AP World History Unit 3: Early Modern Empires, Religion, and Change

Peter the Great

(1672-1725) Russian tsar (r. 1689-1725). He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg.

Catherine the Great

Empress of Russia who greatly increased the territory of the empire (1729-1796) Continued Westernization followed the footsteps of Peter the Great

Yongle

Reign period of Zhu Di (1360-1424), the third emperor of the Ming Empire (r. 1403-1424).Sponsored the building of the Forbidden City, a huge encyclopedia project, the expeditions of Zheng He, and the reopening of China's borders to trade and travel

Copernicus

Devised a model of the universe with the Sun at the center, and not earth.

Galileo

Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars

Aurangzeb

Mughal emperor in India and great-grandson of Akbar 'the Great', under whom the empire reached its greatest extent, only to collapse after his death.

Akbar

Most illustrious sultan of the Mughal Empire in India (r. 1556-1605). He expanded the empire and pursued a policy of conciliation with Hindus.

Wang Yangming

Influential Ming thinker (1472-1529) who argued that anyone could achieve a virtuous life by introspection and contemplation, without the extended education and study of traditional Confucianism.

Abd al-Wahhab

Leader (1703-1792) of Wahhabi Islam movement that advocated an austere lifestyle and strict adherence to the sharia (Islamic law).

Emperor Kangxi (dealings with Jesuits)

Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) was one of the longest-reigning emperors of China, ruling the Qing dynasty from 1661 to 1722. He is especially important in the history of Christianity in China because of his unusual relationship with Catholic missionaries, particularly the Jesuits.

Pope Clement XI (his dealings with the Jesuits)

Pope Clement XI (1649-1721) was the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1700 to 1721. His most important dealings with Jesuit missionaries in China involved the Chinese Rites Controversy, a dispute that damaged relations between the Catholic Church and Emperor Kangxi.

Emperor Yongzheng (dealings with Jesuits)

Yongzheng is particularly important in the history of the Jesuits because he prohibited Christian missionary work throughout most of China in 1724, although he allowed certain Jesuits to remain at the imperial court because of their scientific and artistic expertise.

The Great Dying

Term used to describe the devastating demographic impact of European-borne epidemic diseases on the Americas.

Little Ice Age

A century-long period of cool climate that began in the 1590s. Its ill effects on agriculture in northern Europe were notable.

General Crisis

The effects of the Little Ice Age across the world, which led to the growth of the Sahara, difficulty in growing food, and epidemics. Caribbean region caused additional rain, which led to more mosquito breeding and malaria increases.

Yasak

Tribute that Russian rulers demanded from the native peoples of Siberia, most often in the form of furs.

European Enlightenment

European intellectual movement of the eighteenth century that applied the lessons of the Scientific Revolution to human affairs and was noted for its commitment to open-mindedness and inquiry and the belief that knowledge could transform human society.

Devshirme

Ottoman policy of taking boys from Christian peoples to be trained as Muslim soldiers and government leaders.

Timar

A timar was an Ottoman land grant given by the sultan to military officials and cavalrymen (sipahis) in exchange for military service instead of a cash salary

Tax Farming System

Ottoman system where tax rights were sold to the highest bidder.

Zamindars

Archaic tax system of the Mughal empire where decentralized lords collected tribute for the emperor.

Bhakti Movement

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

Sikhism

the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

Kaozheng

Literally, "research based on evidence"; Chinese intellectual movement whose practitioners emphasized the importance of evidence and analysis, applied especially to historical documents.

Silver Drain

Money coming from Europe to pay for the luxury products of the East, bulk of worlds silver eventually ended up in China

Gunpowder Empires

Muslim empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and the Mughals that employed cannonry and gunpowder to advance their military causes.

Ottoman Empire

A Muslim empire based in Turkey that lasted from the 1300's to 1922.

Safavid Empire

Iranian kingdom (1502-1722) established by Ismail Safavi, who declared Iran a Shi'ite state.

Ming Dynasty

Succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.

Qing Dynasty

(1644-1911 CE), the last imperial dynasty of China which was overthrown by revolutionaries; was ruled by the Manchu people: began to isolate themselves from Western culture,

Russian Empire

this empire brought together Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Finns, Jews, Romanians, Georgians, Armenians, Turks, and others. each group had its own culture. this empire used the policy of Russification.

Mughal Empire

Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Songhay Empire

A state located in western Africa from the early 15th to the late 16th centuries following the decline of the Mali Empire.

Tokugawa Shogunate

was a semi-feudal government of Japan in which one of the shoguns unified the country under his family's rule. They moved the capital to Edo, which now is called Tokyo. This family ruled from Edo 1868, when it was abolished during the Meiji Restoration.

Treaty of Nerchinsk

The first treaty between China and Russia that helped set the borders for the two nations (1689.)

Court of Colonial Affairs

Bureaucratic institution developed by the Qing Dynasty which helped Manchus establish an identity; ruled the rest of China.

Manchu

The Manchu founded the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), serving as a core example of a land-based gunpowder empire in Unit 3 (1450-1750) of AP World History. [1, 2, 3]

"Soft Gold"

refers to animal furs (such as sable, fox, and ermine) that were traded during the early modern period (c. 1450-1750). [1, 2]

Russification

the process of forcing Russian culture on all ethnic groups in the Russian empire

Sinification

extensive adaptation of Chinese culture in other regions

Cossacks

Cossacks were semi-autonomous, self-governing warrior communities in the Eurasian steppes (primarily modern-day Ukraine and southern Russia) who played a major role in land-based empire building and resistance from 1450 to 1750. [1, 2, 3]

Jihad

A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal

Millet System

Divided regions in the Ottoman Empire by religion (Orthodox Christians, Jews, Armenian Christians, Muslims). Leaders of each millet supported the Sultan in exchange for power over their millet.

Ulama

Muslim religious scholars. From the ninth century onward, the primary interpreters of Islamic law and the social core of Muslim urban societies. (p. 238)

Jizya

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

Taj Mahal

A beautiful tomb built by the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan to honor his wife.

Dutch Learning

Western learning embraced by some Japanese in the eighteenth century

Closed Country Edit

The Closed Country Edict of 1635 (Sakoku-rei), issued by Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, targeted Jesuit missionaries—referred to as padres—and Catholic influence as a direct threat to the stability and sovereignty of the Tokugawa shogunate