Unit 3 Vocabulary

Absolutism

Type of government stressing Divine Right and total control by a King.

Bureaucratic Elites

A governing class operating under a hierarchical structure that helps organize and control a state.

Clergy

Ordained individuals, such as priests or ministers, who are official leaders within a religion and perform religious services, teach the faith, and provide spiritual guidance.

Conciliarism

A movement to reform the Church by stating power resided in a universal council of bishops and other authorities, eroding the power of the pope.

Conquest Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty established by conquest by non-Han ethnic groups that ruled all or part of China.

Consolidate

Authority and power brought under a single ruler or governing body.

Counter Reformation

The Catholic Church's reform and revival movement in the 16th and 17th centuries, enacted in response to the Protestant Reformation.

Daimyo

A powerful noble in early modern Japan.

Devshirme

The Ottoman Empire's practice of conscripting Christian boys to convert to Islam and serve as elite soldiers or administrators.

Divine Right

The idea pushing Absolutism which says that God chose a specific king to rule.

Golden Age

A historical or metaphorical period marked by peak achievement, great happiness, peace, and prosperity.

Gunpowder Empires

The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires which relied heavily on gunpowder and firearms.

Gutenberg Printing Press

Allowed books to be printed instead of hand-written and increased literacy.

Henry VIII

King of England who created the Anglican Church so he could get a divorce and find an heir.

Indulgences

A remission or reduction of the temporal punishment that a person might face for their sins.

Janissaries

An elite core of eight thousand troops personally loyal to the sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Jizya

Tax levied by Islamic states on certain non-Muslim subjects permanently residing in Muslim lands.

Land-Based Empire

A vast territorial political entity that expands and maintains power through land conquests and administration of mainland territories.

Legitimize

To establish the perception that one's authority is right, acceptable, and valid in the eyes of others.

Manchus

Ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name.

Martin Luther

German monk who began Protestant Reformation with his written work, 95 Theses.

Monumental Architecture

Grand public buildings and structures that far exceed practical purpose to showcase the power and wealth of a ruler.

Mughal Empire

Muslim empire ruling India from the 16th to 18th centuries.

Ninety-five Theses

The list of grievances written by Martin Luther, which began the Reformation.

Ottoman Empire

Turkish empire in the Middle East and North Africa from 1453-1918.

Protestant Reformation

Religious movement when people broke away from the Catholic Church.

Qing Empire

Chinese dynasty lasting from 1644 to 1911.

Safavid Empire

Muslim Empire in Persia from 1501-1722.

Shia

One of the two major Muslim sects; believe descendants of Muhammad's son-in-law Ali are true leaders.

Sikhism

Developed from Hinduism and may have been influenced by Islamic mysticism known as Sufism.

Simony

The ability to purchase positions or privileges within the Church.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Tenth and longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Sunni

Major Muslim branch believing in leadership succession following Muhammad's death through Abu Bakr.

Tamerlane

Timur the Lame, a Mongol Turkic ruler who invaded Central Asia and the Middle East.