1450-1750

Cash Crop

A crop grown for sale for profit in a commercial market, not for the farmer’s own use. Examples include sugar, tobacco, coffee, and cotton.

Domestic Slavery

A form of coerced labor where a small number of enslaved people work as servants in a household, treated more like family than property.

Maritime Empires

Empires that include colonies separated from the ruling state by a sea or ocean, like those established by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French, and British.

Monumental Architecture

Large structures built to impress people with the power or importance of a ruler, state, or religion, such as the Taj Mahal and various cathedrals.

Plantation

A large farm where cash crops are grown, often relying on slave or indentured labor, notably sugar plantations in the Caribbean and tobacco in North America.

Tax Farming

A method of tax collection wherein a private citizen is given the right to collect taxes in a certain area, sending a portion to the government and keeping the rest.

Trading Post Empire

A form of imperialism that controls trade through trading posts rather than large territories, seen with the Portuguese and Dutch in Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Astrolabe

A device used by sailors to determine latitude by measuring the angle of stars above the horizon, crucial for maritime navigation.

Akbar the Great

Mughal emperor who promoted religious tolerance and stability by eliminating the jizya tax on non-Muslims and elevating Hindus to high governmental positions.

Boyars

Landowning aristocrats in Russia whose power diminished due to reforms by Tsar Peter Romanov in the early 1700s.

Calico

A cotton cloth originally produced in southern India, significant as a trade good and example of peasant production for global markets.

Candomblé

A syncretic religious tradition in Brazil combining West African and Catholic traditions, developed by people of African ancestry.

Caravel

A sturdy ship developed by Western European mariners, facilitating growth in transoceanic travel and trade during the Early Modern Era.

Creole

People of European ancestry born in the Americas, ranking in social class just below those born in Europe (peninsulares).

Devshirme

The practice of taking Christian boys from the Balkans to serve the Ottoman state, signifying a unique method of recruitment for the Janissaries.

Divine Right of Kings

The belief that monarchs derive their authority from God, used by rulers like Louis XIV to legitimize their power.

Encomienda System

Labor system in Spanish colonies granting colonists the right to demand labor from native peoples in exchange for protection.

Gunpowder Empires

States like the Mughal, Ottoman, and Safavid empires that expanded using gunpowder technology and cannons.

Janissaries

Elite infantry soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, often recruited through the Devshirme system.

Mercantilism

An economic policy aimed at maximizing a nation's wealth through control over trade and accumulation of precious metals.

Mestizo

People of mixed Amerindian and European ancestry in Spanish and Portuguese colonies.

Middle Passage

The transatlantic voyage that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas, characterized by brutal conditions.

Piece of Eight

A silver coin minted by Spain, significant for its role in global trade and as a common currency.

Protestant Reformation

Religious movement that led to the creation of Protestantism, emphasizing faith and personal connection to God.

The Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, and germs between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia following Columbus's voyages.

The Societé of Jesus (Jesuits)

An order of Catholic priests aimed at renewing Catholicism through education and missionary work.

Tokugawa Shogunate

Military government that centralized control in Japan from 1603 to 1867, implementing isolationist policies.

Trade Winds and Westerlies

Wind patterns that facilitated maritime navigation, critical for oceanic voyages.