WHAP Unit 2 Vocabulary/Key Terms

These Flashcards were made using the AMSCO Book based off Unit 2.

Mongol Empire

The largest continuous land empire in history, created by Genghis Khan and his descendants in the 13th–14th centuries, which stretched from China to Eastern Europe and promoted both conquest and trade.

Magnetic Compass

A Chinese invention that used the Earth’s magnetic field to help sailors navigate long-distance sea trade routes more accurately.

Rudder

A flat piece attached to the back (stern) of a ship that steers it; improved by the Chinese to make ships more stable and easier to control.

Junk

A large Chinese sailing ship, developed in the Han Dynasty, with multiple sails and a strong, compartmented hull that made long ocean voyages safer.

Kashgar

A trading city along the Silk Roads located at the western edge of China, where northern and southern routes met, making it a key exchange point for goods and cultures.

Samarkand

A wealthy city in Central Asia that became a center of trade, cultural exchange, and Islamic learning along the Silk Roads.

Caravanserai

Roadside inns built about every 100 miles along trade routes where travelers and their animals could rest, eat, and trade goods.

Money Economy

An economic system based on the use of currency (money) rather than direct barter of goods. (Use of money rather than directly trading goods for other goods.)

Flying Cash

A system of credit developed in China that allowed merchants to deposit money in one location and withdraw it in another, reducing the risk of carrying coins.

Paper Money

Currency first developed in China during the Tang and Song Dynasties; lightweight compared to metal coins, which made trade easier.

Banking Houses

European institutions that allowed people to deposit money for safekeeping and withdraw funds elsewhere, supporting long-distance trade.

Bill of Exchange

A written order that allowed merchants to pay or receive money in another city without carrying coins; like an early form of a check.

Hanseatic League

An alliance of trading cities in Northern Europe (1200s–1600s) that controlled trade in the Baltic and North Seas, protecting merchants and standardizing practices.

Gobi Desert

A harsh desert in East Asia where Genghis Khan grew up and where several Mongol tribes lived before uniting under his rule.

Khan

A Mongol leader or ruler.

Kuriltai

A meeting of Mongol chieftains where important decisions were made, such as electing Genghis Khan as supreme ruler.

Genghis Khan

Founder of the Mongol Empire; originally named Temujin, he united the Mongol tribes in 1206 and expanded their empire through conquest and skilled military leadership.

Khanate

A region or political area ruled by a khan; after Genghis Khan’s death, the empire was divided into several khanates ruled by his descendants.

Siege Weapons

Military tools used to attack walled cities, such as catapults or trebuchets; the Mongols adapted these from Chinese and Persian engineers.

Pax Mongolica

The “Mongol Peace,” a period of stability and order across Eurasia under Mongol rule (13th–14th centuries) that encouraged trade, communication, and cultural exchange.

Uyghur Alphabet

An alphabet that Genghis Khan tried to adopt for the Mongol Empire, though it was not fully successful.

Batu

A grandson of Genghis Khan who led the Golden Horde in conquering and ruling parts of Russia and Eastern Europe.

Golden Horde

The Mongol army led by Batu that invaded Russia and Eastern Europe, ruling the region through tribute collection.

Moscow

A Russian city that grew in power under Mongol rule because its leaders collected tribute for the Golden Horde; it later became the center of Russian resistance.

Hulegu

A grandson of Genghis Khan who conquered much of the Middle East, establishing the Il-khanate in Persia.

Ilkhanate

The Mongol khanate established in Persia by Hulegu; it ruled over parts of the Islamic world.

Kublai Khan

A grandson of Genghis Khan who conquered China, founded the Yuan Dynasty, and promoted trade and cultural exchange.

Yuan Dynasty

The dynasty established in China by Kublai Khan, which ruled from the mid-1200s to 1368.

White Lotus Society

A secret society in China that organized resistance against Mongol rule, eventually helping to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang

A Buddhist monk who led a peasant revolt that overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

Ming Dynasty

The dynasty that followed the Yuan Dynasty in China, restoring Chinese rule after the Mongols were expelled.

Bubonic Plague

A deadly disease (also called the Black Death) that spread along trade routes during the Pax Mongolica, devastating populations in Asia and Europe.

Cannon

A powerful new weapon first developed by the Mongols in China by combining Chinese gunpowder with Muslim flamethrower technology.

Malacca (Melaka)

A wealthy Muslim city-state in Southeast Asia that grew powerful by taxing ships passing through the Strait of Malacca, a key trade route between India and China.

Gujarat

A region in western India that became rich from customs taxes on trade goods moving between East and West.

Swahili City-States

East African trading cities (like Kilwa, Mombasa, Zanzibar) that thrived on Indian Ocean trade, selling ivory, gold, and slaves in exchange for Chinese porcelain, Indian cotton, and other goods.

Calicut

A major port city on India’s west coast, famous for the spice trade; it was a meeting point for merchants from Arabia, China, and beyond.

Spice Islands

Modern-day Indonesia and Malaysia, known for exporting valuable spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.

Indian Ocean Basin

The large trading region connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia, which became one of the busiest trade networks in the postclassical era.

Monsoon Winds

Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean that merchants relied on; blowing northeast in winter and southwest in summer, they determined when ships could sail safely.

Lanteen Sails

Triangular sails (popular with Arab sailors) that could catch winds from multiple directions, making ocean travel more flexible.

Stern Rudder

A steering device on the back of a ship, first developed in China, that made ships more stable and easier to control.

Astrolabe

A navigation tool (improved by Muslim sailors) that allowed sailors to determine their latitude by measuring their position relative to the equator.

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

A trade system in which enslaved Africans were sold to buyers in North Africa, the Middle East, India, and island regions; enslaved people often worked in ports, ships, households, or as soldiers.

Diaspora

Communities of people living away from their homeland; in the Indian Ocean, merchants (Arab, Persian, Chinese, Jewish, etc.) settled permanently in port cities and blended their cultures with local traditions.

Zheng He

A Chinese Muslim admiral who led seven great voyages (1405–1433) during the Ming Dynasty, sailing to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Arabia, and East Africa to promote Chinese power and expand tribute trade.

Mali

A powerful West African empire (1200s–1400s) that grew wealthy from controlling and taxing trans-Saharan trade, especially gold & salt.

Sundiata

Known as the “Lion Prince,” he was the founder of Mali who established a strong trade network and used Islam to build alliances.

Mansa Musa

Mali’s most famous ruler (early 1300s); a devout Muslim best known for his extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca, which showed off Mali’s immense wealth and helped spread Islam.

Songhai Kingdom

The empire that replaced Mali in the late 1400s; it became larger and wealthier, continuing to control West African trade routes.

Timbuktu

A major trade city in Mali that also became a world-renowned center of Islamic scholarship, books, and learning.

Mecca

Islam’s holiest city, located in Arabia; the destination of Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage (hajj).

Trans-Saharan Trade

The network of trade routes across the Sahara Desert connecting North Africa with West Africa; involved goods like gold, salt, ivory, and slaves, and spread Islam into the region.

Sahara Desert

The largest hot desert in the world, covering 3.6 million square miles; despite its harshness, it became a key trade route thanks to camels.

Oasis

Fertile spots in the desert where underground water reaches the surface; allowed settlements and caravan stops across the Sahara.

Arabian Desert

A dry desert region in the Islamic heartland (Arabia); camels originally adapted here before being used for trans-Saharan trade.

Camel Saddle

A technological innovation that allowed camels to carry heavy loads (up to 600 pounds) and made long-distance trade across the Sahara possible.

Marco Polo

A Venetian traveler who visited China under the Mongols and wrote vivid accounts of his journey. His stories increased European curiosity about Asia, even if some doubted their truth.

Ibn Battuta

A Muslim scholar and traveler who journeyed across much of Afro-Eurasia, recording observations about cultures, trade, and religion. His accounts show the wide connections of the Islamic world.

Gunpowder

A Chinese invention that spread along trade routes, transforming warfare in Eurasia.

Paper

First developed in China, it spread through trade and helped expand education, record-keeping, and literature across Afro-Eurasia.

Buddhism

A religion from India that spread to China through the Silk Roads and influenced East Asian culture, art, and literature.

Xuanzang

A 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk whose travels to India helped make Buddhism more popular in China.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

A syncretic form of Buddhism that blended with Daoist traditions in China; known as Zen in Japan.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960–1279) during which Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism blended; printing spread Buddhist texts widely.

Neo-Confucianism

A syncretic philosophy combining Confucian rationalism with Buddhist and Daoist ideas; it spread from China to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and became Korea’s official ideology.

Champa Rice

A drought- and flood-resistant rice from Vietnam that ripened quickly and could yield two harvests a year; it boosted Chinese population growth and farming expansion.

Bananas

A nutrition-rich crop brought by Indonesian seafarers to Sub-Saharan Africa; supported Bantu migration into areas where yams could not grow.

Sugar

A crop spread by Muslim caliphs; became highly demanded in Europe, later driving the use of enslaved labor in the Americas.

Citrus Crops

Fruits such as oranges and lemons spread from Southwest Asia to Europe through trade; influenced Mediterranean diets and agriculture.

Overgrazing

Excessive grazing by animals, which destroyed land around Great Zimbabwe and forced people to abandon the city.

Deforestation

Cutting down too many trees for farmland or fuel, leading to loss of forests in medieval Europe.

Soil Erosion

The wearing away of fertile soil due to overuse of farmland; reduced crop yields in parts of Europe.

Bubonic Plague

A deadly epidemic carried by fleas, spread through Mongol trade routes; killed 75–200 million people in Eurasia (about one-third of Europe’s population).