Abbasid Caliphate
(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Mulim could be a part of.
Abu Bakr
first caliph after death of Muhammad
Allah
God of Islam
Anti-Semitism
Hatred of Jews
Averroes
Crude Muslim astronomer, popularized Aristotle, and was banished for being a heretic. Believed in the Concentric view of the universe, had ideas of inertia & force, advanced physiology with sensory organ of the retina
Aishah al-Ba'uniyyah
A Sufi master and poet. She is one of few medieval female Islamic mystics to have recorded their own views in writing, and she "probably composed more works in Arabic than any other woman prior to the twentieth century". She was born and died in Damascus in the 16th century.
Baghdad
Capital of Iraq
Battle of Tours
(732 CE) European victory over Muslims. It halted Muslim movement into Western Europe.
Bedouins
Arab nomads
Bhakti Movement
Indian movement that attempted to transcend the differences between Hinduism and Islam
buddhism
Belief system that started in India in the 500s BC. Happiness can be achieved through 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.
Bulgars
Asiatic people, defeated the Eastern Roman forces, took possession of the lower Danube Valley, set up a strong Bulgarian kingdom
Bushido
the code of honor and morals developed by the Japanese samurai.
Byzantine Empire
Eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the Western half.
Cahokia
an ancient settlement of southern Indians, located near present day St. Louis, it served as a trading center for 40,000 at its peak in A.D. 1200.
Caliphate
Islamic empire ruled by those believed to be the successors to the Prophet Muhammad.
chaco
An urban center established by Anasazi located in southern New Mexico. There, they built a walled city with dozens of three-story adobe houses with timbered roofs. Community religious functions were carried out in two large circular chambers called kivas.
Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
Ruler of Western Europe and strived to unite Germanic countries and convert them to Christianity, typically through military force.
charles maratel
the mayor of the palace of Austrasia (the eastern part of the Frankish kingdom) from 715 to 741. He reunited and ruled the entire Frankish realm and defeated a sizable Muslim raiding party at Poitiers in 732.
charles the bald
He was in power when the Vikings raided Paris. He tried to buy them off.
Clovis
Frankish leader of a large kingdom who converted to Christianity
Code of Chivalry
a code of behavior that governed the aspect of all knights behavior
Crusades
A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule.
Damascus
Capital of Syria
Dar al-Islam
an Arabic term that means the "house of Islam" and that refers to lands under Islamic rule
Delhi Sultanate
The first Islamic government established within India from 1206-1520. Controled a small area of northern India and was centered in Delhi.
Emperor Zhengzong
Emperor Zhongzong ruled the Tang Dynasty briefly in 684, then ruled again from 705 to 710
equal feild system
Chinese system during the Tang dynasty in which the goal was to ensure an equitable distribution of land
Estates General
An assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France.
Ethiopia
A Christian kingdom that developed in the highlands of eastern Africa under the dynasty of King Lalaibela; retained Christianity in the face of Muslim expansion elsewhere in Africa
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
fillial piety
children's respect for their parents and older relatives, an important part of Confucian beliefs
Five Pillars of Islam
true Muslims were expected to follow (principle of Salvation): belief in Allah, pray 5 times a day, giving of alms, fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime
Foot Binding
Practice in Chinese society to mutilate women's feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women's movement; made it easier to confine women to the household.
Franks
Germanic people who lived and held power in Gaul. Their leader was Clovis and he would later bring Christianity to the region. By 511 the Franks had united into one kingdom and they controlled the largest and strongest parts of Europe.
Fujiwara Clan
ruling family in Heian Japan, gained permanent custody over chancellorship and imperial family
Ghana
First known kingdom in sub-Saharan West Africa between the sixth and thirteenth centuries C.E. Also the modern West African country once known as the Gold Coast. gold and salt trade.
Grand Canal
The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire.
Great Schism
the official split between the Roman Catholic and Byzantine churches that occurred in 1054
Great Zimbabwe
A powerful state in the African interior that apparently emerged from the growing trade in gold to the East African coast; flourished between 1250 and 1350 C.E.
Griots
Professional oral historians who served as keepers of traditions and advisors to kings within the Mali Empire
Hanestic League
European trading zone
Hause Kingdoms
The Hausa Kingdoms were first mentioned by Ya'qubi in the 9th century and they were by the 15th century trading centers competing with Kanem-Bornu and the Mali Empire. The primary exports were slaves, leather, gold, cloth, salt, kola nuts, animal hides, and henna.
Holy Roman Empire
An empire established in Europe in the 10th century A.D., originally consisting mainly of lands in what is now Germany and Italy
House of Wisdom
Combination library, academy, and translation center in Baghdad established in the 800s.
Ibn Sina
The famous Islamic scientist and philosopher who organized the medical knowledge of the Greeks and Arabs into the Canon of Medicine
Inca Civilization
A pre-Columbian civilization in the Andes Mountains. The Inca excelled at engineering, and developed new food crops like potatoes.
Indian Ocean Trade
connected to Europe, Africa, and China.; worlds richest maritime trading network and an area of rapid Muslim expansion.
Jihad
A holy struggle or striving by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal
Kaifeng
Capital of Song Dynasty
Kaaba
The most sacred temple of Islam, located at Mecca
Khmer Empire
Aggressive empire in Cambodia and Laos that collapsed in the 1400's when Thailand conquered Cambodia
Little Ice Age
A century-long period of cool climate that began in the 1590s. Its ill effects on agriculture in northern Europe were notable.
Lombards
Germanic people who had settled in northern Italy and were pushing south, threatening Rome; crushed by Charlemagne, earning him the papacy's gratitude
Magna Carta
a document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges.
Mahayana
The name of the more mystical and larger of the two main Buddhist sects. This one originated in India in the 400s CE and gradually found its way north to the Silk road and into Central and East Asia.
Majapahit
Southeast Asian kingdom (1293-1520) centered on the island of Java.
mali
Empire created by indigenous Muslims in western Sudan of West Africa from the thirteenth to fifteenth century. It was famous for its role in the trans-Saharan gold trade.
Mamluk Sultanate
A political unit in Egypt. Did not set up a consistent, hereditary line of succession.Failed to adapt to new warfare and were eventually defeated by the Ottomans.
Manorial System
an economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors
Mansa Musa
Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in Africa. He made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca and established trade routes to the Middle East.
Marco Polo
Venetian merchant and traveler. His accounts of his travels to China offered Europeans a firsthand view of Asian lands and stimulated interest in Asian trade.
Mayans
1500 B.C. to 900 A.D. This is the most advanced civilization of the time in the Western Hempishere. Famous for its awe-inspiring temples, pyramids and cities. A complex social and political order.
Mecca
City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.
Mesa Verde
The largest complex of Anasazi cliff-dwellings in the United States Southwest, built between about AD 1150 and AD 1300
mexica
The name given to themselves by the Aztec people
Misssissippian
The Mississippian culture were collections of Native American societies that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 to 1600, varying regionally. It was known for building large, earthen platform mounds, and often other shaped mounds as well.
Mita System
Incan system for payment of taxes with labor
Monasticism
The practice of living the life of a monk
movable type
Type in which each individual character is cast on a separate piece of metal. It replaced woodblock printing, allowing for the arrangement of individual letters and other characters on a page. Invented in Korea 13th Century.
Muhhamad
Founder of Islam, believed by Muslims to have received divine revelation from the Angel Gabriel.
Nasir al-Din Tusi
Persian mathematician and cosmologist whose academy near Tabriz provided the model for the movement of the planets that helped to inspire the Copernican model of the solar system.
Neo-Confucianism
The Confucian response to Buddhism by taking Confucian and Buddhist beliefs and combining them into this. However, it is still very much Confucian in belief.
Normand England
established by William the Conqueror; introduced Norman principles to England
Northern Renaissance
An extension of the Italian Renaissance to the nations Germany, Flanders, France, and England; it took on a more religious nature than the Italian Renaissance
paper money
legal currency issued on paper; it developed in China as a convenient alternative to metal coins
Parilament
a council that advised the English king or queen in government matters; today, a group of elected officials who make up the legislative branch of the British government.
Pope Gregory
(1020-1085) powerful medieval pope; fought with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV over the power to choose church officials
Pope Urban II
Leader of the Roman Catholic Church who asked European Christians to take up arms against Muslims, starting the Crusades
porcelain
a thin, beautiful pottery invented in China
Quinsai
the "City of Heaven", has the most beautiful palaces and castles in the region, nestled on the heights facing the sea.
Quran
The holy book of Islam
Rajput Empire
Hindu kingdoms led by leaders of clans, who were often at war. No centralized government. Lack of centralized government left the kingdoms vulnerable to Muslim attacks.
Renaissance
"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome
Russia
This kingdom expanded its territory thousands of miles Eastward during the 19th century and also sought to take advantage of a weakened Ottoman Empire.
Serfdome
Serfdom was a system in medieval Europe that bound peasants to the land and to the will of their landlords
Shias
Followers of Islam who believe leaders of Islam were descendants of Muhammad
Silk Road
An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire. Marco Polo followed the route on his journey to Cathay.
Sinhala Dynasty
Series of Kingdoms in Sri Lanka. Composed mainly of Buddhist, many of whom came to the island after Islam invaded India.
song dynasty
(960-1279 CE) The Chinese dynasty that placed much more emphasis on civil administration, industry, education, and arts other than military.
Southern Renaissance
A literary outpouring among mid-twentieth-century southern writers, begun by William Faulkner and marked by a new critical appreciation of the region's burdens of history, racism, and conservatism.
Srivijaya Empire
Grew wealthy by taxing trade, included parts of Java, Borneo, and Sumatra, and its capital, Palembang, became a great center of Buddhist learning
Steel and iron production
A key element during the Song Economic Revolution; helped popularize mass production and new production methods
Sufi Movement
The expansion of Islam through Sufi mystics.
Sufism
An Islamic mystical tradition that desired a personal union with God--divine love through intuition rather than through rational deduction and study of the shari'a. Followed an ascetic routine (denial of physical desire to gain a spiritual goal), dedicating themselves to fasting, prayer, meditation on the Qur'an, and the avoidance of sin.
Sukhothai Kingdom
An early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 until 1438.
Sultan
Military and political leader with absolute authority over a Muslim country
suljuk empire
The Seljuk Empire originated from Turkic tribes and expanded rapidly under leaders such as Tughril Beg and Alp Arslan in the 11th century.
Sunnis
Muslims belonging to branch of Islam believing that the community should select its own leadership. The majority religion in most Islamic countries.