AP World History Unit 2 Networks of Exchange

Magnetic Compass

a key navigational tool, developed in China and later adopted by Europeans, that uses a magnetized needle to indicate direction, significantly enhancing maritime navigation and improving trade networks and global exploration

Rudder

a device, often a flat piece of material attached to the stern of a ship, that provides improved steering and control

Junk

a type of ancient Chinese sailing ship with distinctive features like watertight bulkheads, a high-sterned and high-bowed hull, and multiple masts with square sails made of panels that could be spread or closed

Mongol Empire (1206 to 1368)

the largest contiguous land empire in history, founded by Genghis Khan in the early 13th century. Emerging from nomadic Central Asian tribes, the empire expanded through military conquest to span from Eastern Europe to East Asia

Kashgar

an important oasis city in China, known as a crucial crossroads on the Silk Roads where the northern and southern routes met. It served as a major trading center for goods like silk, spices, and horses, and a hub for cultural exchange between China, Central Asia, India, and Persia.

Samarkand

an ancient and historic city that served as a crucial trading and cultural hub along the Silk Roads for, became the magnificent imperial capital of Timur (Tamerlane) in the 14th century.

Caravanserai

a roadside inn that provided shelter, food, and security for travelers and their caravans, particularly along major trade routes like the Silk Roads, Indian Ocean routes, and Trans-Saharan routes

Money Economy

an economic system where currency or tokens with an agreed-upon value are used for exchange, replacing a barter system where goods are directly traded for other goods

Flying Cash

an early system of promissory notes, or certificates, first used in Tang and Song Dynasty China (and later by European banks) that allowed merchants to deposit money in one location and withdraw it in another

Paper Money

promissory notes or banknotes used as a medium of exchange

Banking Houses

early financial institutions that supported long-distance trade by offering services like loans, credit, currency exchange, and the safe storage of money, often using documents like bills of exchange to transfer funds between cities

Bill of Exchange

a written financial instrument used in international trade to promise payment of a specified sum of money to a third party at a future date

Hanseatic League

a medieval confederation of merchant guilds and towns in Northern and Central Europe that facilitated and protected trade in the Baltic and North Seas

Mongols

nomadic peoples from Central Asia who, under Genghis Khan and his successors in the 13th century, established the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in history, spanning from East Asia to Eastern Europe.

Khan

a historical title for a powerful Mongol leader, like Genghis Khan, who helped expand and secure crucial trade routes such as the Silk Roads

Kuriltai

a historic assembly of Mongol and Turkic chieftains convened to make major decisions, most notably to elect a supreme ruler or khan

Genghis Khan

established and expanded the Mongol Empire, created the Pax Mongolica, which unified Eurasia and facilitated the flourishing of the Silk Roads and other networks of exchange.

Khanates

a vast, regional Mongol empire that arose after the death of Genghis Khan, acting as administrative subdivisions of the larger Mongol Empire that promoted trade and cultural exchange

Pax Mongolica

the period of relative peace and stability across the vast Mongol Empire (13th-14th centuries), which significantly fostered transcontinental trade, cultural diffusion, and technological exchange along routes like the Silk Road

Batu Khan

the grandson of Genghis Khan who founded the Golden Horde

Golden Horde

the westernmost part of the Mongol Empire, a khanate established in the mid-13th century by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu in the lands of southern Russia and parts of Eastern Europe

Moscow

Rulers began collecting additional tributes, set aside to develop and army to resist the mongols, began building an anti-mongol coalition among Russian city-states. Under Moscow leadership, this coalition rose against the Golden Horde and defeated it in 1380 in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Hulegu Khan

The grandson of Genghis Khan, who established the Il-Khanate in the Middle East and significantly influenced the vast Mongol Empire's trade network (the Pax Mongolica), which stabilized and expanded Eurasian trade.

Il Khanate

a Mongol state established in the 13th century that ruled over Persia and parts of the Middle East

Kublai Khan

known for conquering southern China and founding the Yuan Dynasty in 1271, becoming its first emperor.

Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)

a period in Chinese history from 1271 to 1368 CE, when the entire territory of China was unified and governed by the Mongol Empire under Kublai Khan, protected and improved trade routes, fostered commercial growth through a centralized bureaucracy and paper money, and facilitated the movement of goods, people, and ideas across Eurasia

Zhu Yuanzhang

former monk and leader of a rebellion that overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, ultimately establishing the Chinese Ming Dynasty in 1368 CE

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

a Chinese imperial dynasty that followed the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (overthrew by buddhist monk Zhu Yuanzheng)

Gobi Desert

the homeland of the Mongol tribes, whose lives on the harsh steppes influenced their culture and skills, and it later became a key part of the expansive Mongol Empire, which facilitated trade along the Silk Road despite the desert's difficult geography.

Siege Weapons

specialized devices used to break down fortified walls and gates of cities and castles, allowing ground forces to invade

Cannon

a gunpowder-based weapon that emerged from the combination of Chinese gunpowder, Muslim flamethrower technology, and European metal-casting techniques

Uyghur Alphabet

the Old Uyghur script, a writing system that originated from the Sogdian alphabet and served as the basis for the script adopted by the Mongols under Chinggis Khan to unify their vast empire

White Lotus Society

a series of religious and political groups that emerged in China, initially tied to Buddhist teachings but evolving into a significant force for social dissent and rebellion.

Bubonic Plague (aka Black Death)

14th-century pandemic caused by the bacteria, transmitted by fleas on rats. It spread along trade routes like the Silk Roads, causing immense death and labor shortages, leading to the decline of feudalism and a shift in economic and social power. 

Malacca (Meleka)

became a powerful center for the exchange of luxury goods like spices and textiles, attracting merchants from across the Indian Ocean, facilitated the spread of cultures and the religion of Islam, supported by the diasporic communities of merchants who settled there.

Gujarat

a powerful region in western India that prospered from the Indian Ocean trade due to its location as a central hub and its production of key goods like cotton textiles and indigo

Swahili City-States

served as vital commercial hubs connecting interior African societies with the Indian Ocean trade network, had thriving trade centers that emerged along the East African coast from the 9th to the 16th centuries

Calicut

significant as a major port city in the Indian Ocean trade network, served as a vital marketplace where traders exchanged spices from India and Southeast Asia for goods from the Middle East, Africa, and China

Spice Island

a key part of the Indian Ocean trade network, which facilitated the exchange of luxury goods, including spices. 

Indian Ocean Basin

the vast maritime trading network that connected East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia through sea routes

Monsoon Winds

predictable, seasonal changes in wind direction, primarily in the Indian Ocean, that allowed for reliable maritime trade routes between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia

Lateen Sails

a significant maritime technology that, with its triangular design, allowed ships to sail effectively against the wind

Stern Rudder

first developed in China, that allowed for more stable and maneuverable ships by controlling the vessel from the stern

Astrolabe

a crucial technological innovation, originating in Greece and refined in the Islamic world, that aided navigation. It allowed sailors to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of celestial bodies.

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

a key part of the larger Indian Ocean trade network, enslaved people, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa, were trafficked via sea by Arab and Swahili traders to be used in seaports, shipping industries, and as domestic servants.

Dispora

people living in a community away from their homeland, often for economic opportunities, particularly evident in the Indian Ocean trade network.

Zheng He

A Ming Dynasty Chinese admiral who led seven major maritime expeditions between 1405 and 1433, traveling across the Indian Ocean and reaching as far as the coast of Africa, and was Muslim

Mali (1235-1600 CE)

controlled key trade routes and became incredibly wealthy from gold, salt, and taxing merchants. The empire's conversion to Islam linked it to the wider Dar al-Islam, facilitating cultural and economic exchange, exemplified by Mansa Musa's famous pilgrimage to Mecca. The empire's expansion, innovations in camel technology, and the growth of cities like Timbuktu were central to its power

Sunidata

the founder of the Mali Empire, establishing a centralized government, controlling the profitable gold and salt trade routes, and fostering economic prosperity through a strong military and strategic alliances.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of the wealthy Mali Empire, known for his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca, which showcased Mali's riches through excessive gold spending and caused economic inflation in Egypt.

Songhai Kingdom

a powerful West African empire that dominated the trans-Saharan trade routes from the 15th to the 16th century

Islam

the monotheistic Abrahamic faith founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE on the Arabian Peninsula, based on the Quran and Allah

Timbuktu

a historic city in the Mali Empire, that was a vital center of trans-Saharan trade where goods like gold, salt, and ivory from sub-Saharan Africa were exchanged for goods from North Africa and Europe, and the spread of cultural ideas. It also developed under into a center for Islamic learning under Mansa Musa.

Mecca

A city in Saudi Arabia that holds immense significance as the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the location of the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam

Trans-Saharan Trade

a network of trade routes crossing the Sahara Desert from the 8th to the early 17th century CE, linking West African kingdoms with North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean

Sahara Desert

a massive geographical barrier for the Trans-Saharan trade network, which connected North Africa with interior West Africa through camel-borne caravans. This trade facilitated the exchange of gold from West Africa for salt from the Sahara, also spreading Islam, culture, and technology, and leading to the growth of wealthy West African empires like Mali and Songhai

Oases

a fertile, wet area in a desert that supports plant and animal life, serving as a vital resource and a resting point for travelers, merchants, and caravans on long desert trade routes

Arabian Desert

the vast desert region covering the entire Arabian Peninsula, which was historically home to nomadic Bedouin tribes and the birthplace of Islam and its spread via trade routes, including those involving camels and camel saddles

Camel Saddle

a crucial invention that enabled the development and expansion of Trans-Saharan trade. By providing stability and comfort, certain types of camel saddles allowed riders to transport significantly heavier loads, increasing the distance and efficiency of desert travel.