AP World 3.3 Vocab

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divine right of kings

common claim from the Middle Ages that the right to rule was given to a king by God. Under this belief, a king was a political and religious authority

English Bill of Rights

signed 1689 by rulers William and Mary. it assured individual civil liberties

Cardinal Richelieu

French minister, moved France to even greater centralization of the gov and development of the system of intendants

Louis XIV

espoused a theory of divine right and was a virtual dictator, wanted absolute power and to expand French borders

Ivan IV

had expansionist policies for Russia, punished boyar (noble) class

Romanov Dynasty

took control of Russia in 1613, autocratic government

Ottoman Empire

used devshirme system to ensure their control over large areas

devshirme

selection system to staff military and government, Christian boys that were subjects of the empire were recruited by force to serve

janissaries

group of devshirme that was the most famous and formed elite forces in the Ottoman army

Akbar

Mughal ruler from 1556 to 1605, most capable of Mughal rulers, defeated Hindu armies, extended empire

Askia the Great

ruler of Songhai kingdom in 1493, promoted Islam, made Songhai kingdom the largest in its day in West Africa, made Islam the official religion to help unite empire, supported an efficient bureaucracy to unite empire

Taj Mahal

magnificent architectural accomplishment in Mughal India built by Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife

Versailles

King Louis XIV’s palace in France

Boyars

the noble landowning class at the top of social pyramid in Russia

serfdom

peasant class (the lowest class) were stuck in this system due to debt. serfs were peasants who received a plot of land and protection from a noble. in return, they were bound to that land and had little personal freedom