Land Based Empires & Transoceanic Empires of AP World History Modern

Unit 3 & Unit 4

Gunpowder Empires

States that used firearms and cannons to expand (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal).

Tamerlane

Central Asian conqueror whose brutal campaigns paved the way for gunpowder empires.

Ottoman Empire

Sunni Muslim empire in Anatolia; conquered Constantinople; used devshirme and Janissaries.

Safavid Empire

Shi'a Muslim empire in Persia; rival of the Ottomans.

Mughal Empire

Muslim empire in India known for tolerance under Akbar and monumental architecture.

Mehmed II

Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453 using cannons.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ottoman ruler at the empire's peak; expanded into Europe and built major architecture.

Ismail I

Founder of the Safavid Empire; made Shi'a Islam the state religion.

Babur

Founder of the Mughal Empire; used gunpowder to conquer Northern India.

Akbar

Mughal ruler who expanded the empire and promoted religious tolerance.

Aurangzeb

Mughal ruler who reversed tolerance and expanded the empire too far.

Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)

First tsar of Russia; expanded east and crushed boyars.

Peter the Great

Russian tsar who westernized Russia and built a navy.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Unified Japan and established the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Divine Right of Kings

Belief that monarchs receive authority from God.

Absolutism

System where the ruler holds total power.

Justices of the Peace

English officials who enforced laws locally.

Intendants

French tax collectors and administrators.

Devshirme

Ottoman system of taking Christian boys for military and administrative service.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman soldiers loyal to the sultan.

Zamindars

Mughal tax collectors and local administrators.

Civil Service Exam

Confucian exam system used in China to select bureaucrats.

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that rulers are chosen by divine approval.

Millet System

Ottoman system allowing religious communities self-governance.

Harem Politics

Influence of women and concubines in Ottoman court politics.

Sikhism

Syncretic religion blending Islam and Hinduism.

Bhakti Movement

Hindu devotional movement emphasizing personal connection to a deity.

Sufism

Mystical Islamic tradition focused on meditation and spiritual closeness to God.

Protestant Reformation

Movement challenging Catholic corruption; started by Martin Luther.

Ninety-Five Theses

Luther's list of criticisms of the Catholic Church.

Calvinism

Protestant branch emphasizing predestination.

Counter-Reformation

Catholic response to the Reformation.

Council of Trent

Catholic council that clarified doctrine and reformed abuses.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist to enrich the mother country.

Commercial Revolution

Shift to global trade economy using silver and banking.

Joint-Stock Company

Business where investors share profits and losses.

Triangular Trade

Atlantic trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Middle Passage

Brutal transport of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Trading-Post Empire

Empire based on controlling trade routes, not land.

Fluyt

Dutch cargo ship designed for efficient trade.

Caravel

Portuguese ship ideal for exploration.

Astrolabe

Navigation tool to determine latitude.

Lateen Sail

Triangular sail allowing ships to tack against the wind.

Encomienda

Spanish system forcing Indigenous labor in exchange for "protection."

Mita System

Inca labor tax adapted by Spanish for silver mining.

Hacienda System

Large estates where workers were trapped in debt peonage.

Chattel Slavery

People treated as property; hereditary and permanent.

Indentured Servitude

Contract labor for 4-7 years in exchange for passage.

Serfdom

Peasants tied to land; common in Russia.

Pugachev Rebellion

Russian peasant revolt against Catherine the Great; failed.

Maratha Rebellion

Hindu warriors who overthrew Mughal control in India.

Glorious Revolution

Bloodless overthrow of James II; strengthened Parliament.

Pueblo Revolt

Indigenous uprising against Spanish rule in New Mexico.

Maroon Wars

Rebellions by escaped enslaved Africans in the Caribbean.

Metacom's War

Indigenous resistance to British expansion in New England.

Queen Ana Nzinga

African ruler who resisted Portuguese slave raids.

Casta System

Race-based social hierarchy in Spanish America.

Peninsulares

Spaniards born in Spain; top of casta system.

Creoles

Europeans born in the Americas.

Mestizos

Mixed Indigenous and European ancestry.

Mulattos

Mixed African and European ancestry.

Zambos

Mixed Indigenous and African ancestry.

Boyars

Russian landowning nobles.

Samurai Warrior class in Japan.

Daimyo

Powerful Japanese landowners with samurai armies.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal.

Seven Years' War

Global conflict between Britain and France; Britain wins India and North America.

Period of Great Peace

Tokugawa era of stability and isolation in Japan.

Sakoku

Japan's closed-country policy limiting foreign contact.