UNIT I VOCABULARY 1200-1450 The Global Tapestry

A complete list of vocabulary terms and definitions from Unit I (1200-1450: The Global Tapestry) covering East Asia, Dar al-Islam, South/Southeast Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe.

Buddhism

A religion originating in India based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, encompassing traditions like Chan, Mahayana, Theravada, and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as monasticism.

Civil service exam

An examination system in imperial China used to select candidates for the state bureaucracy based on merit and knowledge of Confucian texts.

Confucianism

A philosophy and ethical system founded by Confucius that emphasizes social harmony, filial piety, rituals, and proper relationships.

Feudalism (Japan)

A social and political hierarchy in Japan featuring the shogun, daimyo, samurai adhering to Bushido, and peasant serfs.

Filial piety

The Confucian virtue of respect, obedience, and devotion toward one's parents and ancestors.

Grand Canal

A massive artificial waterway in China built to connect the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, facilitating trade and internal grain transport.

Imperial bureaucracy

A vast organization of appointed state officials in an empire who carry out government policies and administrative tasks.

Meritocracy

A system in which individuals advance and earn positions based on their demonstrated ability and talent rather than wealth or noble birth.

Neo-Confucianism

A resurgence of Confucian philosophy during the Song Dynasty that integrated spiritual and metaphysical concepts from Buddhism and Daoism.

Proto-industrialization

A phase preceding full industrialization characterized by rural, home-based manufacturing of goods for commercial markets.

Scholar-gentry

An elite class of educated civil servants in imperial China who passed the civil service exams and managed daily state affairs.

Sinification

The process by which non-Chinese societies adopt Chinese culture, language, administrative practices, and social values.

Tributary system

A network of international relations in East Asia where foreign states acknowledged China's regional supremacy through gift exchanges and tribute.

Woodblock printing

A technique for printing text, images, or patterns used widely in East Asia, originating in China.

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah

A prominent female Sufi poet and mystic from Damascus during the Mamluk period.

Abrahamic religions

Monotheistic faiths that trace their spiritual lineage to Abraham, primarily including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

al-Andalus

The Muslim-ruled realm on the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) known for cultural synthesis and scientific learning.

House of Wisdom

An influential center of translation, learning, and research in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age under the Abbasid Caliphate.

Ibn Jubayr

An Andalusian traveler, poet, and geographer known for his detailed travel accounts (rihla) documenting his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ibn Rushd

An Andalusian Muslim polymath and philosopher who wrote influential commentaries on Aristotle and contributed to medicine and law.

Mamluks

A caste of enslaved military soldiers who seized power in Egypt and established a long-lasting sultanate.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A Persian scholar, astronomer, and mathematician who made breakthrough contributions to trigonometry and planetary astronomy.

Shariah

The body of Islamic religious and legal code derived from the Quran and the Hadith.

Sultanate / Sultan

A state or empire governed by a sultan, a supreme political and military ruler in Islamic societies.

Sunni vs. Shi'a

The major political and religious split in Islam regarding succession after Muhammad: Sunnis favored consensus leadership (Abu Bakr), while Shi'a held leadership belonged to Ali and Muhammad's direct descendants.

Turkic peoples

Ethno-linguistic groups originating in Central Asia who established major empires across Western Asia, such as the Seljuk and Ottoman empires.

Bhakti movement

A Hindu devotional movement that emphasized an intense, direct personal relationship between the practitioner and a deity.

Caste system

A rigid social hierarchy in South Asia that categorizes individuals into hereditary social groups (varnas and jatis).

Hinduism

A major polytheistic and philosophical tradition of South Asia based on concepts such as karma, dharma, and reincarnation.

Proselytize

To actively try to convert individuals to a specific religious faith or belief system.

Qutub Minar

A historic victory tower and minaret constructed in Delhi, India, representing early Islamic architecture and rule in South Asia.

Sufism / Sufis

A mystical tradition within Islam whose adherents (Sufis) seek personal spiritual union with God through asceticism, devotion, and meditation.

Urdu

A language developed in South Asia combining grammatical structures of Hindi with vocabulary from Arabic, Persian, and Turkic languages.

Animism

The belief that spiritual essences reside in non-human entities, including plants, animals, landforms, and natural phenomena.

Chinampas

Artificial agricultural islands constructed in shallow lake beds by Mesoamerican civilizations like the Aztecs.

City-states

Independent, sovereign political entities comprising an urban center and its surrounding rural territory.

Matrilineal society

A social organization where familial lineage, inheritance, and social status are passed down through the female line.

Mississippian culture

A mound-building Native American civilization that flourished in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions of North America.

Mit'a system

A mandatory public service and labor organization system used in the Inca Empire for state infrastructure projects.

Pocheta

A specialized guild of professional long-distance merchants in Aztec society who also gathered intelligence for the empire.

Quipu

A system of knotted colored cords used by the Incas to record numerical data, administrative records, and historical memory.

Temple of the Sun

The primary religious sanctuary in Cuzco dedicated to Inti, the Inca deity of the sun.

Theocracy

A form of government ruled directly by religious leaders or guided by divine authority.

Three Sisters

The primary companion crops—maize, beans, and squash—cultivated by indigenous peoples in North and Central America.

Waru waru

An indigenous Andean agricultural method involving raised beds paired with irrigation channels to regulate soil temperature and water.

Bantu peoples

A major linguistic group in Sub-Saharan Africa whose historical migrations spread agriculture, ironworking, and languages across the region.

Debt bondage

A form of coerced labor in which a debtor pledges labor services to pay off a financial obligation.

Kin-based networks

Social and political structures organized around family relationships and village lineages rather than centralized state apparatuses.

Rock-hewn churches

Monolithic Christian churches carved entirely out of solid rock in Lalibela, Ethiopia.

Swahili

A coastal East African culture and language blending Bantu structures with Arabic vocabulary due to Indian Ocean trade networks.

Zanj

An Arabic term referring to the inhabitants and coast of East Africa, historically associated with the Zanj Rebellion.

Antisemitism

Prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed against Jewish people.

Chivalry

A code of behavior for medieval European knights emphasizing honor, bravery, loyalty, and courtesy.

Free labor systems vs. coerced labor systems

The distinction between economic systems where workers choose labor for wages versus systems relying on forced labor (such as serfdom or slavery).

Magna Carta

A 1215 English document that limited the power of the king and established legal rights for nobility.

Manorial system

An economic structure of feudal Europe centered around self-sufficient manors where peasants and serfs worked for landed nobles.

Monarchy

A political system ruled by a single supreme hereditary sovereign, such as a monarch or queen.

Primogeniture

The legal practice of passing the entire family estate and land intact to the eldest son.

Serfdom

A system of coerced agricultural labor where peasants (serfs) are legally bound to work a lord's estate (fief).

The Hundred Years' War

A prolonged series of military conflicts between England and France from 1337 to 1453 over territorial control and political dominance.