Land Based Empires Vocabulary

gutenberg printing press

- Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the moveable printer

- led to mass production of books and printed materials

- increased literacy and dissemination of ideas

gunpowder empires

large, powerful states in Eurasia (primarily the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires)

Shah

title for the monarch or king of Iran

representing powerful, often absolute, rulers like those in the Safavid

Ghazi ideal

model for warriors that was fundamental to the rise of the Gunpowder Empires

blend of nomadic, warrior culture and Islamic faith

Castes

a rigid, hierarchical social structure

divides people into ranked groups based on birth

Divine right of kings

a political and religious doctrine asserting that a monarch's authority comes directly from God

Justices of the peace

local officials responsible for maintaining order, carrying out monarchical laws, and handling local legal and administrative matters

english bill of rights

act of the English Parliament that limited the power of the monarchy

Devshirme

An Ottoman system where Christian boys from the Balkans were taken, converted to Islam, and trained for government or elite military service.

Janissaries

Elite infantry soldiers in the Ottoman Empire, usually recruited through the devshirme system, known for loyalty to the sultan and advanced military training.

Daimyo

Powerful landholding lords in feudal Japan who controlled large estates and commanded private armies of samurai.

Edo

center during Japan’s isolation period.

Period of Great Peace

A long era of stability under the Tokugawa Shogunate when internal conflict ended and the government enforced strict social order and isolation.

Tax Farming

A system where governments hired private individuals to collect taxes. These collectors often kept extra money for themselves, leading to corruption.

Tributes

Payments made by one state or group to another—often a more powerful empire—to show loyalty, submission, or for protection.

Zamindars

Local officials or landholders who collected taxes for the Mughal government and often maintained their own troops and influence in their regions.

Boyars

Members of the highest-ranking noble class in Russia, second only to the ruling princes or tsars.

Indulgences

In the Catholic Church, documents that were sold to reduce punishment for sins

Simony

The buying or selling of positions within the church hierarchy, considered corrupt and a major complaint leading to the Reformation.

Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation, which included reforms, new religious orders, and efforts to stop the spread of Protestantism.

Inquisition

Church-run courts that investigated and punished people accused of heresy (holding beliefs contrary to church teaching).

Jesuits

Members of the Society of Jesus

Elect

In Calvinism, the people who are chosen by God to achieve salvation.

Predestined

The belief that God has already decided each person’s fate—whether they will be saved or damned.

Shariah

Islamic law based on the Quran, the teachings of Muhammad, and legal interpretations by Islamic scholars.

Empiricism

The theory that knowledge comes primarily from observation and experience rather than from tradition or pure logic; central to the Scientific Revolution.