HIST-1370 Week 2 Notes: The Mongol Interlude, Ottoman Empire, and Age of Exploration

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering the Mongol Empire, post-M Mongol states, Ottoman Empire, and the Age of Exploration as presented in the notes.

Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan)

Born Temujin (c. 1162–1227); united Mongolian tribes and founded the Mongol Empire; name means 'supreme' or 'universal leader'.

Temujin

Birth name of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire.

Mongol Empire

Vast Eurasian empire established by Genghis Khan and successors; enabled large-scale conquest and cross-continental trade.

Khanates

Regional successor states created after Chinggis Khan’s death (by descendants) by 1260.

Yuan Empire

Mongol-ruled Chinese dynasty led by Kublai Khan; a major branch of the Mongol Empire.

The Mongol Peace (Pax Mongolica)

Period of relative peace and stability across Eurasia that facilitated trade and cultural exchange.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Chinggis Khan; founder and leader of the Yuan Empire in China.

Mongol conquests milestones

Conquests include Northern China (1215), rest of China (1279), Kievan Rus (1240), and Persia (1250).

Brutality of Mongol campaigns

Heavy casualties and terror associated with Mongol military campaigns (estimates up to around 40 million).

Marco Polo

Venetian trader who traveled through Mongol territory (1254–1324) and later inspired European interest in Asia.

Ottoman Empire

Muslim empire that emerged after the Mongol era, expanding into Europe and becoming a major power.

Safavid Empire

Empire in modern Iran; one of the successor Islamic states after the Mongol era.

Mughal Empire

Muslim empire in the Indian subcontinent established after the Mongol era.

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (1368–1644) that followed the end of Mongol rule in China.

Fall of Constantinople (1453)

Ottoman forces capture Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire and shifting regional power.

Significance of Constantinople's fall

Russia emerges as the center of Eastern Orthodoxy; Europe seeks new trade routes beyond the Ottoman-controlled paths.

Lepanto (1571)

Christian coalition victory that checked Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman infantry corps known for discipline and effectiveness.

Siege of Vienna

Ottoman siege in the 16th–17th centuries, part of the struggle for European dominance.

Reconquista (700–1492)

Christian reconquest of Iberia from Muslim rule; culminates in 1492 with Christian sovereignty.

Unification of Aragon and Castile

1479 merger forming the basis for the Spanish kingdom.

1492 Reconquista completed

Islamic and Jewish populations forced to convert or leave; Spain expands overseas.

Age of Exploration

Period (15th–17th centuries) of sustained global maritime exploration and new trade networks.

Reasons Europe was ready to explore (15th c.)

Ottoman pressure on trade routes, competitive state formation, religious impulse, Renaissance mindset, and spice trade demand.

Impact of contact during the Age of Exploration

Indigenous cultures transformed; global trade networks and exchange expanded.