All AP WORLD vocab

ap world

Buddhism

Religion focused on ending suffering through the Eightfold Path and achieving Nirvana.

Christianity

Monotheistic religion about Jesus as the Son of God and savior.

Confucianism

Chinese philosophy focusing on order, respect, and family duties.

Hinduism

Oldest major religion, believes in reincarnation, karma, caste system.

Islam

Monotheistic faith; Muhammad is the prophet; Quran is the holy book.

Judaism

Oldest monotheistic religion, based on the covenant between God and Hebrews.

Abbasid Dynasty

Islamic Golden Age dynasty; advanced in math, science, medicine.

House of Wisdom

Learning center in Baghdad; translated Greek and Roman works.

Mamluks

Former slaves who became rulers in Egypt; defeated Mongols.

Middle Ages

Time between Rome’s fall and Renaissance; feudalism dominated.

Feudalism

System where kings gave land to nobles in exchange for loyalty.

Nobles

Landowners who pledged military service to kings.

Manors

Self-sufficient farming estates owned by nobles.

Three-field system

Farming method to increase food production.

Code of chivalry

Behavior code for knights, emphasizing loyalty, honor, bravery.

Serfs

Peasants bound to work land on manors.

English Parliament

Group that advised kings; started limiting royal power.

Magna Carta

1215 document forcing King John to give up some power.

Joan of Arc

French heroine during Hundred Years' War; burned at the stake.

Hundred Years’ War

Long war between England and France over succession.

Queen Isabella/Ferdinand

United Spain; funded Columbus; started Inquisition.

Spanish Inquisition

Campaign to enforce Catholicism in Spain.

Tatars

Mongols who ruled parts of Russia.

Ivan III

First czar; freed Russia from Mongols.

Ivan the Terrible

Expanded Russia, ruled with terror.

Foot binding

Chinese practice symbolizing beauty and status for women.

Shogun

Military ruler of Japan; real power behind emperor.

Daimyo

Landowning lords under the shogun.

Code of Bushido

Samurai code focusing on loyalty, honor, bravery.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim rule in India; blended Hindu-Muslim culture.

Khmer Empire

Southeast Asian empire famous for Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat

Huge Buddhist/Hindu temple complex in Cambodia.

Hausa

Group of city-states in West Africa.

Aztec Empire

Mesoamerican empire; known for human sacrifices; Tenochtitlán.

Inca Empire

South American empire; known for road system and terraces.

Gothic architecture

Architectural style with pointed arches, tall spires, and stained glass.

Crusades

European Christian campaigns to reclaim the Holy Land.

Inquisition

Church court hunting heretics; connected to the Crusades.

Thomas Aquinas

Scholastic thinker; argued that reason and faith can coexist.

Genghis Khan

United Mongol tribes; created a vast empire.

Mongol Empire

Largest contiguous land empire, known for tolerance and brutal warfare.

Kublai Khan

Genghis’s grandson; founded the Yuan dynasty in China.

Mali

West African empire; gained wealth from gold and salt trade.

Mansa Musa

Mali king; known for immense wealth and pilgrimage to Mecca.

Songhai

African empire that controlled trade routes after Mali.

Moveable type

Printing invention first in China; allowed faster spread of ideas.

Bubonic Plague

Black Death; killed approximately one-third of Europe's population.

Indian Ocean Trade

Maritime trade network connecting Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia.

Kashgar/Samarkand

Major trade cities along the Silk Road.

Marco Polo

Venetian traveler who visited China and documented his experiences.

Ibn Battuta

Muslim traveler who explored much of the Islamic world.

Humanism

Renaissance focus on human potential, achievements, and individualism.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of the printing press, enabling the rapid spread of information.

Protestant Reformation

Movement aimed at reforming the Catholic Church, leading to new Christian branches.

Indulgences

Payments to the Church to reduce punishment for sins.

Martin Luther

German monk who initiated the Reformation with his 95 Theses.

Pope Leo X

Pope who excommunicated Martin Luther, marking a significant religious conflict.

Lutherans

Followers of Martin Luther, forming the first major Protestant group.

Calvinism

Protestant sect founded by John Calvin, emphasizing predestination.

King Henry VIII

English king who separated from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England.

Catholic Reformation

Catholic Church's response to the Reformation, aiming to correct abuses.

Jesuits

Catholic missionaries active during the Catholic Reformation.

Council of Trent

Catholic Church council that reformed practices and reaffirmed doctrine.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Astronomer who proposed the heliocentric theory (sun-centered universe).

Galileo

Scientist who proved heliocentric theory and improved the telescope.

Francis Bacon

Philosopher who developed the scientific method.

Johannes Kepler

Astronomer known for discovering the laws of planetary motion.

Sir Isaac Newton

Formulated the laws of gravity and motion, major contributions to science.

Deism

Belief that God created the universe but does not intervene in its workings.

King Ferdinand/Queen Isabella

Spanish monarchs who united Spain and sponsored Columbus's voyages.

Act of Supremacy

English law that made King Henry VIII the head of the Church of England.

James I

English king who promoted the divine right of kings.

Charles I

English king executed after the English Civil War for overpowering Parliament.

Glorious Revolution

Bloodless revolution that resulted in William and Mary assuming the throne.

Edict of Nantes

Granted religious freedom to French Protestants (Huguenots).

English Bill of Rights

Limited royal power and protected the rights of Parliament.

Louis XIV

Absolute monarch of France known for building Versailles.

Thirty Years’ War

Religious war in Europe that ended with the Peace of Westphalia.

Peace of Westphalia

Concluded the Thirty Years' War; allowed religious choice in the Holy Roman Empire.

Ivan III

Czar who liberated Russia from Mongol rule and centralized authority.

Ivan IV (the Terrible)

First czar who expanded Russia's territory through a harsh regime.

Boyars

Russian nobility; significant social class in Russian history.

Cossacks

Russian frontiersmen who helped expand the territory of the empire.

Time of Troubles

Period of chaos in Russia before the Romanovs took power.

Michael Romanov

First Romanov czar; ended the Time of Troubles.

Peter the Great

Czar known for modernizing and westernizing Russia.

Catherine the Great

Expanded Russian territory and continued reforms of westernization.

Janissaries

Elite soldiers of the Ottoman Empire originally composed of Christian boys.

Selim I

Ottoman sultan who expanded the empire significantly.

Suleiman I

Considered the greatest Ottoman ruler; known for imperial expansion into Europe.

Babur

Founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Mughal Empire

Muslim empire that ruled much of India, noted for its cultural and architectural achievements.

Akbar

Greatest Mughal emperor who promoted religious tolerance.

Shah Jahan

Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.

Aurangzeb

Last major Mughal emperor; his reign led to the weakening of the empire.

Asante

African kingdom involved in the transatlantic slave trade.

Kongo

Kingdom in Africa weakened by Portuguese slave trade.

Queen Nzinga

Leader who resisted Portuguese colonization in Africa.

Zheng He

Led maritime expeditions during the Ming dynasty of China.

Manchus

People who conquered China and founded the Qing dynasty.