AP World History Vocab

Imperial Bureaucracy

A centralized government system where appointed officials enforce the emperor's rule across various regions of an empire, like in the Chinese Tang and Song Dynasties.

Decentralized

A political structure where power is distributed among local lords or regions rather than being held by a central authority.

Artisanal

Goods or crafts produced by skilled workers by hand or with basic tools, often in pre-industrial societies.

Manufactured

Goods produced in large quantities, often by machinery or organized labor, signifying more advanced economies.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960-1279 CE) known for technological innovation, neo-Confucianism, and economic prosperity.

Confucianism

A Chinese philosophy emphasizing social harmony, respect for hierarchy, and filial piety, influential in shaping East Asian cultures.

Filial Piety

Confucian principle of respecting and honoring one's parents and ancestors.

Champa Rice

A fast-growing, drought-resistant rice from Vietnam that increased agricultural productivity in Song China.

Porcelain

A fine ceramic material developed in China, widely traded along the Silk Roads and a symbol of luxury.

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic empire (750-1258 CE) that oversaw a golden age of science, culture, and trade centered in Baghdad.

Turkic

Refers to nomadic peoples from Central Asia who played key roles in the Islamic world, like the Seljuks and Ottomans.

Sultanate

A form of Islamic government ruled by a sultan, seen in places like the Delhi Sultanate in South Asia.

House of Wisdom

A major intellectual center in Baghdad where scholars translated and preserved ancient texts and advanced science.

Zimbabwe

A powerful East African kingdom known for trade and stone architecture, particularly the city of Great Zimbabwe.

Feudalism

A political and social system in medieval Europe and Japan where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for service.

Manorialism

The economic system of medieval Europe where peasants worked land owned by lords in return for protection.

Coerced Labor

Forced labor systems, including slavery and serfdom, used to sustain agricultural and economic production.

Serfdom

A labor system in which peasants were tied to land and obligated to work for the landowner.

Buddhism

A religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, promoting enlightenment through the Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths.

Mahayana

A branch of Buddhism prevalent in East Asia emphasizing compassion and the possibility of enlightenment for all beings.

Theravada

The more conservative branch of Buddhism practiced in Southeast Asia, focusing on monastic discipline and meditation.

Hinduism

A major South Asian religion with diverse practices, rooted in concepts like dharma, karma, and reincarnation.

Bhakti

A devotional movement in Hinduism emphasizing love for a personal god and emotional worship, accessible to all people.

Monasticism

A religious way of life in which individuals withdraw from society to dedicate themselves to spiritual work, common in Christianity and Buddhism.

Judaism

One of the oldest monotheistic religions, centered on the covenant between God and the Hebrew people.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, emphasizing salvation and moral behavior.

Islam

A monotheistic faith founded by Muhammad, emphasizing submission to Allah and based on the Quran.

Sufism

A mystical form of Islam focused on personal experience with the divine through rituals, poetry, and devotion.

Missionaries

Individuals who travel to spread religious beliefs, often playing a role in cultural exchange and conversion.

Commercial

Related to trade and business; in world history, it refers to growing interregional trade networks like the Silk Roads.

Camel Saddle

An innovation that allowed better control and comfort for riders on camels, aiding trade across deserts like the Sahara.

Caravan

A group of merchants or travelers journeying together, often through desert routes for mutual protection and trade efficiency.

Caravanserai

Roadside inns along trade routes like the Silk Roads where travelers and animals could rest and resupply.

Credit

A financial arrangement allowing merchants to buy goods with the promise to pay later, encouraging long-distance trade.

Textiles

Woven fabrics that were highly valuable trade goods, especially silk and cotton cloth in Afro-Eurasian commerce.

Khanates

Regional Mongol kingdoms formed after the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire, such as the Golden Horde and Ilkhanate.

Astrolabe

A navigation tool used by Muslim and European sailors to determine latitude by measuring the position of celestial bodies.

Compass

A navigational instrument developed in China that allowed sailors to determine direction at sea, crucial to maritime exploration.

Diaspora

The dispersion of a population from its original homeland; often refers to merchant communities (like Jews or Muslims) abroad.

Indigenous

Native peoples of a region who often came into contact with outside traders, conquerors, or missionaries.

Monsoon

Seasonal winds in the Indian Ocean that facilitated maritime trade by allowing predictable sailing patterns.

Epidemic

A widespread outbreak of disease that often followed trade and conquest, such as the Black Death.

Bills of Exchange

Written orders used in trade that allowed merchants to exchange money without physically moving gold or silver.

Banking House

Early financial institutions that helped fund trade and manage money across regions, especially in cities like Venice or Baghdad.

Silk Roads

A network of overland trade routes connecting China to the Mediterranean, famous for the exchange of silk, spices, and ideas.

Uyghur Script

A writing system used by the Uyghur people, adopted by the Mongol Empire for administration and communication.

Arabic Numerals

A number system developed in India and spread by Muslims that replaced Roman numerals in much of Europe.

City-State

An independent urban center with its own government, common in regions like Swahili East Africa and Renaissance Italy.

Ming Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty (1368-1644) that restored native rule after the Mongols, known for maritime voyages and cultural revival.

Admiral Zheng He

Chinese explorer who led large-scale naval expeditions under the Ming Dynasty, expanding China's maritime influence.

Trans-Saharan

Trade routes crossing the Sahara Desert that connected sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and the Islamic world.

Mali

A wealthy West African empire known for its control of gold trade and cities like Timbuktu, prominent under Mansa Musa.

Sub-Saharan

The region of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, involved in regional and trans-Saharan trade networks.

Gunpowder

An explosive substance invented in China, used in warfare and spread along trade routes to the Islamic world and Europe.

Urbanization

The growth and expansion of cities, often fueled by trade, empire building, and increased agricultural output.

Tax Farming

A system where private individuals collected taxes on behalf of the state and kept a portion as profit, used in empires like the Ottoman.

Tribute

Payments made by one state or ruler to another, often as a sign of submission or in exchange for protection.

Protestant

Christians who broke away from the Catholic Church during the Reformation, beginning with Martin Luther.

Catholic

The branch of Christianity headed by the Pope, dominant in Western Europe before and after the Protestant Reformation.

Usury

The practice of charging interest on loans; criticized by religious authorities in medieval and early modern periods.

Indulgences

Payments to the Catholic Church for the forgiveness of sins; a major cause of the Protestant Reformation.

Sunni

The largest branch of Islam, believing leadership should be based on the community's choice, not bloodline.

Shi'a

A branch of Islam that believes leadership should stay within Muhammad's family, especially through his cousin Ali.

Sikhism

A syncretic religion founded in South Asia blending elements of Islam and Hinduism, promoting equality and devotion to one God.

Banners

Military units used in Qing China made up of Manchu, Mongol, and Chinese soldiers to consolidate imperial control.

Queue Hairstyle

A hairstyle forced on Chinese men under the Qing Dynasty to show submission to Manchu rule.

Tsar

The title of the monarch in Russia, derived from 'Caesar,' used by rulers from Ivan IV onward.

Boyar

A member of the Russian nobility who held land and wielded political influence, often in conflict with the tsar.

Cossack

A group of semi-independent warriors in Russia and Ukraine who often served as frontier soldiers for the tsars.

Westernization

The adoption of European ideas, technology, and culture, especially promoted by Peter the Great in Russia.

Hagia Sophia

A Byzantine church in Constantinople turned into a mosque by the Ottomans after 1453, symbolizing Islamic conquest.

Devshirme

The Ottoman system of recruiting Christian boys from the Balkans to be converted to Islam and serve in elite military or administrative roles.

Janissary

An elite Ottoman infantry unit made up of devshirme recruits, loyal directly to the sultan.

Millet

Autonomous religious communities in the Ottoman Empire allowed to govern themselves under their own laws.

Alhambra Decree

The 1492 order by Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to expel Jews from Spain as part of religious unification.

Miniatures

Detailed, small-scale paintings, especially popular in Islamic and Persian empires to illustrate manuscripts.

Divine Faith

A syncretic religion promoted by Mughal emperor Akbar combining elements of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, and others.

Taj Mahal

A monumental tomb built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, reflecting Islamic and Indian architecture.

Mausoleum

A grand tomb structure, like the Taj Mahal, built for the deceased in many world cultures.

Zamindars

Local landowners in Mughal India who collected taxes and sometimes held significant power.

Marathas

A Hindu warrior group in India that challenged Mughal rule and eventually helped weaken the empire.

Renaissance

A cultural and intellectual revival in Europe during the 14th-17th centuries, emphasizing classical learning and humanism.

Divine Right

The belief that monarchs are chosen by God to rule and are not accountable to earthly authorities.

Maritime

Refers to sea-based empires and trade. During this era, European powers like Portugal, Spain, and England began exploring and colonizing overseas, shifting global power from land to sea.

Caravel

A small, fast Portuguese ship with lateen sails that revolutionized sea travel and made Atlantic exploration possible.

Trading Post Empire

A type of empire (e.g., Portugal's in Africa and Asia) that controlled key coastal ports rather than large territories, to dominate trade routes.

Northwest Passage

A hypothesized sea route through North America to Asia that European explorers sought to gain direct access to Asian markets.

Columbian Exchange

The massive transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds after 1492, transforming global diets, economies, and populations.

Eastern Hemisphere

Refers to Afro-Eurasia. In AP World, it's where most pre-modern empires were located before the Americas entered the global scene.

Western Hemisphere

The Americas. After European arrival, they were dramatically transformed by colonization, exploitation, and forced labor.

Smallpox

A deadly disease brought by Europeans to the Americas, decimating indigenous populations and enabling conquest.

Plantations

Large-scale agricultural operations, especially in the Americas, where cash crops like sugar and tobacco were grown using enslaved labor.

Tokugawa

The shogunate (military government) that unified Japan in the 1600s, imposed isolation (sakoku), and controlled feudal lords (daimyo).

Encomienda

A Spanish colonial labor system that gave settlers the right to force indigenous people to work in exchange for "protection" and Christian instruction.

Hacienda

Large estates in Spanish America where forced or low-paid laborers farmed for landowners; a continuation of the encomienda system.

Indentured Servitude

Labor system where individuals worked for a period (typically 5-7 years) in exchange for passage to the Americas; less harsh than slavery but still exploitative.

Chattel Slavery

A brutal form of slavery where people were treated as property; central to plantation economies in the Americas.

Mercantilism

An economic theory where colonies existed to enrich the mother country through trade monopolies and accumulation of gold/silver.

Joint Stock Company

Businesses like the British and Dutch East India Companies where investors pooled money for overseas ventures, spreading risk and funding empire-building.

Atlantic System

Also called the Triangular Trade; connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas in the trade of slaves, sugar, silver, and manufactured goods.