Unit 3: Land-Based Empires

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, imperial administrative systems, and religious movements from AP World History Unit 3 (Land-Based Empires, Administration, and Belief Systems).

Gunpowder empires

Large multiethnic states in South, Southwest, and Central Asia (1450–1750) that used firearms and military power to conquer other territories, requiring government centralization and efficient tax systems.

Ivan IV

Russian tsar (r. 1547–1584) known for brutal methods relying on gunpowder who expanded Russia's rule greatly, pushing the Golden Horde eastward, gaining control of the Volga, and expanding east toward the Pacific.

Qing Dynasty

Dynasty (1644–1911) that succeeded the Ming Dynasty and expanded China's borders; ruled by emperors including Kangxi and Qianlong, and experienced late peasant uprisings due to bureaucratic corruption.

Tamerlane

A Mongol leader (1336–1405) who conquered major parts of Persia and India, set the stage for Islamic gunpowder empires through military might, and promoted the ghazi ideal.

Ottoman Empire

The largest Islamic empire of the period (1300s–1918), centered in Turkey and extending to North Africa and Southeast Asia; captured Constantinople in 1453 using large cannons and built a formidable navy.

Safavid Empire

An Islamic empire based in Iran (1501–1722) that conquered parts of Persia and Iraq, peaked under Shah Abbas using European weaponry, and used Shi'a Islam as a unifying force in conflict with the Sunni Ottomans.

Mughal Empire

An Islamic empire based in northern India (1520s–1800s) that flourished under Akbar as a wealthy, well-governed trading state and utilized castes to maintain social order.

Divine right of kings

The claim originating in the Middle Ages that a monarch's authority to rule is granted directly by God, used by European monarchs (such as in France) to legitimize absolute monarchy.

Intendants

French government officials who collected taxes for the king to help maintain central control over the populace and finance the monarchy.

Justices of the peace

Individuals selected by elite English landowners to maintain peace and enforce laws, helping centralize authority in England and reduce the power of feudal lords.

Versailles

A massive royal palace in France constructed to house and monitor nobility, preventing them from plotting against the king.

Boyars

The aristocratic noble class in Russia who frequently struggled for power against tsars such as Ivan IV and Peter the Great.

Oprichnina

A secret police force established by the Russian tsar (Ivan IV) to suppress opposition, maintain order, and administer the empire.

Devshirme

An Ottoman administrative system in which conquered Christian boys were taken to serve in the government and military, receiving rigorous training and forming elite units like the Janissaries.

Salaried samurai

Warriors in feudal Japan paid by daimyo (nobles) to keep order and enforce central government policies locally.

Zamindars

Paid government officials in the Mughal Empire who performed administrative duties and collected taxes from the population.

Thirty Years’ War

A major European conflict (1618–1648) between Catholics and Protestants resulting in famine, starvation, disease, and economic devastation, concluding with the Peace of Westphalia.

Indulgences

Certificates sold by the Catholic Church that granted buyers absolution from the temporal punishment of sins, widely criticized as a corrupt practice that fueled the Reformation.

Catholic Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church's 16th- and 17th-century response to Protestant challenges, utilizing the Inquisition, the Jesuit order, and the Council of Trent to reaffirm Catholic supremacy and correct abuses.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious movement in Europe (1517–1648) aimed at reforming the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, resulting in the creation of new Christian denominations like Lutheranism, Calvinism, and Anglicanism.

Martin Luther

A German monk (1483–1546) who protested the sale of indulgences and church offices by authoring the 95 Theses, resulting in his excommunication and the foundation of Lutheranism.

John Calvin

A French theologian (1509–1564) who founded Calvinism, emphasizing the doctrine of predestination and a plain, simple lifestyle, influencing groups in Switzerland, Scotland, and England (Puritans).

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion combining Hindu and Islamic beliefs that emerged and expanded within northern India under the Mughal Empire, emphasizing tolerance and recognizing the rights of other faiths.