Vocabulary Unit 3

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (1368-1644) that succeeded the Yuan dynasty of the Mongols; noted for its return to traditional Chinese ways and restoration of the land after the destructiveness of the Mongols.

Manchu

A nomadic group from Manchuria who conquered the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty-China’s last imperial power

Mughal Empire

Muslim gunpowder empire that ruled over a Hindu majority in India, famous for cultural blending and building the Taj Mahal

Kangxi

One of the greatest Qing Dynasty emperors who expanded China’s borders, promoted Confucian culture, and secured Manchu rule.

Qing Dynasty

China’s last imperial dynasty, ruled by the foreign Manchu people, known for expanding China’s borders to their greatest extent and enforcing the queue haircut.

Emperor Qianlong

Powerful Qing ruler who expanded China to its largest territorial size, oversaw immense economic prosperity, and strictly regulated foreign trade.

Ottoman Empire

Major Islamic state centered on Anatolia that came to include the Balkans, parts of the Middle East, and much of North Africa; lasted in one form or another from the fourteenth to the early twentieth century.

Shah

Traditional title for a monarch or king in Persia, used by rulers of empires like Safavids

Safavid Empire

Major Turkic Empire established in Persia in the early sixteenth century and notable for its efforts to convert its people to Shia Islam.

Suleiman (Ottoman Empire)

“… the Magificant” was the greatest sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who expanded its territory into Europe and Asia, instituted major legal reforms, and ushered in a golden age

Shah Abbas I (Safavid Empire)

“… the Great” was the most powerful ruler of the Safavid Empire, who modernized the military with gunpowder, promoted trade, and built the stunning capital of Isfahan.

Ghazi Ideal

Code of conduct for Islamic holy warriors that combined nomadic warrior culture with religious motivation to conquer non-Muslim lands.

Castes

System was a rigid social hierarchy in India, historically rooted in Hinduism, that divided people into fixed social groups based on Birth, occupation, and ritual purity.

Cardinal Richelieu

Chief minister of France who centralized royal power, weakened the nobility, and expanded French influence during the Thirty Years’ War.

Ivan IV

“… the Terrible” was the first Tsar of Russia who expanded Russian territory east through gunpowder conquest and centralized state control by brutally crushing the power of the boyars.

Tamerlane

Fierce Central Asian conqueror who built a massive, short-lived Islamic empire across Eurasia through brutal military campaigns, leaving behind a rich cultural Renaissance.

Ishmail (Safavid empire)

Founder of the Safavid Empire who forcibly declared Shia Islam as the state religion, establishing a lasting Persian identity and a bitter rival to the Sunni Ottoman Empire.

Akbar (Mughal Empre)

Most famous emperor of India’s Mughal Empire (1556-1605); his policies are noted for their efforts at religious tolerance and inclusion.

Gutenberg printing press

15th century European invention using movable metal type that revolutionized communication by making books cheaper, faster, and widely available.

Divine Right of Kings

Political and religious doctrine claiming that a monarch’s authority comes directly from God, making them answerable only to God and not to their subjects of Parliament.

Louis XIV

“Sun King” was the ultimate absolute monarch of France, who centralized power, built the Palace of Versailles, and claimed his authority through the divine right of kings.

Romanov Dynasty

Final ruling family of Russia (1613-1917), famous for modernizing Russia, expanding into a vast transcontinental empire, and establishing absolute tsarist rule.

Peter I

“The Great” was a Russian Tsar who modernized and Westernized Russia, expanded its territory through military conquest, and built St. Petersburg to turn Russia into a major European power.

Askia the Great

Ruler of the Songhai Empire who expanded its territory, strengthened state administration, and made Islam the central pillar of empire and trade.

Zamindars

Paid government officials in the Mughal empire who collected taxes from peasants and forwarded the revenue to the central government.

Devshirme

A term that means “collection or gathering”; it refers to the Ottoman Empire’s practice of removing young boys from their Christian subjects and training them for service in the civil administration or in the elite Janissary infantry corps.

Janissaries

Elite, highly disciplined infantry soldiers in the Ottoman Empire recruited from Christian boys through the devshirme system and loyal directly to the Sultan.

Edo

Seat of power for the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan, serving as the political center that transformed into modern-day Tokyo during a period of peace, isolation, and urban growth

Daimyo

Powerful feudal landowning lords in Japan who commanded private armies of samurai and ruled semi-autonomous domains under the Tokugawa Shogunate

Tokugawa leyasu

Warlord who unified Japan, established the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1603, and initiated over 250 years of peace, stability, and isolation.

Tokugawa Shogunate

Feudal military government of Japan that brought over two centuries of peace, political stability, socio-economic growth, and strict isolationism

Boyars

Highest-ranking landowning nobles in feudal Russia who held significant political power until Russian Tsars systematically crushed their influence to centralize authority.

Serfdom

System of unfree labor where peasants were legally bound to the land they worked, owing service and taxes to a noble landlord in exchange for protection.

Taj Mahal

17th-century white marble mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in Agra, India, as a monument to his beloved wife.

Versailles

Opulent royal residence built by King Louis XIV near Paris to project absolute power and subdue the French nobility.