AP World History - Unit 3: Land-Based Empires KBAT Terms

Comprehensive vocabulary study guide covering all 90 KBAT terms and definitions for AP World History: Modern Unit 3 (1450–1750), focusing on Land-Based Empires.

Land-based empire

State that gains and rules large territories mainly by land conquest.

Gunpowder empires

Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal states that used firearms and artillery to expand.

Ottoman Empire

Sunni Muslim empire centered on Anatolia; conquered Constantinople in 1453.

Mehmed II

Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453 using artillery.

Constantinople (1453)

Byzantine capital captured by Ottomans; renamed Istanbul over time.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ottoman ruler who expanded the empire and strengthened law and administration.

Persian empire that established Twelver Shi'a Islam as its state religion.

Safavid Empire

Shah Ismail I

Founder of Safavid rule in Iran; promoted Twelver Shi'a Islam.

Shah Abbas I

Safavid ruler who strengthened the military, bureaucracy, and Isfahan.

Twelver Shi'a Islam

Branch of Shi'a Islam made official under Safavid rule.

Sunni–Shi'a rivalry

Religious and political division important in Ottoman–Safavid conflicts.

Battle of Chaldiran (1514)

Ottoman firearms helped defeat Safavid forces; exposed cavalry disadvantages.

Mughal Empire

Muslim-ruled South Asian empire founded by Babur in 1526.

Babur

Founder of Mughal Empire after victory at First Battle of Panipat.

First Battle of Panipat (1526)

Babur defeated Delhi Sultanate forces, helping found Mughal rule.

Akbar

Mughal emperor noted for expansion, administration, and religious accommodation.

Aurangzeb

Mughal emperor who expanded territory but faced costly wars and resistance.

Qing Dynasty

Manchu-led dynasty that replaced the Ming and ruled China from 1644.

Manchus

Northeast Asian people who founded and ruled the Qing Dynasty.

Kangxi Emperor

Qing ruler who consolidated authority and expanded control.

Qianlong Emperor

Qing ruler associated with territorial expansion and cultural patronage.

Russian Empire / Muscovy

State that expanded across Siberia and centralized tsarist authority.

Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)

Russian tsar who strengthened central rule and expanded toward the Volga.

Peter the Great

Russian ruler who modernized army and administration and built St. Petersburg.

Siberian expansion

Russian expansion eastward aided by Cossacks and fur trade.

Cossacks

Frontier military communities important in Russian expansion and sometimes resistance.

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty before Qing; ruled 1368–1644.

Songhai Empire

West African state expanded under Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad.

Askia Muhammad

Songhai ruler who strengthened administration and supported Islam.

Artillery / cannons

Gunpowder weapons that helped states breach fortifications and expand.

Infantry firearms

Handheld gunpowder weapons used by imperial armies.

Military revolution

Changes in firearms, fortifications, and armies that reshaped warfare.

Devshirme

Ottoman levy recruiting some Christian boys for state and military service.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman infantry serving the sultan; originally often recruited through devshirme.

Timar system

Ottoman land-revenue grants supporting cavalry and military service.

Ottoman bureaucracy

Officials and administrators used to govern the large empire.

Grand vizier

Senior Ottoman official who directed much of government administration.

Sultan

Title used by Ottoman and other Muslim monarchs.

Mansabdari system

Mughal ranking system assigning officials military and administrative obligations.

Mansabdar

Ranked Mughal officer responsible for specified service and troops.

Zamindars

Local landholders and revenue intermediaries in Mughal India.

Jagir

Mughal revenue assignment often used to pay officials.

Tax farming

State grants right to collect taxes to private collectors for revenue.

Tribute

Payments or goods given to acknowledge a ruler's authority.

Centralization

Concentrating political and administrative power under a central ruler.

Bureaucracy

System of specialized officials administering government policies.

Civil service examination

Chinese examination route for selecting scholar-officials.

Scholar-gentry

Educated Chinese elite holding prestige through Confucian learning and offices.

Neo-Confucianism

Revived Confucian philosophy stressing hierarchy, education, and social order.

Boyars

Russian hereditary nobles whose independence tsars sought to restrict.

Serfdom

System tying peasants to estates and landlords; intensified in Russia.

Peter the Great's westernization

Adoption of European-style military, technology, dress, and state institutions.

St. Petersburg

Russian city founded by Peter the Great as a western-facing capital.

Versailles

Louis XIV's palace used to display authority and manage nobles.

Louis XIV

French king associated with absolutism and Versailles.

Divine right of kings

Claim that monarchs derive their authority from God.

Absolutism

Model of concentrated monarchical power, though practical limits remained.

Taj Mahal

Mughal monument built by Shah Jahan; displayed imperial wealth and legitimacy.

Isfahan

Safavid capital developed under Shah Abbas to project royal power.

Forbidden City

Imperial Chinese palace complex symbolizing dynastic authority.

Topkapi Palace

Ottoman imperial residence and administrative center in Istanbul.

Ottoman tax collection

Revenue from land, trade and subjects funded imperial government and army.

Religious legitimation

Use of religion to justify and strengthen rulers' authority.

Akbar's religious tolerance

Policies accommodating religions and integrating Hindu elites into Mughal rule.

Jizya

Tax historically paid by some non-Muslim subjects; abolished by Akbar, restored by Aurangzeb.

Sulh-i kul

Akbar's ideal of universal peace and tolerance among religions.

Din-i Ilahi

Small spiritual fellowship promoted by Akbar, blending several influences.

Aurangzeb's religious policies

More orthodox policies, including reimposing jizya; contributed to tensions.

Safavid Shi'a identity

State adoption of Shi'a Islam strengthened unity and distinguished Safavids from Ottomans.

Ottoman Sunni identity

Sunni Islam helped legitimate Ottoman rule and shaped Safavid rivalry.

Sikhism

Religion originating in Punjab; its community expanded in Mughal India.

Guru Nanak

Founder of Sikhism, emphasizing devotion to one God and social equality.

Protestant Reformation

16th-century movement challenging Catholic Church authority in Europe.

Martin Luther

German reformer whose Ninety-Five Theses challenged church practices in 1517.

Indulgences

Church remissions of temporal punishment; abuses helped spark Reformation.

John Calvin

Protestant reformer associated with predestination and Reformed theology.

Predestination

Calvinist teaching that God has already chosen the saved.

Anglican Church

English church separated from Roman Catholic papal authority under Henry VIII.

Henry VIII

English king who broke with Rome and established royal supremacy over English church.

Catholic Reformation / Counter-Reformation

Catholic response involving reform, renewal, and resistance to Protestantism.

Council of Trent

Catholic council that reaffirmed doctrine and addressed clerical abuses.

Jesuits / Society of Jesus

Catholic order active in education, missions, and Counter-Reformation.

Thirty Years' War

1618–1648 European conflict involving religion and dynastic power.

Peace of Westphalia (1648)

Treaties ending Thirty Years' War and reshaping European state relations.

European religious wars

Conflicts intensified by Protestant–Catholic divisions and political rivalries.

Land empire comparison

Compare military expansion, bureaucracy, religion and methods of legitimacy.

Ottoman vs. Safavid Islam

Ottomans mostly Sunni; Safavid rulers promoted Twelver Shi'a identity.

Ottoman vs. Mughal administration

Ottomans used Janissaries and devshirme; Mughals used mansabdars.

Continuity and change (CCOT)

Explain what changed and persisted over a period with specific evidence.

State-building

Process of developing institutions, revenue, armies, and political authority.