on his expeditions

Zheng He

Chinese Muslim eunuch that involved in large expeditions for the emperor Youngle during the 1400's

Monsoon winds

Seasonal winds that can affect trade by blowing inland or switch and blow out to sea

Camel saddles (importance and location)

N Arabia Top Better Vision S Arabia Behind Better control

Griots

African oral historians and story tellers prior to the introduction of written language

Genghis Khan

Unified the Mongol Empire

Quipu

Ancient Inca recording device using colored threads

Bubonic Plague

Disease that wiped out 1/3rd or more of the population of Europe in the mid 1300's

Marco Polo

Venetian trader famous for recording his interactions with Kublai Khan during the Yuan Dynasty

Ibn Battuta

Muslim traveler famous for recording his travels in Dar al Islam

Marjory Kempe

Christian mystic famous for recording her travels throughout the Christian world in the 1300-1400's

Golden Horde

Mongol Empire located in Russia

Kublai Khan

Mongol ruler of the Yuan Dynasty in China

Triangular Trade

Economic exchange between three markets

Henry the Navigator

Central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire involving trade. Supposedly had a school or other learning environment to promote and teach navigational skills

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer that became the first European to reach India by sea by sailing around Africa

Boyars

Group of noblemen, usually found in feudal Russia. Their status earned them privileges

Manchuria

An area in modern day NE China that was full of resources. People from here started the Qing Dynasty

Qing Empire

2nd non-Chinese Dynasty to rule China. Last dynasty

Mughals

Muslim Empire in India 1526-1858

Babur

Founded the Mughal Empire. Descendant of the Mongols

Akbar

Considered the greatest Mughal ruler. Expanded the empire and attempted to bring people together through religious tolerance

El Mina

Portuguese fort built in 1482 for trading gold, ivory, and slaves

Cossack

Independent group in E Europe recruited by the Russian Empire for their military might

Safavids

Shia Muslim Empire found in Persia

Devshirme

Practice of forcibly recruiting children of Balkan Christians for military or government service in the Ottoman Empire

Sikhism

Monotheistic religion in South Asia. Combines Hinduism and Islam. Preaches equality

Eunuchs

Castrated men usually employed to guard women in the court/harem

Divine right

Belief that God gave the ruler the right to rule

Taj Mahal

Tomb for Shah Jihan's wife during the Mughal Empire

St. Basil's Cathedral

Orthodox Church in Red Square in Moscow built by Ivan the Terrible

Forbidden City

Palace complex in Beijing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Off limits to common people

Tokugawa Shogunate

Ruling military government of Japan during the Edo Period 1603-1868

Zamindar

Tax collectors under the Mughal Empire

Protestant Reformation

Movement, led by Martin Luther, that broke off from the Catholic Church due to things like indulgences

Counter-Reformation

Attempt by the Catholic Church to fix issues caused by the Protestant Reformation

Lateen sail

Triangular shaped sails that allow a ship to tack against the wind

Enclosure movement

Consolidation off communal lands to benefit of the rich

Santeria

African diasporic religion Began in Cuba. Combines African traditional beliefs with Catholicism

Maroon Societies

Group of formerly enslaved Africans who gained their freedom by fleeing chattel enslavement and creating communities throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America

Castas

Racial hierarchy in Latin America used by the Spanish Empire. European born Spanish were at the top

Spanish Reconquista

Christian kingdom's successful attempt to retake the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslims

Mamluks

Non-Arab slave soldiers assigned duties serving under the Muslim World Empires

Encomienda

Spanish labor system that rewarded Spanish citizens with native labor grants

Hacienda

Feudal like land grant system used by the Spanish in the New World

Atlantic Slave Trade

Coerced labor system involving Triangular Trade between the Old World and New World

Caravel

Small, maneuverable Portuguese/Spanish ship used for trade

Volta do Mar

Navigational technique perfected by the Portuguese dealing with knowledge of current and wind patterns in the Atlantic

Trading-post empire

Empires based on controlling trade by sea instead of controlling land or people

Joint Stock Company

Shareholders own and control a company. Used mainly by the Dutch and English

Janissary

Elite military unit under the Ottoman Empire. 1st modern standing army in Europe

Hanseatic League

Medieval commercial and defensive group merchant guilds and markets in C/N Europe

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and New World

Smallpox

Most deadly disease brought by Europeans to the New World. Responsible for 100's of millions of deaths

Measles

Highly contagious respiratory disease brought to the New World via the Columbian Exchange

Malaria

Mosquito borne disease caused by a parasite

Chattel Slavery

Most common form of coerced labor in the Americas. People are considered property

Inca Mit'a

Mandatory public service system used in the Incan Empire

Indentured servitude

Labor system where a person is contracted to work for free or little pay for a specified amount of time to pay off a debt