World History Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering postclassical Islamic caliphates, Asian dynasties, European feudalism, and pre-Columbian American civilizations.

Abbasid Caliphate

The 3rd Caliphate (Polity) from 750-1258 AD, founded by a dynasty whose descendant is Muhammad’s Uncle, which succeeded the Umayyad and held a "Golden Age of Islam."

Baghdad

The Capital and Largest City of Iraq with a population of ~7 million, founded in 762 AD by Al-Mansur.

Mamluks

Turkic military slaves who formed part of the army of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Seljuk Turks

Nomadic people from central Asia who converted to Islam and took command of the Abbasid caliphate in 1055.

Five Pillars

Beliefs that all Muslims need to carry out - Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.

Hegira

Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina.

Ka’aba

The cube-shaped shrine in Mecca, believed to be built by Abraham.

Averroes

Muslim philosopher who used Greek philosophy to explain Islamic truth.

Umayyad Dynasty

A Sunni dynasty that controlled the largest territory of any since the Roman Empire, with its capital at Damascus.

Grand Canal

Built in 7th century during reign of Yangdi during Sui dynasty; designed to link the original centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze river basin to the south.

Kaifeng

Located 530 miles east from Chang'an, this was the 2nd city of the Song Dynasty.

Hangzhou

A trade center located 400 miles south of Kaifeng that served as the 3rd city of the Song Dynasty.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960-1279 CE) that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.

Song Taizu

A Song Emperor who sought to create more bureaucratic positions and increase their salaries, which began to drain China’s wealth surplus.

Tang Taizong

The second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (627-649 CE) who further developed roads, canals, messenger systems, bandit defense, and expanded the civil service exam bureaucracy.

An Lushan

A military leader who orchestrated a rebellion against the Tang Empire and overthrew Hsuan Tsung in 755.

Hsuan Tsung

Tang Emperor (712-756 CE) who became distracted by a concubine and was overthrown in the rebellion initiated by An Lushan.

Fast-ripening (Champa) Rice

Grain native to northern Vietnam that allowed peasants to grow 2 crops a year.

Flying cash

System of credit where merchants deposit money at one location and withdraw at another.

Proto-industrialization

Phase that precedes and enables full industrialization later, occurring in China earlier than Europe.

Shotoku Taishi

Prince of the Yamato region in Japan who implemented Chinese practices like meritocracy, Buddhism, Confucianism, woodblock printing, and centralized government.

Taika Reforms

New Japanese laws designed to increase efficiency, place land under government control, increase taxes, and take power away from the aristocracy.

Samurai

Professional warriors who worked for noble families under Minamoto clan rule to protect lands in return for basic needs.

Bushido

Japanese version of a knight's code of chivalry stressing frugality, loyalty, martial arts, and honor unto death.

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

Syncretic faith mixing Buddhism and Taoism that emphasizes direct experience and meditation as opposed to formal learning.

Neo-Confucianism

Syncretic faith mixing Buddhism and Confucianism that serves as a social and ethical philosophy combining rational thought with metaphysics.

Foot binding

Practice starting in the Song Dynasty where aristocratic girls' feet were bound as a symbol of social status, restricting them physically.

Delhi Sultanate

Centralized Indian empire of varying extent created by Muslim invaders.

Jizya

Tax on all non-Muslims in the empire imposed by the Delhi sultanate.

Mahmud of Ghazni

Conquered the Punjab region, plundered Hindu shrines and Buddhist temples in northern India, and erected mosques.

Bhakti Movement

Emerged in southern India, emphasizing love and devotion to god without discriminating against women or low status.

Urdu

Language developed along with the Muslims of South Asia combining Sanskrit-based Hindu, Arabic, Farsi, and Persian; official language of Pakistan.

Battle of Tours

A 732 AD battle where Charles Martel’s Frankish forces defeated the Umayyads, halting their advance into Gaul.

Magna Carta

A 1215 charter signed by King John of England guaranteeing rights and limiting royal power.

Primogeniture

Inheritance system where the eldest son received the estate, leading younger sons to often seek other careers like joining crusades.

Scholasticism

Medieval European philosophical and theological method combining reason and faith.

Great Schism

The 1054 split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Black Death

A bubonic plague pandemic (1346–1353) that killed up to 50 million people in Europe.

Three-Field System

Medieval crop rotation system dividing land into three parts to increase agricultural productivity.

Pachacuti

Son of a local tribal ruler who conquered the Chanca people in 1438 CE and transformed the Inca into a full-fledged empire.

Carpa Nan

Incan road system that stretched over 25,000 miles and connected the empire.

Chinampas

Man-made floating gardens used by the Aztecs to grow crops on Lake Texcoco.

Quipu

System of knotted strings used by the Inca for record keeping and communication.

Royal Ancestor Veneration

Practice in Incan belief where dead rulers were mummified and thought to retain wealth, preventing new rulers from inheriting land and driving imperial expansion.

Pochteca

Special merchant class in the Aztec Empire trading in luxury goods, ranking below nobles and scribes but above peasants and soldiers.