AP World History Unit 1

Abbasid Caliphate

Third of the Islamic Caliphates of the Islamic Empire. The rulers who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphs. In started in 750 CE. It flourished for two centuries but slowly went into decline with the rise to power of the Turkish army it had created, the Mamluks. In the 13th century, the Mongols displaced them.

Abbasids

The second Islamic caliphate; moved the capital to Baghdad; adopted Persian cultural elements, language, and practice of harem.

Aishah al-Ba'uniyyah

(1460-1507) May be the most prolific female Muslim writer before the 20th century. Many of her works describe her journey toward illumination.

Al-Andalus

A Muslim-ruled region in what is now Spain, established by the Berbers in the eighth century A.D.

algebra

A branch of mathematics that involves expressions with variables spread west by Dar-al-Islam

Analects

a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples; Confucius teachings

Angkor Wat

A temple complex built in the Khmer Empire and dedicated to the Hindu God, Vishnu.

Animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

Aristocracy

the highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.

Aztecs

(1200-1521) 1300, they settled in the valley of Mexico. Grew corn. Engaged in frequent warfare to conquer others of the region. Worshiped many gods (polytheistic). Believed the sun god needed human blood to continue his journeys across the sky. Practiced human sacrifices and those sacrificed were captured warriors from other tribes and those who volunteered for the honor.

Bahkti Movement

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

Bhakti Movement

An immensely popular development in Hinduism, advocating intense devotion toward a particular deity.

Buddhism

Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. by Siddhartha Gautama. Belief in Dharma and right action and removal of one's desires. Believers seek enlightenment and the overcoming of suffering.

Buddhist monasticism

Religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. The four monastic rules, if broken, result in lifelong expulsion. 1) Having sexual relations, 2) taking or ordering the taking of life, 3) taking something as one's own that has not been freely given, and 4) making claims regarding one's spiritual attainments, powers, or degree of enlightenment. (

Cahokia

The dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri; flourished from about 900 to 1250 C.E.

Caliphate

Islamic empire ruled by those believed to be the successors to the Prophet Muhammad.

Carpa Nan

The Inca massive roadway system, consisting of 25,000 miles of road built using captive labor that connected Cuzco with the outlying parts of the empire. Was used mostly by government officials, messengers, and the military.

Centralization

Power of government is held within one central region or capital city and maintains control over periphery regions.

Champa Rice

Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Originally introduced into Champa from India, it was later sent to China as a tribute gift by the Champa state (as part of the tributary system.)

Chivalry

the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code.

Christianity

c. 33 CE, monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior.

Civil Service Exam

In Imperial China starting in the Han dynasty, it was an exam based on Confucian teachings that was used to select people for various government service jobs in the nationwide administrative bureaucracy.

Confucianism

The system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, emphasizing proper relationships, virtue, hierarchy, ancestor worship, filial piety, and harmony in thought and conduct. Begins c.

Crusaders

Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries that fought for the recovery of the Holy Land from the Muslims

cultural diffusion

The spread of ideas, customs, and technologies from one people to another

cultural syncretism

When an aspect of two or more distinct cultures blend together to create a new custom, idea, practice, or philosophy.

Daoism

A spiritual alternative to Confucianism, believes in "The Way", the universal life force connecting all living beings, goal is to be one with They Way, remove from worldly pursuits,

Dar al-Islam

an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule

Dark Ages/Middle Ages

period of time after the fall of the Roman Empire characterized by lack of strong government, lawlessness, lack of learning and advancement

Dehli Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controlled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.

Dhimmi

Literally "people of the book"; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories

Dynastic Cycle

the historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties

Estates General

France's traditional national assembly with representatives of the three estates, or classes, in French society: the clergy, nobility, and commoners. The calling of the Estates General in 1789 led to the French Revolution.

Ethiopia

Early Christian African kingdom

Excommunication

the act of banishing a member of the Church from the communion of believers and the privileges of the Church

feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land.

Fief

land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service

Filial Piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Five Pillars

beliefs that all Muslims needed to carry out: Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage

Ghana, Mali, Songhai

West African kingdoms that built wealth and power through trans-Saharan trade of salt and gold

Grand Canal

The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers, linking Northern and Southern China, completed during the Sui Empire.

Great Schism of 1054

The separation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Great Zimbabwe

A powerful state in the African interior that emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.

Hajj

A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims

Han Dynasty

(202 BCE-220 CE) Classical Dynasty of China and continued the centralization of the Qin; Established Confucianism as core of government exams; founders of the silk road

Hausa Kingdoms

Peoples of northern Nigeria; formed states following the demise of Songhay Empire that combined Muslim and pagan traditions

Hausa states

States, such as Kano, among the Hausa of northern Nigeria; combined Islamic and indigenous beliefs.

Hinduism

A religion and philosophy developed in ancient India, characterized by a belief in reincarnation and a supreme being who takes many forms.

House of Wisdom

An academic center for research and translation of foreign texts that was established in Baghdad in 830 C.E. by the Abbasid caliph al-Mamun.

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements.

Inca sacrifice

-To ensure the prosperity of their community

-To appease the gods

-To achieve balance among natural forces

-It was believed that by giving up something sacred, the overall community would be rewarded

Incans

Carved terraces into mountains to create plateaus on which to farm, located in South America (Peru)

Incas

Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in Peru; sophisticated farming, infrastructure

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

East Africa -> Middle East & India, similar conditions to the Atlantic Slave Trade, cultural diffusion.

Islam

A religion based on the teachings of the prophet Mohammed which stresses belief in one god (Allah), Paradise and Hell, and a body of law written in the Quran. Followers are called Muslims.

Islamic advances in medicine

surgery, hospitals, first medical encyclopedia, circulatory system

Jewish Diaspora

the scattering of the Jewish people outside their homeland by force; often resulting in "diasporic" Jewish merchant communities in trading cities around AfroEurasia.

Jizyah

The tax levied against non-Muslims living in Islamic states

Judaism

A religion with a belief in one god. It originated with Abraham and the Hebrew people. Yahweh was responsible for the world and everything within it. They preserved their early history in the Old Testament.

Khmer Empire

a powerful empire that lasted roughly from the 9th to the 15th centuries in what is now Cambodia; mostly Hindu, later Buddhist

Kin-based networks

Relation between two or more people that is based on common ancestry or marriage.

lay investiture

the appointment of religious officials by kings or nobles

Little Ice Age

Temporary but significant cooling period between the fourteenth and the nineteenth centuries; accompanied by wide temperature fluctuations, droughts, and storms, causing famines and dislocation.

Magna Carta

Signed by King John in 1215 under pressure from leading nobles, required the king to respect certain rights, such as the right to a jury trial before a noble could be sentenced to prison.

Mahayana Buddhism

"Great Vehicle" branch of Buddhism followed in China, Japan, and Central Asia. The focus is on reverence for Buddha and for bodhisattvas, enlightened persons who have postponed nirvana to help others attain enlightenment.

Majapahit

13th-16th C. central Java rose in the wake of Mongol invasions. Biggest and most powerful SE Asian island state in history. Control almost all of what is today Indonesia. The golden age of Java culture.

Mamluk Sultanate

• A political unit in Egypt established by Mamluks

• Did not set up a consistent, hereditary line of succession which hurt them greatly

• Defeated the Mongols and the Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt/Syria

• Were relatively new to the Islamic faith (were born as non-Muslims) so they were proud that they were succeeding in the name of Allah; this gave them a drive to conquer

• However, they failed to adapt to new warfare, and eventually the Ottomans brought guns and defeated them (disinterest in trade and their succession issues also contributed to their fall)

Mamluks

West of the Abbasid Empire. Egypt had recruited slaves, known as Mamluks, to serve as soldiers and government officials. Most were ethnically Turkish. During a time of political unrest, they seized control of Egypt and established an empire, the Mamluk Sultanate, across North Africa.

Mandate of Heaven

the belief that the Chinese king's right to rule came from the gods

Manorial System

An economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors.

Manorialism/Manor System

Economic system during the Middle Ages that revolved around self-sufficient farming estates where lords and peasants shared the land. trade was local and relied on bartering.

Marco Polo

(1254-1324) Italian explorer and author. He made numerous trips to China and returned to Europe to write of his journeys. He is responsible for much of the knowledge exchanged between Europe and China during this time period.

Matrilineal

relating to a social system in which family descent and inheritance rights are traced through the mother

Mayan Civilization

American civilization in the Yucatán Peninsula that reached its peak in the 9th century a.d. and produced magnificent ceremonial cities with pyramids, a sophisticated mathematical and calendar system, hieroglyphic writing, and fine sculpture, painting, and ceramics.

Middle Kingdom

Cultural mindset of Chinese dynastic rulers, viewing China as the middle of the world and culturally superior to other societies

Mississipian

A culture of people called mound builders, who created villages based on farming and trade

Mita System

Economic system in Incan society where people paid taxes with their labor and what they produced.

Monarchies

Countries ruled by a king or queen

Muhammad

The Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

Muslims

Followers of Islam

Nasir al-Din Tusi

Was one of the most celebrated Islamic scholars. He contributed to astronomy, law, logic, ethics, and mathematics, philosophy, and medicine. An observatory built under his direction was the most advanced in the world and produced the most accurate astronomical charts. Laid the groundwork for trigonometry as a separate subject.

Neo-Confucianism

A philosophy that emerged in Song-dynasty China; it revived Confucian thinking while adding in Buddhist and Daoist elements.

Otto I

Crowned emperor by pope in 962 CE; first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Pachacuti

Ruler of Inca society from 1438 to 1471; launched a series of military campaigns that gave Incas control of the region from Cuzco to the shores of Lake Titicaca.

porcelain

a ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures

Primogeniture

A system of inheritance in which the eldest son in a family received all of his father's land. The nobility remained powerful and owned land, while the 2nd and 3rd sons were forced to seek fortune elsewhere. Many of them turned to the New World for their financial purposes and individual wealth.

Proselytize

To persuade someone to convert to a faith, belief, or cause.

Quran (Koran)

The holy book of Islam

Qutub Minar

High tower made of red sandstone and marble is not only the highest brick minaret in the world but also one of the most famous historical landmarks of India. The construction of this tower of victory was started by the founder of the Mamluk Dynasty in Delhi.

Rajput Kingdoms

Set of kingdoms in India that arose after the fall of the Gupta dynasty ruled by the land owning Kshatriyas (Warriors) wealthy due to trade and a good economy.

Seljuk Empire

The Middle East, 11th-12th centuries