Unit 3 & 4 AP World Vocab

Safavid

- A Persian Muslim empire that practiced Shi’a Islam.

Mughal

- A Muslim empire in India that ruled over a largely Hindu population.

Cannons

- Large firearms that shoot heavy metal projectiles, used in warfare to destroy walls and fortifications.

Armed trade

- Trade backed by military force, using weapons and naval power to control trade routes and ports.

Ottoman Devshirme

- A system in the Ottoman Empire in which Christian boys were taken, converted to Islam, and trained for government or military service.

Divine right of Kings

- The belief that kings received their authority directly from God and therefore had the right to rule.

Songhai

- A powerful West African empire that controlled important trans-Saharan trade routes and grew wealthy through gold and salt trade.

Protestant Reformation

- A 16th-century religious movement that challenged the Catholic Church and led to the creation of Protestant churches.

Sunni

- The largest branch of Islam, whose followers believe leaders of the Muslim community should be chosen by the community.

Shi’a

- A branch of Islam whose followers believe leadership should have passed through Muhammad's family, beginning with Ali.

Sikhism

- A monotheistic religion founded in India that combines elements of Hinduism and Islam.

Eastern Hemisphere

- The half of Earth containing Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

Western Hemisphere

- The half of Earth containing North and South America.

Imperial expansion

- The process of a country or empire increasing its territory, power, and influence.

Colonization

- The process of settling and taking political or economic control of another territory.

Columbian Exchange

- The widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after 1492.

Caravel

- A small, fast, and maneuverable European sailing ship used for exploration and trade.

Carrack

- A large European sailing ship used for long-distance trade and exploration that could carry heavy cargo.

Lateen sails

- Triangular sails that allowed ships to sail more effectively against the wind.

Compass

- A navigation tool that uses Earth's magnetic field to show direction.

Astronomical charts

- Maps and charts that use the positions of stars and other celestial objects to help sailors navigate.

Smallpox

- A deadly infectious disease brought by Europeans to the Americas that killed millions of Indigenous people.

Cash crops

- Crops grown mainly to be sold for profit rather than for personal consumption.

Coerced labor

- Work that people are forced to perform against their will, often through threats or violence.

Christopher Columbus

- An Italian explorer who sailed for Spain and reached the Americas in 1492, beginning sustained European contact with the Americas.

Sugar plantations

- Large farms that grew sugarcane using enslaved or forced labor to produce sugar for profit.

Ming China

- A Chinese dynasty (1368–1644) known for economic growth, cultural achievements, and strong centralized government.

European Empires

- European nations that expanded their power by conquering territories, establishing colonies, and controlling trade.

African slave trade

- The forced transportation and sale of millions of Africans into slavery, especially across the Atlantic Ocean.

Plantation economy

- An economic system based on large farms that produce cash crops using enslaved or coerced labor.

Mercantilism

- An economic system in which countries tried to increase their wealth by exporting more than they imported and controlling colonies and trade.

Joint-stock companies

- Businesses funded by multiple investors who shared the costs, risks, and profits of overseas trade and colonization.

Atlantic trading system

- A network of trade connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas through the exchange of goods, enslaved people, and raw materials.

Monopoly

- Exclusive control over the production, sale, or trade of a particular good or service.

Mestizos

- People of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry.

Syncretic belief systems

- Religious or cultural systems that combine elements from different traditions.

State expansion

- The growth of a government's territory, power, and influence.

Slave resistance

- Actions taken by enslaved people to oppose slavery, including revolts, escape, sabotage, and preserving cultural traditions.

Qing China

- A Chinese dynasty (1644–1912) established by the Manchus that expanded China's territory and maintained strong imperial rule.