AP World History Chapter 6 Key Terms

Islam

A monotheistic Abrahamic religion that originated in the 7th century CE, centered on the Quran as the literal word of Allah and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad; divided into Sunni and Shiite

Abbasid Dynasty

The third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad, ruling from 750 to 1258 CE; it moved the capital to Baghdad and presided over the Islamic Golden Age, a period of great scientific and cultural achievement.

Middle Ages

A period in European history from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance, characterized by feudalism, the growth of monarchies, and a strong influence of the Catholic Church.

feudalism

A social and economic system that structured society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labor, prevalent in medieval Europe; created a hierarchy of vassals, lords, and serfs

nobles

Members of the elite class in feudal society who held lands granted by a king or higher lord in exchange for military service and loyalty. They played a significant role in governance and local administration.

vassals

Individuals in feudal society who received land from a lord in exchange for loyalty and military service. Vassals were integral to the feudal system's hierarchy and obligations.

serfs (peasants)

Farmers who were bound to the land under the feudal system and were required to provide labor and produce in exchange for protection and a place to live. They had limited rights and were often subject to their lord's control.

fiefs

Land granted to vassals by lords in exchange for service and loyalty. Fiefs were the basis of the feudal system's economic structure, providing lords with resources and vassals with land to manage.

manors

the self sufficient agricultural estate at the center of medieval European rural life

three field system

agricultural innovation dividing land into three plots: one for winter corps, one for spring crops, and one left unplanted. This boosted economic stability and increased food production

code of chivalry

a moral code for knights in medieval Europe that encouraged bravery, honor, loyalty, and put women on pedestals

primogeniture

system where the eldest child inherits the family’s property, title, and power, used in feudal Europe

burghers

the growing middle class within medieval Europe that gained wealth and influence and challenged feudal structure

Hanseatic League

alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern/Central Europe that dominated Baltic and North Sea trade

scholasticism

a medieval European method of learning using reasoning to reconcile philosophy and theology to harmonize faith and religion

Bubonic Plague

14th century pandemic cause by fleas on rodents that killed 100-200 million people across Asia, Europe and North Africa. It decimated populations and accelerated the decline of feudalism

interregnum

a chaotic period of discontinuity between two reigns

Song Dynasty

960-1279 CE, imperial dynasty of China known for economic, technological, and cultural advancements. Used Neo-Confucianism, civil service exams, expanded by the Grand Canal, and was helped by Champa rice.

Yuan Dynasty

1270-1368 CE, Mongol led rule over China by Kublai Khan that facilitated East-West trade, introduced paper money, and let Buddhism flourish.

ming dynasty

1368-1644, imperial dynasty of China after Mongolian leadership that restored Chinese rule and made a centralized Confucian state. It revived civil service exams, maritime exploration with Zheng He, silk/silver/porcelain trade, building of Forbidden City.

foot binding

practice in Imperial China where elite women would bind their feet to limit mobility to show status

shogun

the military dictator and ruler of Japan that held the actual political power

Code of Bushido

the moral code of the samurai class in feudal Japan that emphasized loyalty, honors, and absolute allegiance to one’s lord

Delhi Sultanate

the Muslim dynasties in Delhi that established Islamic rule in northern India from 1206 to 1526

Rajput Kingdoms

decentralized network of Hindu states in northern India from 7th to 12 centuries CE after the fall of the Gupta Empire

Khmer Empire

9th to 15th centuries; Southeast Asian civilization that had cities like Angkor, which had complex irrigation architecture and had strong Hindu and Buddhist influence

angkor wat

a 12th century temple in Cambodia build by King Suryavarman of the Khmer originally dedicated to the god Vishnu, but later became a Buddhist site.

oral literature

myths, legends, epics, and folktales passed down through art, speech, or singing

Indian Ocean Trade

pre-modern maritime network linking East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia through medieval times. It focuses of bbulk items and luxury goods and used monsoon winds for travel, the lateen sail, and tools like the astrolabe and magnetic compass.

Silk Road

a 4,000 mile network of Eurasian land and sea routes that linked China to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It exchanged goods like silk, spices, metals, as well as culture, religion, and technology.

Baghdad

the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in 762 CE that was the hub of the Islamic Golden Age; destroyed during Mongol invasion in 1258

Mongols

a 13th-14th century nomadic groups from the Central Asian steppes that created a the largest land empire in history. They were united by Genghis Khan ajd facilitated immense cultural exchange and trade

Ottoman Turks

the ethnic group from Anatolia that founded the Ottoman Empire. They became Sunni Muslim and became a massive empire after capturing Constantinople from the weakened Byzantine Empire

Pope Innocent III

12th century pope who launched major crusades and claimed authority over European monarchs

the Inquisition

judicial institutions that aimed to punish heresy and deviant beliefs throughout Europe and its colonies

the Spanish Inquisition

tribunal created by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to convert others, punish heretics, and enforce religious conformity to enforce their own power

Hundred Years War

a series of conflicts between England and France over control of the French crown, ended in French win in 1453

Tatars

various Turkic speaking people associated with Mongol exapansion

Ivan the Terrible

Russia’s first tsar who centralizes power, expanded the Russian empire, and used terror, which lead the to the Time of Troubles after his death

Genghis Khan

founder of the Mongol Empire who unified nomadic tribes in 1206. His military genius and organization strategies gave him the largest land empire ever

Mongol Empire

the largest land empire that stretched from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan

Kublai Khan

Genghis’ grandson who founded the Yuan Dynasty, failed to conquer Japan, and maximized the impact of the Mongol Empire

Tamerlane

a Mongol conqueror who claimed lineage to Genghis Khan and used gunpowder weapons to build the Timurid Empire in Central Asia

Mansa Musa

the 14th century ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa who is one history’s wealthiest individuals. He was a devout Muslim whose Hajj boosted trans-Saharan trade, and he transformed Timbuktu into a Islamic learning and culture center.

Benin

a West African Kingdom in Nigeria known for centralized rule and role in trans Atlantic trade with Europeans

Great Zimbabwe

a medieval city state in modern day Zimbabwe that controlled regional trade in gold and linked Africa’s interior to Indian Ocean trade

Tenochtitlan

the capital of the Aztec Empire whose advanced engineering and imperial power hosted a huge population before Spanish conquest.

Cahokia

the largest pre-Columbian Mississippian city that had a complex hierarchical society before European contact

Incas

rulers of pre-Columbian Americas centered in Peru that had vast road systems, centralized bureaucracy, terrace farming, mita system, and impressive stone architecture

Aztecs

Mesoamerican civilization known for tribute system, complex religion, warrior culture, and it being conquered by Hernan Cortes

Xuanzang

renowned Chinese Buddhist monk of the Tang dynasty who defined imperial travel bans to make a pilgrimage to India, in which he enhanced understanding of Buddhism in China

Marco Polo

13th century Venetian merchant and traveler whose journey through Asia introduced Europe to the luxury of the East

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar and travaler known for journeys through the Islamic world