AP World History Chapter 17 - Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration Vocabulary

Comprehensive key vocabulary flashcards derived from Chapter 17 notes on Eurasian nomadic societies, the Mongol Empire, and successor Turkish states.

Nomadic Society

The social structure of pastoral nomads who moved according to seasonal migratory cycles, divided into elites and commoners with high social mobility based on military achievement and leadership loyalty.

Nomadic Religion

The traditional religious beliefs of Turkish and other nomadic peoples, centering around shamanism, nature spirit worship, and belief in supernatural powers, later expanding to include conversions to Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Manichaeism, and Islam.

Nomadic Military

Armies composed of skilled horseback riders and archers that utilized rapid mobility, coordinated maneuvers, and tactical retreats to surprise and defeat settled agricultural empires.

Saljuq Turks

A Turkic group from the Central Asian steppes who integrated into the Abbasid Caliphate, converted to Islam, and established control over Anatolia after defeating the Byzantines at Manzikert in 1071.

Ghaznavid Turks

A Turkish group led by Mahmud of Ghazni that launched raids into northern India from Afghanistan, repressing local religions and eventually forming the Sultanate of Delhi.

Chinggis Khan

Born Temujin in 1167, he mastered steppe diplomacy to unify the Mongol tribes and build the largest contiguous land empire in world history.

Mongol Politics

The administrative organization of the Mongol Empire, which transitioned from tribal alliances to rule by a central khan who assigned Mongol overlords to supervise local bureaucratic structures.

Mongol Conquests

A series of rapid military campaigns across Eurasia that brought northern China, Central Asia, Persia, and Russia under Mongol authority.

Marco Polo

A Venetian merchant and traveler who lived at Khubilai Khan's court and wrote travel accounts that stimulated European commercial interest in East Asian trade.

Khubilai Khan

The grandson of Chinggis Khan who defeated the Song dynasty, unified all of China under Mongol rule, and established the Yuan dynasty in 1276.

The Golden Horde

A Mongol regional khanate that dominated Russia and the steppes north of the Black Sea, extracting tribute from Russian cities without directly occupying the territory.

Ilkhanate of Persia

A Mongol khanate established by Hulegu after capturing Baghdad in 1258, executing the caliph, and overthrowing the Abbasid empire.

Lamaist Buddhism

A school of Tibetan Buddhism emphasizing magic and supernatural powers that gained strong support among Mongol elites by recognizing khans as political figures and incarnations of the Buddha.

Yuan Dynasty

The Mongol ruling dynasty in China established by Khubilai Khan, which removed civil service exam privileges for Confucian scholars and lasted until Chinese rebels captured Khanbaliq in 1368.

Bubonic Plague

A epidemic disease known as the Black Death that originated in southwestern China in the 1330s and spread along Mongol-maintained trade routes, causing depopulation and economic strain.

Tamerlane

A charismatic Turkic-Mongol conqueror who established an empire centered in Samarkand during the late 14th century, drawing strategic inspiration from Chinggis Khan.

Osman

A Turkic leader who carved out a small principality in northwestern Anatolia in 1299, declaring independence from the Seljuq sultan and founding the Ottoman dynasty.

Ottoman Empire

A powerful Turkish empire founded by Osman that expanded through Anatolia and the Balkans, culminating in the siege and capture of Constantinople in 1453.

Gender Relations in Nomadic Society

The social setup in nomadic communities where women enjoyed higher status and influence than in agricultural societies, engaging in animal husbandry, horseback riding, archery, and emergency combat.

Resettlement

The Mongol policy of forcibly moving specialized artisans, scholars, and skilled workers across Eurasia to areas where their expertise was needed, facilitating cultural diffusion.

Pastoralists

Herders who depend primarily on livestock such as horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and camels for food, clothing, and shelter in arid environments unsuitable for large-scale farming.

Steppe Diplomacy

A system of political negotiation on the Central Asian steppes marked by personal courage in battle, loyalty to allies, willingness to eliminate rivals, and tribal alliance building.

Karakorum

The central capital city established by Chinggis Khan's successors, serving as a symbol of Mongol authority above traditional clan divisions.

Khanbaliq

The city originally captured from the Jurchen in 1215 that served as the Mongol imperial capital in China under the Yuan Dynasty.

Uighur Turks

Literate and educated nomadic allies of the Mongols who filled important roles as clerks, secretaries, administrators, and soldiers.

Sultan Mehmed II

The Ottoman ruler known as 'the Conqueror' who captured Constantinople in 1453, ended the Byzantine Empire, and established Istanbul as his imperial capital.